Ben Guyenot
It is with deep regret that we inform you of the death of Ben Guyenot in hospital on the 17th December 2003 following a car crash near Stratford on Monday the 15th.
Ben joined Shakespeare's Swords in September 2003 (training at KES in Stratford) after his move to England to continue
his studies and work as a chef at the Three Ways Hotel in Mickleton in Chipping Campden. His love of the sport of
fencing and his dedication were just two of the attributes which enabled him to make a lasting impression on us very quickly.
Having fenced for France at Under 20 level he brought with him good skills and sound knowledge. He was always willing to make
this experience available to other students in the club, irrespective of age or sex. He proved to be a valued member of the
club with his hard working attitude and his determination. This was clearly demonstrated when he reached the final at the
Hereford and Worcester Open despite an injury during the event. We enjoyed his company very much and it was a pleasure to
coach him both at competition and in training. His beliefs and attitudes were a clear demonstration that working hard can be fun as well as rewarding.
We miss him very much and express our sympathy and condolences to his friends and family. We wish them well through these difficult times.
Peter Rome
And all at Shakespeare's Sword
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Youngsters land Sabre successes - Journal, 6th November 2003
FENCERS from Stratford's Centre of Excellence, based at King Edward VI School, claimed two gold, a silver and a bronze at last weekend's England Sabre Championships.
A strong Stratford and West Midlands contingent, coached by Peter Rome, put fencers from the rest of England under constant pressure.
In the men's Under-18 Sabre, Thomas Brenda, from Alcester, took gold for the second year.
In the women's Under-16 event, Lauren Sewell from King Henry VIII in Coventry took gold, while Louise Creechan (Shottery Girls) took silver.
All three automatically qualify for next year's home international series against Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In the two preliminary rounds, Brenda (17) lost three of his 12 fights and had to re-focus himself before facing his direct elimination fights.
After a difficult fight against Londoner Thomas Gill in which Brenda scored several hits by pulling his sword backwards to cut Gill on the arm, Brenda went on to win convincingly against all his other opponents.
In the final he defeated James Walker from Taunton 15-7 who had earlier knocked Brenda's twin brother Richard into third place 15-12.
Thomas Musgrave and Aaron Fox (KES) both reached the last eight.
In the women's Under-16 Sabre, Sewell and Creechan easily reached the final.
Both girls were determined to be the champion but it was Sewell's greater experience took her into an apparently comfortable 11-3 lead. Creechan, however, slowly fought back to bring the score to 14-13.
At this point nerves play as important a role as skill and Sewell, already a veteran of several European competitions, made the final hit to win 15-13.
In the men's Under-16 Sabre, Mike Read and Mike Turner made the last eight, while Max and Toby Crane, Adam Douthwaite and Christopher Brenda all made the last 16.
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Vale's Peter escapes TV show eviction - Journal, 9th October 2003
YOUNG Vale sportsman Peter Kirby has spoken of his relief at narrowly escaping eviction from the BBC's reality show, Born to Win.
Peter, of North Littleton, the national fencing champion in the under-20 category, was one of three male contestants facing being thrown off the programme last Saturday.
Former international hurdles champion, Colin Jackson, however, one of the programme's mentors, saved him, much to Peter's relief.
The decision means he survives for at least another week, as he remains in the running to win a bursary to help him reach the top in his chosen sport.
He described the threat of eviction as "pretty scary" but believed he had a good chance of surviving, as he was not the lowest placed competitor and did not have the least number of points.
"Being saved was a relief," he said on the programme's official website, "I felt good but, at the same time, you feel bad for the other two.
"We've made friends and they're good blokes and you don't want to see anyone go but you know someone has to."
He added: "The reason I was in the drop zone was because I lost focus."
He went on: "I knew as soon as I'd finished what went wrong and then Colin confirmed it.
"I've just got to listen to what he says and try and improve my performance."
One male and one female contestant will each win a bursary at the end of the series.
Peter is a member of the Shakespeare's Sword fencing club, based at King Edward VI School in Stratford.
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Delight for David after battle of the brothers - Journal, 13th August 2003
DAVID Brenda, a pupil at King Edward VI School in Stratford, won the Norfolk Open Sabre competition last weekend.
The 18-year-old from Alcester received the trophy from his younger brother, Richard, last year's winner.
Amazingly, David, Richard and twin brother Thomas, took the first three places in Norwich.
The brothers faced local opposition and experienced opponents from London, France and Holland.
