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.