Fencing Report from 14th November 2012

Published on isbi School News dated Wednesday 21st of November 2012

Two teams of fencers made the trip from Gresham's to the University of East Anglia to take on Norfolk Fencing Club and for some of those involved it was their first attempt at competitive fencing after just two months of practising the sport. Team A, made up of Johnny Willcox (T), Olivier Johnson (T) and Denis Stoyanov (F) made a good start thanks to Johnny's careful and patient style and further hits were accumulated by Olivier Johnson, whose speed and opportunism saw Norfolk Fencing Club on the back foot and under pressure to accumulate points. However, the experience of the older opposition fencers began to show through, and despite Denis's speedy and sometimes unconventional attacking style Gresham's fell behind. In the closing minutes of play both Johnny and Olivier made some further headway but the final score saw Norfolk Fencing Club victorious, winning 45-16.

Team B, made up of Captain of Fencing Humphrey Ho (F), new fencer Viktoria Kaffanke (B) and last minute stand-in Mr Hall came under early pressure as Mr Hall conceded four quick hits. Viktoria's patience and opportunism belied her lack of fencing experience and she pulled back two points but Humphrey was left with some work to do when he took the piste as the last fencer in the first round. His experience, competitiveness and speed kept Gresham's in the competition and subsequent fights saw both Viktoria and Humphrey acquit themselves well, with bursts of controlled aggression coupled with canny tactics. In the final minutes of fencing Gresham's scored nine points in a row but it was not enough to prevent defeat, Norfolk Fencing Club ending as the winners on a score of 45-32.

Mr Hall thanks all those in the team and was delighted by the impeccable behaviour and sportsmanship demonstrated by those involved. The huge progress made in eight weeks by those new to the sport should also be applauded. He is confident that this will be the first of many Gresham's fencing fixtures.