At the end of the preliminary rounds, all three were ranked in the first eight and made relatively easy progress to the semi-finals.
Richard and Thomas faced each other in the first. Knowing that his brother would attack with force and speed, Thomas resorted to a range of athletic moves designed to avoid Richard's blade.
Richard was often left cutting harmlessly at the empty air and wondering where his brother had gone. Thomas eventually won by 15 hits to 8.
In the second semi-final, older brother David appeared to be about to lose by a similar margin to local lad Robert Andrews.
Having the experience and confidence of an international fencer, the KES fighter twice stopped the fight to ask the referee how Andrews was hitting him.
Once David understood that Andrews was making a series of long lunges each covering a distance of 4-5 metres - a move obvious from the side but not "point on" - he countered the action and Andrews failed to add to his score as David went from 12-6 down to win 15-12 and book a date with Thomas in the final.
It proved a thrillingly close fight but, having watched his brother in an earlier fight. David was prepared for some unexpected moves and actions and won 15-14.
The winner has been absent from training for some time while preparing for taking A Levels and this victory confirms his return to regular competition and followed success last month in the Ridley-Martin Cup - a senior national competition.
Also in action in Norfolk were younger brother, Christopher (14) and father, Paul. Both reached the last 16 only to be eliminated by the same French sabreur.
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Family affair as Brendas lead KES fighters to top - Journal, 16th July 2003
TEAMS from King Edward VI School in Stratford all finished ahead of the team from the Combined Services (Army, Navy and Air Force) in the British Team Sabre Open Championships at RAF Cosford last weekend.
One of the boys' teams, led by David Brenda, 18 (KES) from Alcester was a family affair, with his brothers Tom and Richard, both 17 (Alcester Grammar School) making the other two places. This is a record in itself!
The Brendas took third place in the championships in which 13 teams from sabre fencing clubs all over the country took part. All the Brendas train at the KES-based Stratford Fencing Centre.
KES's own team, led by their new captain, Tom Musgrave, 17 from Clifford Chambers, beat a strong team from the North East's specialist sabre centre to make the quarter-finals, where they were dispatched by another Tyneside team, Laszlo's Fencers.
The same group also stopped the KES second string from making further progress. Even so they had acquired sufficient points to put them in tenth place, one position higher than the Combined Services at 11th.
Clearly KES has put down a marker for the future as two of this team, Mike Turner and Luke Foster are only 15.
The Shakespeare's girls' team battled through the pool round to make the cut into the elimination stage of the contest.
Last fencer on, Louise Bond-Williams, was left with an impossible deficit to make up in the last fight, where she needed to make 31 hits to her opponent's five, she gained 18 in the time.
Lauren Sewell had put in a solid performance with the confidence of her 15th place in the individuals the day before.
The teams all trained at the sabre centre in King Edward VI School, while Bond-Williams is currently training in the USA at Ohio State University on a fencing scholarship.
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Mike is British Champ - Standard, 18th July 2003
Stratford's Mike Johnson was crowned British sabre fencing champion after emerging victorious at the British National Fencing Championships at the weekend.
The 23-year-old Portsmouth University student, of Bridgetown, who began his fencing career at King Edward VI School, had double reason to celebrate when fellow KES product Louise Bond-Williams took the women's title.
Gloucestershire's Bond-Williams, 21, who studies at Ohio State University in the USA, and Johnson were both involved in finals of sheer drama and tension.
Johnson fought neck and neck with Scotland's Chris Jamieson until they reached the last points of the Championships.
Johnson was 13-14 down with Jamieson needing only one hit for the championship, but Johnson proved his worth by stepping up a gear and producing two stunning hits to win the 2003 title.
Bond-Williams found herself 8-11 down against her domestic rival Crystal Nicholl, 17, of Blandford.
However, British Ladies No.1 Bond-Williams focused hard and swept through the remaining hits with deceptive ease to take the Championship for the sixth time.Her next aim is to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Will Garrity, 20, who attends Stratford College, won the Bronze medal.He had been one of Johnson's victims in the semi-final and was fencing well before just missing out 15-14.
The other younger Stratford fencers also produced some outstanding results.
On top form were brothers Tom and Richard Brenda, 17, both of Alcester Grammar, who finished 23rd and 25th, with their elder brother David, 18, (KES) 37th. Fellow KES student Aaron Fox was 42nd.
Stratford-trained Lauren Sewell, 15, from Coventry, also fenced and achieved a personal best by beating Clara Ross 15-12 in the last 32 to finish 15th.
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