2011

For the five weeks after 8 July 2011 we will meet only on Tuesdays, from 7:30 to 10:00pm from 12 July to 9 August inclusive, in the Barker gym at Radley College OX14 2HR, between Kennington and north Abingdon. We will return to Rye for the new season on Tuesday 23 August.

 

 

 Beginners' course now intermediate course

Junior course (age 8 to 16) – 27th January to 23rd March 2012 (half-term break 17th February)

 

Last month OFC put on a fencing display at the Town Hall as part of the Oxford Open Doors event.

Thanks to Jeremy for taking a series of superb photos - see more.

 

 

OFC Fencing Demonstration for the OPT Open Doors weekend
The Oxford Preservation Trust has asked the club to put on a demonstration of fencing at the Town Hall on Sunday 11 September, between 1pm and 3 pm. Mark Leech has agreed to organise it, and will need some volunteers to help. This is part of OPT's Open Doors weekend and will be a good chance for the club to become better known, raise the profile of fencing in general and attract new members over the long term. The demonstration will be in the large concert hall on the first floor.

The plan is to have an electric box, and people taking it in turns to fence and (if they feel like it) talking to the spectators. The afternoon should be a good opportunity to fence in interesting surroundings, and talk about how much you enjoy fencing. A mixture of competitive and social fencers, adults and children, and people willing to have a go at all three weapons would be ideal. We will need a minimum of three but ideally six or seven people to be there at any one time. We would like volunteers to commit to at least an hour, and to let Mark know which hour they would plan to come. OPT have offered us the use of a steward to make sure the spectators are kept at a safe distance.

 

Club returns to Rye St Anthony

After a summer of fencing at Radley College the club will be moving back to Rye St Anthony sports centre from Tuesday 23rd at 8pm and then again on Friday 26th at 7:30pm. 

 

Responsibilty for children

The club has been creating a range of documents, policies and procedures that are available here. The most recent addition is the responsibility for children document. Oxford Fencing Club aims to encourage younger members to enjoy their sport, and to develop their skills in a supportive environment. This statement describes the club’s key expectations for behaviour and the measures it will take to ensure junior members participate in the best possible conditions. All members are encouraged to read this document here.

 

OFC fencing calendar

The new Oxford Fencing Club calendar is now available here.

 

Minutes of 2011 AGM

The minutes of the annual general meeting held on 5 July 2011 have been posted at AGM 2011.

 

European championships in Sheffield, 13–19 July

The 2011 European fencing championships are taking place at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on 13-19 July. Members of British Fencing are entitled to a discount of 20 per cent on the advanced purchase of daily tickets and to free access to the qualifying hall for every day of the championships. See the BFA's explanatory letter and press release. Results are now available at Euro results.

 

Know the rules!

We should all know the rules of fencing better. Copies may be downloaded from FIE rules. The relevant section for fencers and referees is technical rules, especially parts 2, 3 and 4.

 

Refereeing course in September or October

The refereeing course led by Malcolm Allton, an international referee, planned for this term has been postponed until September or October. It will follow the approved BFA curriculum and be relevant to all three weapons; there will be prescribed pre-course reading. The course would take 5–6 hours, probably on a single Saturday or Sunday. We hope that it will attract both fencers and non-fencing parents. There will be a modest charge for the course. To register an interest please email the secretary indicating your main weapon and your preference between Saturday and Sunday: secretary@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk. You will receive further details in due course.

 

Summer fencing

Our last meeting of the current season at Rye will be on Friday 8 July. For the following five weeks we will meet only on Tuesdays, from 7:30 to 10:00pm from 12 July to 9 August inclusive, in the Barker gym at Radley College OX14 2HR, between Kennington and north Abingdon. We will return to Rye for the new season on Tuesday 23 August.

 

AGM

The annual general meeting of 2011 will be held at 8:00 on Tuesday 5 July in the sports hall at Rye St Antony. Please arrive slightly ahead of time so that the meeting can start and finish promptly, leaving enough time for fencing. Please find the agenda on the documents page of the website. If you would like to suggest an item for the agenda, or to put yourself forward or to nominate another member for a club office or membership of the committee, please notify Sam at secretary@oxfordfenchingclub.co.uk.

 

Club competitions

See the competitions page for results of the recent club épée, sabre, u14 foil, and intermediate foil competitions. The mixed foil will be on Tuesday 21 June and the u10 foil on Friday 1 July.

There is no need to register in advance, but if you wish to take part please be ready to fence at the start of the session so that each event can be completed in one evening.

