'Fencing At KES' by Robin Allen - The Stratfordian 2002
I have been fencing at K.E.S for six years since I started in year 7 and have enjoyed every minute of it, so I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little about it and where it can lead you. Many of you have already seen some form of fencing in films such as 'Zoro' or 'The Three Musketeers'. Whilst this is all staged for the enjoyment of the viewer it does give a flavour of the main ideas behind the original form of fencing which remain the basics of the modern sport. The idea, for example, is still to try and hit your opponent without being hit, except in the sport today nobody gets killed.
For any of you who don't know what fencing is, it is a form of sword fighting and it's also a martial art. Sword fighting for sport existed as long ago as ancient Egypt, and has been practiced in many forms in various cultures since then. There are three different types of weapon, Foil, Epée, and Sabre. Foil and épée use the tip to hit whereas with Sabre you can hit with either the front edge or the tip. Our school club mainly is a sabre club although we do occasionally fence other schools at foil and épée. The sabre was originally a heavy curved sword used by cavalry soldiers. Over the centuries, the blade has become much lighter and thinner and perfectly straight.
The target area on the body for sabre fights, is anywhere above the waist; this originates from the days when it was fought on horseback. Points are scored with the front of the blade (in a cutting motion) or the tip (in a thrusting motion).
One of the best things about fencing is the opportunities it can lead to. On the 26th January 10 members of the school fencing club, including me, travelled out to Pisa in Italy as part of the Great Britain Under 17 squad. This was impressive out of a total squad of 25. We fenced against some of the world's top fencers from countries such as France, Italy and Germany, as well as getting the chance to see one of the world's most famous landmarks- the leaning tower of Pisa.
Through regular training at the school club and participation in both home and foreign competitions I have moved up the national ranking list to good effect. For the last 4 years I have been fencing for Great Britain at an international level. I've competed in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Hungary at everything from U13 to most recently U20 level. Fencing has taken me on up to 6 trips a year to these places and more, including summer training camps in the Czech Republic and Poland. Within 2 years of starting fencing I was wearing my own Great Britain tracksuit to represent my country, in a competition where I fought people from all over the world. This culminated in a trip to Turkey earlier this year where I represented Great Britain in the World Championships, an experience never to be forgotten, and hopefully to be repeated.
This goes to show what can be achieved; I can't count the number of early mornings I've spent on a cold minibus, travelling to various competitions up and down the country, but looking back, if I had the choice, I would not change anything, because the high points far outweigh the low. How many teenagers do you know that have met and competed against people from over 80 different countries? How many have been all around Europe without their parents or spent 3 weeks in deepest Poland? Fencing has enabled me to do just that.
The adrenalin rush you experience when you beat a higher seeded foreigner in his own country is impossible to describe, but I can quite definitely say, is well worth any early morning. Combined with the people you meet and the places you go this would be a sport that I would recommend to anyone.
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Brenda Wins A National Crown - Standard, Friday 13th December 2002
There was a delight for King Edward VI School student David Brenda as he was crowned national champion in the England Youth Sabre Championships at the weekend.
The 17-year-old who lives in Alcester and attends the Stratford School, prised the title away from his Shakespeare's Swords team-mate Thomas Musgrave, of Clifford Chambers, in a thrilling event.
The duo had fought their way through two preliminary rounds of pools to be seeded first and second.
In the course of all eight fights, Brenda was hit only 13 times against the 40 he scored, and in the elimination stage nobody got double figures against him, while he polished off his opponents with the 15 hits required each time.
Musgrave, 16, fenced his usual tough fights to end as a worthy runner-up. He allowed one of his opponents to deter him as he ended the day with a 39 out of 40 in the preliminaries and excellent control against some non-conforming opponents in the elimination.
In the toughest fight of the day, Musgrave saw off Canterbury challenger Hayden McCarthy, 17, in a good tactical fight which ended 15-13.
In the girls competition, Stratford's Louise Creechan, 13, defeated Katie Dolan to make her first national cap.
