En Garde!
Welcome to Hatherop Castle Fencing review. HCS has a long and distinguished history within the sport of fencing and has a fantastic coach in Neil Bromley. Throughout the first part of the term, we have been very busy with match fixtures at home and away and featuring in many tournament including the Elite Epee London Fencing Tournament.
Gold, Silver & Bronze at the Wycliffe Challenge
Year 7 fencer Noah Goryn had a strong start to the 2017 fencing season winning gold at the Wycliffe Challenge. Hattie Backhouse reached her first final coming away with silver and Emily Campbell took bronze both in the Year 5&6 category.
Goryn got off to a flying start, dominating his first pool, winning all bar one bout. He finished top in the group as the other children also lost at least one bout. Overall he found himself seeded second going into the direct elimination rounds.
Noah said “I knew the competition would be strong today and I came along to gain experience. It’s been a great day and I am thrilled to have won this tournament. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season”.
In the girls Year 5&6 competition, Hattie Backhouse and Emily Campbell emerged from their pool round seeded second and third respectively. They both lost one bout but Hattie conceded fewer hits so had a higher placing.
In the Year 3&4 competition Reuben Goryn finished a very credible 6th in his first competition. A top 8 finish is a very good goal to aim for and Reuben is looking forward to competing more regularly.
Hatherop Fencing Coach, Neil Bromley said “All the children fenced superbly today, taking their time when needed and bouncing back strongly after any setbacks. I’m incredibly impressed with the camaraderie between them all with the older ones supporting the younger ones when they can. I’m really encouraged by how they are progressing and look forward to them building on their success”.
Hatherop and Heywood teams duel
Fellow Wishford School Heywood hosted their fist team match at Corsham against Hatherop just before half term. With both schools fielding one team of boys and a team of boys and girls, read how we got on.
First team – Elodie Thomas, Ewan Ellson, Edison Wardle, Hattie Backhouse
The first away fencing fixture against Hatherop saw an established squad in the firsts and a comparatively inexperienced squad in the second. Picking teams which are competitive and not one sided can be tricky and with this in mind the big guns of Noah Goryn, Amelia Franks and Kip O’Higgins were not chosen on this occasion as it would have tipped the balance too far in Hatherop’s favour. Both teams gave their best and put up solid resistance in what were two compelling matches.
Second Team – Esme Kinch, Lucas Murphy, Charlotte Wood, Imogen Ellson
This squad never took a backward step, fenced well and had some unlucky misses. With three bouts going to extra time and another three going to the last point, over a third of the results were decided by one hit. The take home message from this match was that after defending, it is time to attack – which is something we will be revisiting as a group on Thursday afternoons during club.
It was a good afternoon’s fencing. Everyone should feel pleased with how they performed and how hard they tried. With the home return match taking place this week, we will be looking for revenge!
Campbell wins silver at Elite Epee in London
Foil and epee fencer Emily Campbell maintained her good form in epee winning silver in the girls U10 Elite Epee London Fencing Tournament. Emily fenced consistently throughout the day, taking her time in attack and defence. She won three from five in her pool round, only losing to a girl she would meet again in the direct elimination and scoring a memorable win over an eventual bronze medallist. With her sixth place ranking, she calmly over came her opponents to make it through to the semi-final, taking her ranking to third and then second as she comfortably beat opponents initially ranked higher than her. Sadly, she was picked off and lost 10-6 though a silver medal at a prestigious national event is something to be hugely proud of. Well done Emily!