 

Free introductory lessons

The offer of a free introductory individual lesson has been extended until the end of June: see free lessons.

 

Sword Price Fighters

For recent doubts about the conformity to safety standards of SPF clothing see BFA notice 299 and BFA notice 301. Note that the safety of SPF masks is not in question.

 

Local competitions in June

Intermediate and junior fencers should enjoy the county ‘fencing picnic’ at Bloxham on Sunday 19 June. See fencing picnic. Gordon will be going and will be happy to provide information and guidance. More experienced competitors may like to form teams for the White Horse trophy at Abingdon on Sunday 26 June. Please let Gordon know if you are interested. See White Horse.

 

Warwick LPJS épée

At the Warwick Leon Paul junior series épée event on 8 May Lydia Stanier was placed 6th out of 22 in the GU15 category, Luca Roth 22/54 and Johannes Halbach 26/54 in the BU13.

 

British youth championships

Ten OFC fencers, a mixture of seasoned campaigners and relative newcomers, represented the southern region in the BYC at Sheffield on 30 April-2 May. In the foil Hannah Shaw was 22nd in the GU18, Lydia Stanier won bronze in the GU14, Heloïse Hardie was 6th in the GU12, Harry Vaughan-Williams 20th in the BU12. In the épée Lydia Stanier won silver in the GU14, Alexander Hardie was 29th in the BU14 and Luca Roth 9th in the BU12. In the the sabre Nuno Esteves finished 16th in the BU16, Libby Caffrey 14th in the GU16, Cecilia Caffrey 14th in the GU18 and Patrick Caffrey 29th in the BU14. Well done everyone. For fuller reports see competitions and BYC.

 

Stratford upon Avon sabre

Patrick Caffrey did well to reach the last 8 of the Stratford u14 sabre, losing his last fight just 9-10.

 

Birmingham international

At the Birmingham international tournament on 23–4 April Sam Hughes was placed 55th in the women's

épée, Nuno Esteves 41st and Jorge Esteves 70th in the men's sabre, Kat Chzhen 40th in the women's sabre, Richard Booth 59th in the men's foil and Issie Winney 37th in the women's foil.

 

Refereeing course

Malcolm Allton, an international referee, has offered to lead a refereeing course within the club. It would probably not include an examination, though it would follow the approved BFA curriculum, and there would be prescribed pre-course reading. The course would take 5–6 hours, either on a single Saturday or Sunday or divided between three club nights, according to what members prefer. The cost would depend on numbers and expenses. Please email chairman@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk if you would be interested in joining the course, saying what your preferred format would be.

 

2012 olympics

The olympic fencing will take place at ExCel from Saturday 28 July to Sunday 5 August 2012: see olympic fencing. Applications for tickets should be submitted by 11.59pm on 26 April 2011: tickets.

 

OFC v Swindon

On 5 April a return visit by Swindon FC almost filled the hall with five simultaneous matches (35 fencers in all). In a very friendly but competitive evening the home men’s foil A team (Volker L, Will, Richard) won 45-32, men’s foil B (Mark, Ryan, Philip) won 45-36, ladies’ foil (Issie, Sophie, Janina) lost 37-45, épée (Malcolm, Ralph, Sylvia, Volker H) won 80-79, sabre (Jorge, Hussain, Kat, Olly) lost 36-45.

On 8 April we received two very strong junior foil teams from Swindon. OFC A (Harry, Bryan, Toby) lost 12-45 and OFC B (James, Paige, Michael B) lost 19-45. A follow-on match between OFC A and Swindon B was much closer, but was won by the vistors 41-45. For a fuller report see Competitions.

 

Pro-am teams

The termly foil competition that combines fencers of all levels, from current beginners to seasoned competitors, has become an important part of the club's calendar. The event on Friday 1 April involved 24 fencers in an enjoyable and exciting evening of fencing: see competitions. Many thanks to Gordon for running the event and to all the competitors for approaching it in just the right spirit.

 

Policies and procedures

At the last AGM it was agreed that Mark Leech would coordinate the creation of a range of formal policies and procedures, partly but not entirely to meet the requirements of Clubmark. Mark has worked hard in investigating what might be needed, and the first document, about accident and emergency procedure, has been placed on a new documents & policies page of this site, along with the club's constitution. We hope that they will never be needed, but we ask all members to familiarize themselves with the procedures in case of accident or emergency. Further documents will follow soon.

 

East midland ladies' épée

Congratulations to Sylvia Brown on winning the east midland region's ladies' épée championship on 27 March.

