Much Wenlock 2010
At the Much Wenlock olympics on 11 July the OFC u13 team of Lydia Stanier, Alexander Hardie and Heloïse Hardie finished 3rd out of 8, losing 36-45 to Glastonbury in the semi-final. Will Knight finished 7th out of 21 in the men's foil, being defeated by the eventual winner.
Veterans' success
Congratulations to Malcolm Allton on winning the men's épée at the west midlands veterans' open, held at Dudley on 3–4 July, to Jorge Esteves on taking 3rd place in the men's sabre and to Sylvia Brown on her 8th place in the women's sabre. For a full report see BVF newsletter.
Club foil competitions
In June–July there will be several foil competitions open to all members of the club, with no entry fee. Each will start promptly at 8:00 on Tuesday or 7:30 on Friday, to be completed in a single evening.
Friday 4 June: under 10 foil full results ; Tuesday 15 June: women’s foil full results;
Tuesday 22 June: men’s foil full results; Friday 2 July: beginner–experienced pairs full results;
Friday 9 July: under 14 foil (size 3 blades) full results
Please contact Gordon if you are interested in taking part.
BBO fencing picnic
25 pairs, mixed between clubs, competed at the BBO picnic at Bloxham on 27 June. Congratuations to Alexander Hardie on being half of the winning pair. Gordon Hardie and Michael Brozhko were 5th, Bryan Kidd's pair was 6th, James Magé's 11th and Heloïse Hardie's 14th. Another excellent performance in depth by our younger members.
White Horse trophy
Three OFC teams entered the White Horse three-weapon team competition at Abingdon on 27 June. OFC A (Will, Sam, Nuno) were 5th, OFC B (Mark, Volker, Jorge) were 6th, and OFC C (Tania, Kata,Tom) 9th.
English youth championships The EYC on 19-20 June saw a double triumph for Lydia Stanier, who won the girls' u13 foil and épée titles. Alexander Hardie was 19th in the boys' u13 foil, Harry Vaughan-Williams 25th in the boys' u11 foil and Heloïse Hardie 5th in the girls' u11 foil. In the sabre events Nuno Esteves came 9th in u15 boys, Libby Caffrey 6th in the u15 girls, and Patrick Caffrey 9th in the u13 boys.Well done everyone for this really strong representation of the club.
British youth championships
At the BYC in Telford on 23 May Heloïse Hardie, representing the southern region, was 3rd in the girls u10 foil. Another medal--many congratulations!
Camden LPJS sabre
At the Camden LPJS sabre on 16 May Cecilia Caffrey was 3rd in the u17 girls, Elizabeth Caffrey 8th in the u15 girls, Nuno Esteves 14th in the u15 boys and Patrick Caffrey 12th in the u13 boys.
Sheffield open
At the Sheffield open on 16 May Sam Hughes was 10th out of 32 in the women's épée and Will Knight was 31st out of 79 in the men's foil.
Wrexham LPJS
On 5 May Heloïse Hardie won the Wrexham LPJS u11 girls' foil, a creditable result even in the absence of some of her usual rivals. Girls and boys were mixed in the poules, from which Heloïse qualified 4th. In the u13 boys Alexander Hardie won his first DE fight before losing to the 2nd seed. Lydia Stanier won the girls u13 foil, and as she has now won her first four events of the year has already established an unassailable lead in her LPJS category for the current season. Well done!
Club sabre competition
On 4 May recognized sabreurs were joined by a few closet sabreurs, and there were some surpris-ingly close bouts. In the semis Nuno Esteves edged out Gordon Hardie 10-9 while Jorge Esteves succumbed to Mark Waddington by the same score; in the final Mark triumphed 15-12. Full report.
British youth championships
It is a sign of the club's good health that several members qualified for the British youth championships held at Sheffield on 2-3 May. With another outstanding performance Lydia Stanier won the girls' u14 foil and was 12th in the girls' u14 épée, while Jin Ai Yap was 31st in the girls' u16 foil, Dan Barnes 42nd in the boys' u16 foil, Alexander Hardie 53rd in the boys' u12 foil and Patrick Caffrey 36th in the u14 boys' sabre. Well done to all our fencers, and thanks to those who supported them.
Intermediate foil course Places are still available on the six-week intermediate foil course that will start on Friday 14 May. The fee is £35; to book please email chairman@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk.
Friendly v Stowe School
On Friday 30 April there was a junior foil match against Stowe School. The Stowe boys (supplemented by our own Oengus Mallett) won 6-2 against an OFC team of Edmund Cornforth, Alexander Hardie and Johannes Halbach, while our girls' team of Jin Ai Yap, Hannah Shaw and Tania Lejeune balanced this with a 7-2 win. Many thanks as ever to Gordon Hardie for supervising this successful event and to James Kendall and Will Knight for refereeing.
Fencing for beginners
A new course for complete beginners will start on Friday 7 May: see beginners courses.
