A FOREST teenager came away from the English national boccia championships with a silver medal.

Archie Eaton, aged 18, from Longhope regularly plays the Paralympic sport with the Cotswolds Crusaders in Cheltenham.

Archie also secured a bronze in one of the three qualifying rounds on his way to the finals in Sheffield in the target sport played with soft leather balls.

The sixth former at John Kyrle High School in Ross-on-Wye progressed to the semi-finals at Sheffield by finishing top of his pool, and eventually took silver in a tough final against the reigning champion

Archie admitted: “I thought I had the potential to do well, but it is a great feeling when the matches keep going your way.

“But I would love to go one better next time and I will be training hard for next season”.

Head coach Adam Brown praised “Archie’s natural ability, unquestionable commitment and hard work which has seen him rise to the top of the English game”.

And he says that everyone at the club is very proud of Archie and his achievements.

Adam joined the club while working for a degree in sports development and coaching at the University of Gloucestershire and has been instrumental in developing structured coaching sessions there over the last three years, pushing Archie and the other players to greater achievements.

Earlier this year, the Crusaders supported Active Gloucestershire in hosting the School Games Boccia county finals, an event giving students with additional needs from both mainstream and special schools in the county the chance to represent their school and participate in a sporting competition.