 

Coventry LPJS sabre

At the LPJS sabre event at Coventry on 27 March Patrick  Caffrey was 14th among the u15 boys; there were much smaller entries in the girls’ events, in which Libby  Caffrey was 3rd in the u15 and Cecilia Caffrey 2nd in the u18 categories. See Coventry sabre.

 

Challenge Wratislavia

Lydia Stanier followed up her domestic success at the Invicta open by taking 16th place among 125 entrants in the u15 girls’ épée at the challenge Wratislavia in Wrocław, Poland, on 24 March. In the last 16 Lydia lost 11-15 to another British girl, who took the silver medal. Another tremendous result. 

 

OFC apparel

If you have ordered a club T-shirt, hoodie or socks, now is the time for payment please! If you wish to place a new order see apparel. 

 

Olympic demonstration event

At the 2012 olympics fencing with the medieval great sword will be a demonstration event. A team from the Oxford region will be selected and trained by Martin 'Longsword' Carter. If you wish to take part in the trials come to the club on Friday 1 April with two-handed sword (max length 2.5m), full 1600N chain-mail, FIE-approved helm, and certificate of insurance attested by a notary public. Direct elimination from the start.

 

Packwood épée

On 20 March Alexander Hardie was 5th out of 9 in the boys' u14 épée (yes, épée) at Packwood, near Shrewsbury. He topped his poule but lost 11-12 after extra time in the DE. A very enjoyable day, despite the long drive.

 

Invicta open

Fencing against experienced adult opponents in her first open competition Lydia Stanier put in a brilliant performance to take third place in the Invicta open épée in Canterbury on 19 March. Many congratulations! http://www.tenterden-swords.org.uk/html/we.html

 

Eton LPJS

At the Eton LPJS foil event on 12 March Edmund Cornforth finished 17th out of 25 u15 boys, and Alisdair Cornforth 17th out of 26 u11 boys, both doing well in the poules before losing in the first round of DE. Well done, solid  performances.

 

Keele open

Congratulations to Mark Leech on his bronze in the men's foil at the Keele open on 5/6 March.

 

Match v Stowe

On 4 March there was a friendly against Stowe School. It was a lively occasion, though the home side perhaps fielded overly strong lineups. OFC A (Martin, Richard, Jonty) won 45-7; OFC B (Ben, Edmund, Alexander) won 45-25; OFC girls (Sophie, Hannah, Heloïse) won 45-17; OFC girls lost 30-35 against Stowe boys A.

 

Nuno in Europe

At the European cadet championships in Klagenfurt, Austria, on 1 March Nuno Esteves, representing Portugal, was placed 64th in the sabre. His very tough poule included an Italian, a Ukrainian, a Macedonian, a Frenchman, an Austrian--and a Brit! Nuno secured one victory, but not the second that would have taken him into the DE of 56. Great experience at a very high level.

  

OFC insignia

The club has adopted newly designed insignia, partly reflecting the arms of the city. Many thanks to Fiona, abetted by Gordon, for the original design, and to Kevin for exploring practical applications, starting with our website, which now looks much smarter! Embroidered badges are now available for sale to members (the first batch has almost completely sold out) and orders for club socks are being taken. We would like to know what other applications members would welcome; T-shirts, sweatshirts and hooded tops have already been suggested. For fuller details see apparel. 

   

Southern region foil

At the southern region foil championships at Bradfield College on 20 February Jason Yuen took the silver medal and Martin Carter bronze; Mark Leech went out in the first round of DE, finishing 10th. In the age-group events Hannah Shaw was 3rd of 5 in the u18 girls and Edmund Cornforth 6th of 11 u16 boys; Harry Vaughan-Williams, won the boys' u12, with Alistair Cornforth in 8th place; Mia Biles fenced well in her first ever competition to finish 8th out of 11 u14 girls. Harry and Hannah will join Lydia Stanier and Heloïse Hardie, whose placings last year give them byes, in the British youth championships. Well done everyone! http://new.southernfencing.org.uk/results

 

Sherwood LPJS foil

At the Sherwood LPJS foil at Nottingham on 19 February Heloïse Hardie was 2nd in the u11 girls, losing 4-5 in the final. As there were only three u11 girls they joined the boys in the poules, where Heloïse beat 8 out of 10.

 

Hampshire open

Congratulations to Sam Hughes on taking the silver medal in the women's épée at the Hampshire open on 12 February, losing just 14-15 in the final. Sergey Skorokhodov was 18th in the men's foil.

