Twins record top 50 finishes at World Championships - Journal, 10th April 2003
SABRE fencing twins Richard and Thomas Brenda, both 16, from Alcester and pupils at Alcester Grammar School, finished in the top 50 at the Cadet (Under 17) World Championships in Sicily. Thomas finished in 45th place, missing promotion to the next round by a single hit, while Richard finished 50th.
The pair came up against opponents from 25 other nations, 32 of whom had appeared in previous World Championships.
In the preliminary rounds they each eliminated one other fencer - the sole Israeli and the sole Iranian.
Richard fenced well against the controlled moves of his Japanese, Kazakstani and Korean opponents but fell victim to the more fluid play of sabreurs from the cavalry traditions of Russia and the Ukraine.
Thomas was unlucky to lose several fights by five hits to four.
Thomas was particularly impressive against Max Williams, an American who was No 1 seed and the favourite to win the competition.
The boys' teammate, Alex O'Connell, from Brentwood finished in 31st place having been eliminated by one of a strong Italian home team.
In a thrilling fight, Williams was eliminated by another Italian but the competition was eventually won by a Ukrainian, Europe's No 1.
Security at the Championships was impressive. The British team was escorted everywhere by armed caribiniere - 50 were on duty throughout the Championships, together with police, Guarda and unarmed security men.
Plain-clothes detectives, identifiable only by their uniform dark glasses, mingled with the spectators.
The British competitors did well not to allow the tight security to put them off. In fact, both the Alcester boys have gained from this experience at the highest level and should prove to be even more formidable opponents on the home circuit.
Richard has stayed in Italy to act as reserve for the Under-20 team event.
Elder brother, David (18) and a pupil at King Edward VI School in Stratford, is representing the West Midlands in the Senior Winton Cup at Stoke-on-Trent this weekend.
See pics in the gallery
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Brenda brothers earn a call to Britain's squad - Journal, 6th March 2003
Alcester Grammar School pupils, brothers Tom and Richard Brenda, who train at the Centre of Excellence at King Edward VI School, Stratford, have been selected for the British team to compete in the sabre discipline at the World Youth Championships in Sicily next month.
The brothers, both 16, qualified for the team by competing in top level events both at home and abroad. Both are ranked in the top 30 senior men in Britain and have already represented the West Midlands at senior level.
Richard and Tom started the season in September in the top three places of the cadet (Under-17) national ranking list. Richard was in second place and throughout the season stretched his lead over the third position.
Tom was always involved in a struggle with Harry Moncrieff, another 16-year-old from Edinburgh. The pair had been within one per cent of each other until they faced one another in the last international of the season when the Alcester teenager saw off his rival 15-7.
The Centre is now getting into gear to prepare the young blades for their world debut, and their training will shift up a gear.
Helping them in the run up to Italy will be world team members from last year, Robin Allen (17) from Stratford (KES) and 18-year-old Peter Kirby from North Littleton, whose father David will act as a coach to the squad.
England youth fencers and KES pupils, Tom and Richard's brother, David Brenda (18) and 16-year-old Thomas Musgrave from Clifford Chambers will be in support as well.
Musgrave and the eldest of the Brenda brothers join the England sabre team this weekend for a Home International against Wales, Ireland and Scotland.
The announcement of the new sports centre at Alcester Grammar School will help future fencing stars from the school, but will come to late of course for Richard and Thomas in their bid for a result at this year's championships.
Their selection makes it eight consecutive years that the Levi Fox Hall establishment has produced team members for the British three-man teams going to Worlds - a truly marvellous achievement.
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Kirby crowned British champion - Journal, 13th February 2003
The British youth sabre scene was dominated by Stratford's KES fencers last weekend.
In total the town's fencers brought home a British champion, four medals and boasted eleven quarter-finalists.
Star of the day was Peter Kirby from North Littleton, who is doing is A levels at Chipping Campden School.
The 18-year-old took the entire competition by storm winning the final from clubmate Riki Brenda (16) from Alcester 15-7.