Creechan, of the Girls' Grammar School, came second to Robynne Stenner, 15, from Bath in the under 16 championships.
All three Stratford fencers have now been selected for the England Youth Team and will represent their country in the junior home international quadrangular against Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in the spring.
This is Brenda's second national call-up, but the first time both Musgrave and Creechan will wear their England tracksuits.
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Rankings lift for Thomas - Journal 14th November 2002
THOMAS Brenda (16) from Alcester produced a top line performance in the cadet international tournament in Germany last weekend to regain the third position on the national ranking.
His 15th place out of an entry of 116 won the Alcester Grammar School pupil the coveted place which will put him on track for a national team selection in the Youth World Championships in Italy next April.
Brenda closed an 800-point deficit to a 600 lead over rival Harry Moncrieff from Scotland.
Brother Richard, also 16, finished one place lower strengthening his grip on the second national rank position.
KES pupil, Tom Musgrave (16) from Clifford Chambers, was the third Stratford-trained fencer to make the cut from the preliminary pool rounds into the all important elimination part of the tournament.
This only involves the last 32 fencers remaining out the starting list of 116, so, to make this standard on the international stage, is a significant achievement.
Already holding the tenth ranking place, Musgrave's notable achievement will advance him several notches up the scale, making him one of the best schoolboy fencing athletes in the country.
KES-trained girls were led by Lauren Sewell, (14) from Coventry. Her pool results gave her a middle ranked seeding which put her against Reija Block from Germany.
Sewell couldn't handle the German's better footwork and accuracy and went into the repechage. In her second chance, she met another tough German and lost 15-10.
With three further seasons at this level, Sewell is well placed to produce some excellent results in the future.
Louise Creechan (13) from Stratford fought through two rounds of pools to come 38th out of the 67 entrants.
The younger fencers did relatively much better in the stronger cadet competition on the second day than they had in their own age groups on the day before.
In the Under-14 event nobody shone but, in the main event, three years older, Max Crane (13) and David Musgrave (14) scored sufficient points in the first round to win a place in the next level.
The KES club has just taken in the newest recruits from the Year Seven intake and these 11-year-olds are already shaping up for an exciting time.
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Local sabre stars in national title tilt
- Stratford Herald 31st October 2002
Stratford's finest fencers fought out the final of the British junior sabre championships in Bristol and it was 19 year old Will Garrity who claimed the title.
In the under 20's event, Garrity, from Chipping Campden and a member of Stratford Fencing Club, defeated last year's champion Peter Kirby 15-8 with a superb performance in the final. Kirby who attends Chipping Campden School, trains with the Shakespeare's Swords club based at King Edward VI School, Stratford.
In a repeat of last year's semi-final, Garrity had beaten Daniel Morgan-Blake, from London Thames where Garrity also trains. Morgan-Blake took the silver medal in last year's championships and he and Kirby shared the honours in the 2001 youth finals.
In his semi-final at the weekend, Kirby had a 15-11 win over Neil Hutchison, from Bath, who had to settle for the bronze medal. Hutchison had beaten Stratford's Robin Allen, from KES and Shakespeare's Swords.
Brothers David Brenda (KES) and Thomas Brenda (Alcester Grammar) both got into the last 16, the latter having fought his twin brother Richard in the previous round.
Richard Brenda, also Alcester Grammar, had fared much better the previous day when he fought his way through the British cadet (under 17) championships to take the bronze medal. Brother Thomas was eliminated in the quarter finals by Coventry's Kit Rumney, who went on to lose to the eventual winner, Harry Moncrieff from Scotland.
Fifteen year old Aaron Fox (KES) had a personal best as he gained a place in the last 16 before being eliminated by Richard Brenda.
As well as Thomas Brenda, James Broad (Alcester Grammar) and KES boys Luke Foster and David Musgrave made the last 32.
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Garrity's semi setback after conquering Kirby - Journal 24th October 2002
STRATFORD'S Mike Johnson (21), from Bridgetown, proved his star quality by winning the Leicester Open Sabre Tournament at the Kettering Leisure Village, beating Scotland's Chris Jamieson convincingly in the final.