 

OFC v Swindon FC

On 9 February no fewer than six OFC teams, meticulously marshalled by Gordon, travelled to Swindon, where they received a most hospitable welcome. Swindon won five of the matches, mostly by a fairly narrow margin reflecting what a good match it was. The scores (OFC first) were: men's foil (Richard, Jason, Sergey) 39-45, women's foil (Izzy, Sophie, Fiona) 27-45, intermediate foil (Peter, Kevin, Philip) 38-43, junior foil (Alexander, Harry, Heloïse) 41-45, (mixed) épée (Will, Malcolm, Tim) 45-26, mixed sabre (Shaun, Andy, Sylvia) 43-45. See Sophie's photos.

 

New Favero apparatus

To keep pace with the demand for electric pistes on club nights we have bought another Favero 05 box with remote control of timing and scoring and a pair of Millennium spools. Please make full use of this rather exepensive equipment–and treat it well!

   

Slough open

At the Slough open on 5–6 February Nuno Esteves was 19th and Shaun Wood 31st in the men’s sabre; Katy Chzhen was 15th in the women’s sabre;Volker Lorenz was 40th, Will Knight 63rd, Shaun Wood 65th and Richard Booth 73rd in the men’s foil; Sam Hughes was 34th and Jasmine Sumeray 59th in the women’s épée.

  

Nuno selected for Portugal

On 29–30 January Nuno Esteves represented Portugal at the Camden international cadet sabre event. In the individual competition he reached the last 64, where he went out to an American who finished 5th. Portugal did not progress beyond the first phase of the team event, but in their three matches Nuno scored half of his team’s points. Nuno has been selected to fence for Portugal at the European cadet championships in Klagenfurt, Austria, on 1 March. Many congratulations, and good luck! 

 

Southern region age group épée and sabre

At the regional youth championships at Newbury on 23 January Olly Stanier was 5th in the boys u18 épée. Alexander Hardie took the bronze medal in the u14 épée; unfortunately in his first DE bout he met Johannes Halbach, who was nudged down into 11th place. Luca Roth took bronze in the u12 boys épée. Lydia Stanier won the girls u14 épée, and like Alexander and Luca qualified for the British youth championships later this year. Jasmine Sumeray (representing Headington School) was 3rd in the u18 épée. There was a low entry for the sabre events, in which Nuno Esteves was 1st out of 4 u16 boys, Cecilia Caffrey was 3rd of 3 u18 girls, Libby Caffrey 3rd of 3 u16 girls and Patrick  Caffrey 3rd of 5 u14 boys; all qualified for the BYC. Well done everyone!

 

Aldershot and Cambridge results

At the Aldershot open on 9 January Sam Hughes came 11th in the women’s épée. At the Cambridge open on 16 January Nuno Esteves was 9th, Jorge Esteves 11th and Shaun Wood 19th in the sabre.

 

Kenilworth LPJS

A the Kenilworth Leon Paul junior series events on 16 January Heloïse Hardie finished second out of five u11 girls and Alexander Hardie 12th out of 32 u13 boys. Lydia Stanier won the final of her first girls u15 event 15-5. 

 

Match at Swindon on 9 February

We intend to follow up the successful recent visit of teams from Swindon FC with a return fixture at Swindon on Wednesday 9 February. We hope to take teams for men's foil (A and B teams), women's foil, u14 mixed foil, mixed sabre and mixed épée. If you would like to take part in this match please let Gordon know as soon as possible, and in any case by 25 January (you will need full rather than just social BFA membership).

 

Intermediate foil course

Matthew Thompson is offering an intermediate foil course on the six Fridays from 11 February to18 March (7:30--8:30). The course will be progressive over the six weeks and must be booked as a whole; a summary syllabus will be posted shortly. All foilists, from recent beginners to more experienced fencers, will be welcome. The cost of the course will be £25. If you would like to join the course please send a message to chairman@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk and make a payment of £25 by 1 February, either direct to our treasurer, Jane Magé (Friday evenings in person or by post to 55 Lashford Lane, Dry Sandford, Abingdon OX13 6DZ) or by electronic transfer.

 

Free introductory lessons

The committee is very concerned that relatively few members are taking individual lessons, and that the standard of fencing in the club is not rising as quickly as it might. It has decided to offer every member who has paid this year's subscription one free lesson with the coach and weapon of their choice. To take advantage of this offer, which will remain open until the end of May, please book a lesson with Matthew, Olly or Danny and notify Jane Magé (treasurer@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk) of the date and coach. The intention of course is to show both recreational and competitive fencers that individual tuition is the way to make their fencing more effective and more enjoyable.