This made for a stunning display of modern athletic sabre fencing as both boys have their national colours and are ranked in the top 30 seniors in the country.
Brenda had beaten elder brother, David (KES) in the quarter- finals after a tough 15-12 battle when Riki's world-class sharpness showed in the end.
Kirby put out the other fencing Brenda - Tom (16) in the semi- finals by the same 15-7 scoreline.
KES had a real run of success in the event. Not only did the club bring home three medals, but another three sixth-formers from the boys' Grammar School, King Edward VI, took another pair of the quarter-final tableau.
Thomas Musgrave (16) from Clifford Chambers had proved his England Youth call up by beating Andrew Nelson and James Roberts.
Musgrave was fencing with his now customary skill and tactical awareness and ended up a respectable 11-15 against the winner for sixth place.
Mike Stone (17) from Wellesbourne (KES) saw off two opponents with deceptive ease until he too came up against an on-song Tom Brenda in the last eight.
In the younger age groups, 15-year-old Aaron Fox from Solihull (KES) received a bye through to the last 32 with an 11th seed from the pool round.
There he took out two opponents in the last 16 before a bout with Bath's Nathan Coombs in the last eight.
Fox fought well but had several unlucky hits against him in the early round, getting to the break 7-8 down. He pulled this back to 14-all, then lost the last point when his hit failed to register.
Mike Turner (14) from Snitterfield (KES) made a slow start in the pools but really brought things back in the longer 15-point elimination fights.
He was very unlucky to lose 15-14 in the last 16 to an opponent who went on to win a bronze medal.
David Musgrave (14) from Clifford Chambers fared better in the pools and entered the elimination from 14th seed. He smoothly saw off his next opponent 15-9 before meeting Coombs in the last 16 when the KES fighter took eleven good points off his opponent.
In the Under-14 group, Robbie Malloy (13) from Stratford (KES) ended the first preliminary round seeded first, but dropped to eighth going into the elimination.
He made short work of his next two combatants before being knocked out by Coventry's Mike Read from King Henry VIII in the L8.
Adam Douthwaite, from Radway was 21st and Stratford's Max Crane finished 23rd. Both are 13-year-old pupils at KES.
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Tremendous trio are Shakespeare winners
- Standard, 25th January 2003
The Alcester Grammar School sabre fencing team were crowned winners of the Shakespeare's Cadet Sabre Championships held at Stratford's King Edward VI School on Sunday.
Made up of Richard and Thomas Brenda and James Broad, all 16, the team added to their previous triumph in this season's first team competition at Surrey CC's Oval cricket ground with another excellent display in the Levi Fox Hall.
They beat 16 other sides from schools and clubs all over England, including teams from Brentwood and Millfield Schools and three local sides from the host school.
The annual event open to all under 17 aged boys and girls, forms a major part of the national ranking series and the club welcomed athletes from all over Britain from Edinburgh to Truro and Belfast to Canterbury.
Each match is fought in a continuous relay until one team has scored 45 its.
The Alcester team had easy victories early in the competition and scores included 45-13 and 45-20, and only in the final were they really stretched.
In the final they met King Edward VI A team of Humu Choji, Aaron Fox and Tom Musgrave.
The latter took an early lead and it was only at 25-24 that Broad, giving a display of perfect timing, put Alcester ahead.
Richard narrowly extended the margin to 30-28 but it was with difficulty that they held on too the lead, facing spirited and powerful attacks from Choji & Musgrave.
It was against Musgrave, who was in top form, and with the core at 44-44, that Thomas decided to change his tactics.
Instead of counter-attacking Musgrave's running attack, he made a single long lunge, the point of his sword moving forward ten feet and scoring the final hit to give overall victory to Alcester.
In the individual under 17 sabre competition held earlier in the day, Thomas had shown the same good form.
He beat is brother Christopher, 14, from Alcester High School, into 60th place. And after an exciting tactical battle he later knocked his twin Richard into fifth place.
However he was unable to overcome the focus, calmness and deceptive speed of Harry Moncreiff from Stirling and Thomas finished in second place after a 15-10 defeat. Broad finished in 30th place.