Club épée competition
Most but not quite all of the club's épéistes were able to take part in the internal competition on Tuesday 27 April. A round of poules and DE from 10 generated a very open and competitive event. Will Knight for instance demonstrated decisively that he is not only a very good foilist, while Volker Halbach, though a relative novice, most impressively won two DE fights to finish 4th. But in the end experience prevailed over enthusiasm, and in the final Ralph Evans stayed ahead of Mark Leech to claim the fabulous mystery prize. Many thanks to Gordon Hardie for giving up an evening of fencing to run this event. See results.
Challenge Wratislavia In the u13 girls’ épée at the huge challenge Wratislavia in Wrocław, Poland, on 25 March Lydia Stanier did fantastically well to take 13th place out of 131 entrants from 11 countries, the highest placed English girl in her age category.
Birmingham international tournament
At the Birmingham international tournament over the easter weekend Dan Barnes was placed 44th in the men's foil and Will Knight 65th. In the women's épée, where there was a strong overeas entry, especially from Italy, Sam Hughes was 68th.
Coventry sabre LPJS
On 28 March Nuno Esteves came 6th out of a field of nineteen, losing 13-15 to the eventual winner.
Keele open
At Keele on 27-8 March Jason Yeun fenced extremely well to be placed 3rd in the foil and 7th in the épée. A sleep-deprived Mark Leech was disappointed to finish 27th in the épée. For a fuller report see competitions.
Many congratulations
to Olly and Anne on the birth of (Elizabeth) Eve Bickley on Saturday 27 March, weighing 7 lbs 0¼ oz. All reported to be well!
Pairs competition
On 26 March there a very enjoyable foil competition in which recent beginners were paired with more experienced fencers was won by Volker and Johannes Halbach, just ahead of Ali-Asghan Hamiduddin and Alexander Hardie, level on victories and indicators and separated only by hits scored. For full results see pairs results. Many thanks to Gordon for organizing the event and to Martin for refereeing.
OFC v Abingdon
On 23 March there was a lively friendly match between OFC and Abingdon FC (with a few OFC regulars fencing under their alternative AFC affiliation). The home foil team (Will, Jason, Tim W, Janina) lost 5-11 to AFC (for whom Dan Barnes scored 4 victories) while the OFC épée squad (Mark, Jasmine, Tim R, Ralph) drew 8-8. The sabreurs completed a hybrid poule and then a relay in which an OFC team (Jon, Clare, Arthur, Olly, Tom) lost 35-50 to an AFC team that included Jorge and Nuno. A good night's fencing all round!
Invicta open foil
At Canterbury on 21 March Will Knight was placed 29th after being knocked-out by an exceptionally tall Dutch fencer who went on to win a bronze medal and Jason Yeun was placed 45th when he lost his DE fight just 14-15.
Eton LPJS
Lydia Stanier continued her dominant form at arguably the most prestigious of LPJS rounds on 21 March when she won the girls' u13 foil at Eton.
Public schools championships
Jasmine Sumeray represented Headington School at all three weapons at the public schools championships at Crystal Palace on 16-18 March. Jasmine finished 29th out of 63 in the girls' junior épée, being knocked out by the number 3 seed 10-15, 20th out of 44 in the foil and 22nd out of 38 in the sabre. Well done!
Southern region age-group teams
The southern region age-group team competition on 7 March ended in some confusion as there was not enough time to complete the event. An Oxford/Abingdon u18 foil team (Dan Barnes, Jin Ai Yap; Jonathon Hegarty) was placed 2nd and the OFC u14 foil team (Johannes Halbach, Edmund Cornforth, Alexander Hardie) was 10th. Ben Worsfold, entered in a team with two non-OFC fencers only one of whom turned up, seized the opportunity of valuable competitive experience.
Know the rules!
We should all know the rules better. Free copies may be downloaded from BFA/FIE rules. The relevant section for fencers and referees is technical rules, especially parts 2, 3 and 4. For a highly condensed version see abridged rules.
Individual lessons
Members are reminded of the value of individual coaching in raising the level of their fencing. Matthew offers lessons at all three weapons, and Olly at foil. Please contact them directly to arrange a lesson.
Nottingham open
At the Nottingham open on 7 March both Jorge and Nuno Esteves reached the last 32. Nuno was placed 24th and Jorge, who lost to the final winner, 25th.
Ashton LPJS
At the Leon Paul junior series Ashton tournament on 27-8 February Lydia Stanier continued her great run of form by winning the girls' u13 épée on the Saturday and the u13 foil on the Sunday. Heloïse Hardie won bronze, competing in a field of just three u11 girl foilists, and Alexander Hardie was 10th in the u13 boys' foil.
Hampshire open
At the Hampshire on 20 February Dan Barnes finished 44th in the men's foil.
Sherwood foil
On 13 February Heloïse Hardie won the Sherwood girls' u11 foil at Nottingham. As there were only 3 u11 girls they joined the u11 boys in the first round of poules, where Heloïse beat four out of five boys. Alexander Hardie reached the last 16 of the boys u13.