  

Olympic fencing 50p coin

See http://www.royalmint.com/sportscollection/site/page2.aspx#fencing

 

Fencing on Tuesday 4 January

The club will meet as usual at Rye from Tuesday 4 January. Very best wishes for 2011 to all our members and friends.

 

 

2010

 

800N plastrons for all fencing

Please remember that for any fencing in the club you must always wear an 800N plastron (according to club rules 350N plastrons are not acceptable). See too plastrons and safety.

BBO foil rally

OFC entered just one team in this year's foil rally, but the combination of Martin Carter (with the handicap of using a size 0 blade to negate his reach against smaller opponents), Sophie Lamb and Bryan Kidd took second place, after losing just 4-5 to the winners.

 

Leon Paul junior series 2010 successes

On 4 November Lydia Stanier clinched the LPJS girls u13 épée championship for 2010, having already won the year's LPJS u13 foil championship. In 2010 Lydia has won 10 of the 11 LPJS events she has entered, a quite remarkable record. Heloïse Hardie led the LPJS girls u11 foil for much of 2010, but in the end took a very creditable second place.

 

and adult competition successes too

OFC fencers did well in two recent tough competitions. At the British universities and colleges championship (BUCS) in Gloucester on 27 November Richard Booth came 39th out of 117 male foilists. At the Hereford and Worcester open on 4–5 December Sam Hughes was 12th out of 28 in the women’s épée and Jorge Esteves 10th out of 34 in the men’s sabre.

 

Pro-am foil

On Friday 3 December this term's beginners joined fencers of widely varying age and experience to form 8 teams of 3 foilists for relay matches (first to 15 hits, 2 minutes per pair). According to circumstance teams managed to complete 3, 4, or 5 matches. The unstoppable juggernaut that was Richard Booth, Edmund Cornforth and Michael Brozhko ended top of the table with 5 wins, but everyone seemed to enjoy a full evening of friendly but competitive fencing. Many thanks to Gordon for running the event so smoothly, and to everyone for taking part. For full results see competitions

 

Southern region u14/u19 foil and épée teams

Several OFC fencers took part in the southern region u14 and u19 foil and épée team events at Aldershot on 21 November. An OFC u14 épée team of Lydia Stanier, Johannes Halbach [left] and Luca Roth was first out of three teams, and a combined OFC–Dragon u14  foil team that included Alexander Hardie and Harry Vaughan-Williams was 4th out of twelve teams. An u19 foil team with Hannah Shaw and Edmund Cornforth was 3rd out of three (tbc) while Oli Stanier was in the Abingdon School u19 épée team that was 2nd out of seven teams. Thanks to Martin Carter for refereeing all day and transporting the boxes, and to all those who drove and supported the fencers.

 

 

Coaching in the club

The last AGM accepted the committee’s proposal that ‘the club would pay an annual retainer to Matthew, who in return would provide systematic supervision of fencing within the club, helping fencers of all levels to improve technically and tactically’. For various reasons it has not been possible to implement this arrangement, but the committee is still keen to make better use of the coaching available. It remains true that the best way to make progress is to take individual lessons from time to time, and we now have three qualified coaches who are offering one-to-one tuition. But we still hope to find other ways of helping novice and intermediate fencers to improve. In the new year we may experiment by introducing informal group coaching sessions for novice adult foilists.  And it is intended that more experienced members should take a more active role in supervising  and advising intermediate fencers. We would welcome suggestions (to chairman@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk please) from members and parents as to what might be most helpful.

 

BBO épée and sabre

There were disappointingly few entrants to the BBO épée and sabre championships on 7 November, but several young OFC fencers  took the opportunity to gain valuable competitive experience. To increase the number of fights different age-groups were sometimes mixed into a single poule. In his first competition, despite being by far the youngest in his épée poule of u14 boys and u16 girls, Luca Roth fenced impressively against taller opponents to win 3/6 fights and take a bronze medaI. Lydia Stanier tooke gold in the u14 girls' épée, winning the final 10-1. In the sabre Patrick Caffrey, Libby Caffrey and Cecilia Caffrey fenced very determinedly in their poules; Patrick received gold as the sole u14 boy and Libby was 2nd of the two u16 girls; Cecilia did well in her poule but in the girls’ u18 final could not overcome a more experienced opponent. In the men’s épée a sleep-deprived Mark Leech slumped to an uncharacteristic 11th place out of 13.