Before Johnson took his revenge at the last, Jamieson had overcome Stratford's Robin Allen (KES) in the last 32 and Will Garrity from Chipping Campden in the semi-finals.
Peter Kirby (Chipping Campden School) from North Littleton had played a brilliant match in the last 16 round. He started as 15th seed and was opposed by second seed Ben Hanley from Scotland.
Hanley had already won a pool match against Kirby 5-4 earlier in the day and took to this one the clear favourite.
Kirby, though, stuck to his guns and used the earlier experience to great effect tactically outwitting the Scotsman to take the match 15-8.
Kirby then went on to meet his World Championship teammate, Garrity, in the quarter-finals when the greater experience of the Cotswolds man showed.
Kirby had played Garrity tight up to the break at 8-6, then Garrity opened out the fight and managed to get his remaining seven points to two of Kirby's, ending the fight 15-8.
Johnson beat another Scotsman, Paul Hoenigman, in the quarter-finals, and Robin Knight, another tough opponent from London in the semi-finals with a convincing score.
Johnson never allowed the Londoner to get into his stride, taking out his normally commanding attacks with some very sharp parry-ripostes.
David Brenda (KES), from Alcester, joined Allen in the last 32, which was an excellent result for the young school fencer in the tough field of 94.
Mike Stone (KES) from Wellesbourne, had been unlucky to be dispatched in the previous round, after a good showing in the preliminary pools.
David's brothers, Richard and Tom (Alcester Grammar), meanwhile, were winning their own glory in Hungary, leading the British cadet team at the Godollo to ninth place in the strong international event.
Tom Musgrave (KES) from Clifford Chambers, had had a really bad day for the individual event, but more than made up for it in the team competition.
His outstanding performance pulled his team from 10-2 down when he put on 17 hits to his opponent's 15 to bring the British boys back into the fight.
In the end the squad lost by a respectable 45-37 to their experienced Ukrainian opponents to finish 12th.
Solihull's Aaron Fox was one of the top scoring British boys winning three fights out of six in the preliminary pools.
Both Brendas managed the same score, but suffering from a viral infection, were unable to build on this and all three were eliminated in the opening round of the tableau, along with Luke Foster (KES) from Pillerton Priors.
James Broad (Alcester Grammar) and Musgrave both won fights in their pools but their scores weren't enough to make the cut at this high level of competition.
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KES juniors hit double figures - Journal 17th October 2002
KES took top honours at the West Midlands Youth Sabre Championships winning ten medals including two gold, three silver and five bronze, and the only two they didn't get went to fencers training at the Stratford school.
KES-trained Kit Rumney from Coventry won the Under-18 title but he faced a stiff final test against KES's Tom Musgrave who took the silver.
The bronze medals went to Humu Choji and Mike Stone who live in Banbury and Wellesbourne.
In the younger categories, KES duo Aaron Fox (Under-16) from Solihull and Adam Douthwaite (Under-14) from Banbury, became regional champions for their groups.
Silver medals went to KES pupils Mike Turner (Under-16) and Robbie Malloy (Under-14) with bronze medals awarded to Luke Foster and David Musgrave (Under-16), and Max Crane in the Under-14s category.
This made a total medal haul of ten out of the possible 12 for the Stratford- based boys of KES.
Not to be outdone, Louise Creechan (13) who attends the Girls' Grammar School at Shottery won the Under-14 regional title.
In the boys' events, Chris Cox (Under-16) and Toby Crane and Matthew Chivers (Under-14) reached the quarter-finals.
All these young stars will be representing the West Midlands in the National Youth Sabre Champion-ships in Stoke next February.
They will be joined by Robin Allen and David Brenda, who had already qualified, in the Under-18 category.
To have 12 fencers representing the region from one school is quite an achievement.
"It will make February an important outing," said coach David Kirby, "I hope we will come back with some national medals as well."
The young sabre fencers will be trying their hands at foil fencing in the regional qualifiers early next month at the regional Youth Championships in Birmingham.
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