The individual girls' event was won by Bath's 14 year old Robynne Stenner, who defeated Jo Hutchison, 16, and also from the city, 15-13 in the final.
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Grammar School grabs glory at top event
- Journal, 24th January 2003
STRATFORD played host to more than 100 young fencers and their parents and supporters last weekend as the swordsmen battled for the Shake-speare's Cadet Sabre Championships in the Levi Fox Hall at King Edward VI School.
The annual event, open to all under 17 aged boys and girls, forms a major part of the national ranking series and the club welcomed competitors from all over Britain.
For this first time a team championships was incorporated into the event and 22 teams entered, with 17 in the boys and five in the girls.
Many famous schools were represented, with entries from Malvern College, Kings School Worcester, Oratory School, Hereford Cathedral School in addition to local centres at Alcester Grammar and of course King Edwards, one of the strongest in the country.
The final of the boys was a match as good as you could get with Alcester just prevailing over KES by the smallest of margins 45-44.
It is perhaps no coincidence that all six of the fencers train at KES and half of them have their national youth colours.
The star was Tom Musgrave (KES) who single-handedly kept his team up to the mark against their theoretically stronger opponents, the Thomas and Richard Brenda and James Broad. Musgrave's skill allowed teammates Aaron Fox and Humu Choji to do great damage and bring the scores level for the final hit, when Thomas Brenda's greater experience prevailed.
The individual girls' event was won by Robynne Stenner (14) from Bath who overcame 16-year-old Jo Hutc-hison also from Bath.
In the boys' competition, the final was fought between 16-year- olds Harry Moncrieff from Stirling in Scotland and Alcester Grammar's Thomas Brenda, who had earlier knocked out his twin brother, who finished the day fifth.
On this occasion Moncrieff's produced better technical work to take the title 15-10, never allowing Brenda to get into his game.
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KES Beats Birmingham University - KES Newsletter November 2002
KES's Shakespeare's Swords fencing team was offered a match against the sabre team at Birmingham University this month.
The Brummies put up a highly competent team including one ex-GB team member and their captain of fencing, whereas KES could only field a rather under strength side because of play commitments and illness. Even so, our lads trounced the university beating them by 45 points to only 19. Just another example of the standard the boys manage to achieve in their time at school. The match started interesting when Hugh Jackson (who left KES in 2001 and had a gap year mostly, it seems, spend on Chinese and Russian railways and is now doing Politics and Philosophy there) won the first match against David Brenda by 5-4. After that David, Humu and Peter never let a single match slip by, and Humu even held Hugh, a world championships fencer, to a 5-5 tie in the middle.
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On Tour Again… - KES Newsletter November 2002
The fencers were off again, this time to Germany. The event was the cadet (u17) international and the team was a national selected side from the top school fencers in the country. KES was well represented, and Tom Musgrave, Max Crane, David Musgrave, Aaron Fox, Robbie Malloy and Luke Foster were chosen to go.
This was a top quality competition with boys (and girls) from eight countries, including Germany, Hungary and Romania (all top sabre fencing countries) taking part. The format was typically Germanic. There were our rounds of pools, with savage cuts to remove the lower orders. The first only keeping 86 of the 116 entrants in the competition. Aaron could not have been more unlucky - a single place eliminated him into 87th position. But three boys made it and Max and David contested the next round, but were, not surprisingly eliminated at that stage. Even so it was a terrific achievement to get that far. Tom Musgrave quite outdid himself. He battled through all four rounds of pools, to become one of only six Britons to make the last 32 elimination stage. Tom finished 28th out of 116.
We had an interesting drive out on a double-decker coach via Dover and Calais, got lost in Belgium (try doing that in a monster coach!) and trundled through some of the worst rain anyone had seen for some years. Once we got there we had the usual fun in Köln (Cologne), as the city is ringed with low rail bridges, which just will not take a double-decker. We found the venue and, to the boys delight, the annual fair there too. So when the fencing had finished they all tried their hand a dodgems, German style. Who says trips aren't fun?
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