 

 

LPJS Cambridge

At the Leon Paul junior series foil event at Cambridge on 6 November Alexander Hardie (above right) was placed 14th in a field of 37 u13 boys and Heloïse Hardie (left) 5th out of 9 u11 girls.

 

Alençon veterans

At the veterans' épée tournament at Alençon on 30 October Malcolm Allton was 6th in the men's event and Sylvia Brown 7th among the women.

  

Fencing lessons

At every level from novice to olympic the way to improve your fencing, and thus to enjoy it more, is to take individual lessons from a qualified coach. Matthew Thompson is a very experienced professional coach, recognized by England Fencing at level 4 for foil and level 3 for épée and sabre. He is very happy to give lessons at any weapon either to competitive fencers hoping to improve their performance or to recreational fencers wanting to raise the level of their fencing within the club. A 15-minute lesson with Matthew is very good value for just £10. And now sabre lessons are available from Danny Godfrey. The coaches will be pleased to be contacted to arrange either single lessons or a series of lessons. Do make use of them!

 

Danny Godfrey now a registered coach

Congratulations to Danny Godfrey on qualifying as a sabre coach at level 1. Danny, who had a very successful competitive career in which he fenced sabre for Australia, has been doing a good deal of informal coaching in the club and is now in a position to offer formal individual tuition. Sabreurs wishing to up their game will do well to talk to Danny. 

 

BBO épée and sabre championships

The BBO épée and sabre events will be held at Langley grammar school, near Slough, on Sunday 7 November. The closing date is Friday 5 November. http://www.bbofencing.org/calendar.html. Please let Gordon know if you are planning to enter.

 

BBO foil championships

Fifteen OFC fencers entered the Berks, Bucks & Oxon foil championships at Langley on 17 October, and came away with five gold, two silver and four bronze medals. In the men’s foil Sergey Skorokhodov was 2nd, Gordon Hardie and Jonty Haberfield joint 3rd, and Richard Booth 6th; in the boys’ u16 Edmund Cornforth was 2nd and Andrew Prescott 6th; the girls u14 was won by Lydia Stanier and the boys’ u14 by Alexander Hardie; Heloïse Hardie won the girls’ u12, with Paige Tierney in 3rd place; Paige also took gold as the only u10 girl in the event; Harry Vaughan-Williams won the boys’ u12, with Alisdair Cornforth 7th and Bryan Kidd  8th; in the boys’ u10 James Magé was 3rd and Michael Brozhko 5th. Congratulations to all our fencers on such a tremendous performance; and many thanks to Gordon for coordinating the club’s entry, and to parents for their support—not least in driving to Langley so early on a Sunday morning!    Full Results   BBO images

 

Allstar open

At the Allstar open in Walsall on 17 October Sam Hughes did well to finish 11th in a small but highly ranked field in the women's épée.

 

OFC v RAL

The foil match against Rutherford Appleton Laboratory FC on Tuesday 5 October provided a full and enjoyable evening of fencing. The strong OFC A team (Mark Leech, Will, Alexander, Jonty) won their match 12-4, while the OFC B team (Mark Lawrence, James, Fiona, Sophie), with two members who have been fencing for less than a year, performed really well to win 9-7.

 

Sussex open

Many congratulations to Sam Hughes on taking third place at the Sussex open épée at Portslade on 2 October. full results

  

New season

Subscriptions for the new year were due by 30 September: see membership & fees. If you have not already done so this year please email your address, phone number, emergency contact and BFA membership number and date of expiry to secretary@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk.

 

Access to Rye St Antony

The entrance gates to Rye St Antony have to be opened with an access code: see Location. Please remember not to use the gate intercom.

 

Early competition results

On 6 September Sam Hughes was 22nd in the Essex open épée, losing in the DE to the 3rd placed fencer. On 18 September Nuno Esteves finished 16th in the Manchester cadet sabre, winning DE bouts 15-5 and 15-12 before losing 8-15 in the last 16.  And on 2 October Jasmine Sumeray was placed 38th in the GB cadet women's épée championshirp. Well done, a solid start to the season.

 

Beer and curry

On Tuesday 3 August a social outing is planned instead of fencing.  Members are invited to meet at the Angel and Greyhound in St Clements between 7:00 and 7:30 before migrating to a nearby curry house. If you are interested please let Sam know (secretary@oxfordfencingclub.co.uk) so she can have an idea of numbers and possibly book a table.

 

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.

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.

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.