It was the highlight of the fencing calendar last weekend as Mr Patrick and Mr Moffat took 16 fencers across two age groups down to the Tennis Centre at Millfield School in Somerset. Mr Symes and Mr Schanschieff were also in attendance as Aldwickbury’s very own cheer squad.
It was an early start for a Saturday, the minibus departing school at 9:00 am embarking on the 3-hour journey, thankfully the sun was shining, and we made it around the M25 in good time.
There were several returning fencers this year, and after our success last year hopes were high, with plenty of medal hopefuls in our team. There were a total of 25 fencers in the U11 boys’ competition and 21 in the U13 boys’ sabre.
The competitors went through two seeding pool stages where they all had noticeable victories. Ted F, Bennett J, Bobby M and William H, all had undefeated rounds in the pool stages as did George L and Zac H in the senior competition In the U11 competition this led to all 9 of our fencers being seeded in the top 15, something they should all be very proud of.
In the U13 draw our fencers had a tougher draw but they continued to push themselves with great determination. After 3 rounds Zak H and George L met in the semi-final where they produced a fiercely competitive match with George L coming out on top and advancing to the final where he met the #2 opponent. George produced a wonderful comeback from 9-7 down to win the final 10-9 and retain the title for Aldwickbury which Ben I had picked up 12 months ago. Congratulations must go to all of the boys who represented the school excellently and they should feel proud of their performances throughout the day. Our U13 team: George L, Zac H, Alex M, Charlie M, Dougal W and Henry F
Meanwhile, in the U11 competition, rivalries had also been forming. Ted – last year’s champion, unfortunately, had to fight Bobby in the knock-out stages with Bobby coming out on top. Bobby and Bennett J eventually met in the final and once again Bobby’s nerves proved too tough to crack and he was crowned the U11 champion. Aldwickbury had 6 fencers in the top 10 which shows just how competitive we are at a national competition, something all the boys should be immensely proud of. Our U11 team: Bobby M, Bennett J, William H, Fletcher G, Ted F, Aran S-C, Gus T, Vincent F and Nandor E.
It was a wonderful event to attend, and I hope the experience can help those boys as they move forward, not only in dealing with nerves but also learning from their successes and failures.
Congratulations to our medal winners
- George L U13 – Gold
- Zac H U13 – Bronze
- Bobby M – U11 Gold
- Bennett J – U11 Silver
Our thanks to thank Paul Davis and his team of coaches at Paul Davis Fencing Academy for the tuition and support they have given the boys over the last few years.