Introduction to épée
The four-week introduction to épée on 26 February and 5, 12, 19 March is fully booked.
Half-term
The hall at Rye will after all be available to us at half-term, and we will fence as usual on Tuesday 16 and Friday 19 February. There will be no beginners class on 19 February.
Slough open
At the tough Slough open tournament on 6 February Dan Barnes was placed 41st in the men's foil, Will Knight 58th, and Martin Carter 72nd. In the men's épée Olly Stanier was 66th while in the women's épée Sam Hughes was 42nd and Kata Eklund, in her first senior competition, 86th. In the sabre Nuno Esteves was 32nd and Jorge Esteves 33rd.
Paris CEP foil
At the Paris CEP u15 foil on 6-7 February Lydia Stanier did remarkably well to achieve 40th place out of 182, the 4th highest placed British fencer despite being one of the youngest competitors.
Esteves (POR)
On 6 February Nuno Esteves represented Portugal in the Camden international sabre event, which gave him the opportunity to fence with some of Europe's leading cadet sabreurs.
Southern region championships
In the southern region championships at Reading on 31 January Sam Hughes was 2nd in the women's épée (losing just 14-15 in the final); Will Knight and Jason Yuen shared 3rd place in the men's foil, with Martin Carter in 7th. In the age-group foil events Kata Eklund was 5th and Hannah Shaw 6th in the u18 girls; Dan Barnes was 2nd in the boys' u16, while Jin Ai Yap was 2nd and Jasmine Sumeray 3rd in the u16 girls; Lydia Stanier won the girls' u14 and Edmund Cornforth was 11th in the u14 boys; Alexander Hardie was 3rd in the boys' u12 and Heloïse Hardie 6th in the girls' u12.The u18 boys was won by Steven Williams, formerly of this parish. Congratulations on another great set of results! See SR photos.
First-aiders?
It would be helpful to know which members of the club have a first-aid qualification. If you do could you please email secretary@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk? Many thanks.
Essex open
At Colchester on 24 January Sam Hughes was 31st in the women's épée at the Essex open, and in a small but high-quality sabre event Jorge Esteves finished 15th, being eliminated by the eventual winner, while Nuno Esteves was 24th.
BBO épée championships
At the BBO épée championships on 17 January Kata Eklund won the girls' u18 épée and Edmund Cornforth came second in the boys' u14 épée.
Kenilworth LPJS foil
On 17 January Lydia Stanier continued where she left off at the end of last year with her first win of the 2010 LPJS season in the girls' u13. Heloïse Hardie was 2nd out of the three fencers in the girls' u11, while Alexander Hardie came 14th out of 29 u13 boys.
Cambridge open
At the Cambridge open on 16 January Sam Hughes finished 11th in a field of 32 women épéeistes. Jorge Esteves did well in two rounds of poules in the men's sabre, before losing 11-15 in the last 32.
Weekend competitions 16/17 January
This Sunday the BBO épée & sabre championships will take place at Langley in Berkshire: entry form. The Cambridge open will be held on Saturday and Sunday: details
New year
After the cancellations of 5 and 8 January the club had a busy night of fencing on Tuesday 12 January. We now expect to meet every Tuesday and Friday as usual until half-term, 16/19 February.
Matthew Thompson receives medal from English Fencing
Many congratulations to Matthew on being awarded a bronze medal in recognition of his services to England Fencing. Very well deserved! He has also been appointed to EF's coaching educators panel.
International u15 selection
And congratulations to Lydia Stanier on her selection for the England u15 foil squad for the Paris CEP marathon on 6-7 February.
BBO foil rally
OFC entered no fewer than four teams to the BBO foil rally on 6 December. Two of them took 2nd and 3rd places and one was declared best (fancy) dressed team. Well done everyone, and thanks to Gordon for coordinating our teams, and to Stephen Worsfold for transporting many of our fencers. For a report see Competitions and for more pictures BBO foil rally.
Pairs relay
On Friday 4 December this term's beginners were paired with more experienced members of the club in a friendly team competition. With 12 pairs taking part not all the matches could be completed, but the final ranking was topped by Kate MacIver and Mark Leech, just ahead (on a count of hits) of Tania Lejeune and Olly Bickley. Thanks to all who took part and to Gordon for organizing the event.
Newham and Bath LPJS
Many congratulations to Lydia Stanier on winning the LPJS u13 girls' foil at Newham on Saturday 5 December. Dan Barnes was 6th in th u15 boys' foil, consolidating his place in the top 8 of his category. Not content with her success at Newham, the next day Lydia was 2nd in the LPJS u13 girls' épée at Bath. Excellent results all round.
Hereford & Worcester open
On 5 December Sam Hughes did well to finish 24th in the women's épée at the Hereford & Worcester open, losing just 14-15 in the last 32.