CADET EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019 REPORT

Cadet Men’s Foil Team Narrowly Miss Out on Medal

The Cadet European Championships 2019 in Foggia, Italy took place 22-26 February.  Here is a round up of all the action including updates on British results.

Day 1

Men’s Individual Foil

The Championships began with the Men’s Individual Foil event where a field of eighty-seven included four fencers from Great Britain.  William Lonsdale (V4D2), Cameron Evans (V5D0), Harry Gray (V3D2) and Rafael Rhys Pollitt (V3D2) all qualified for the knockout phase of the event.

In the round of 64, Evans defeated Seminerio (AUT) 15-7, Gray beat Secer (TUR) 15-5 and Lonsdale knocked out Lombardi (ITA) 11-10 but Azimko (BLR) won 15-11 against Rhys Pollitt.  In the next round Evans progressed 15-14 against Lonsdale and Gray beat Toth (HUN) 15-12.  Both British fencers fell in the round of 16 as Martini (ITA) won 15-7 against Gray and Podralski (POL) just beat Evans 15-14.

Tommaso Martini went on to claim the bronze medal with Borna Spoljar (CRO) as Arven Borowiak (GER) took the title beating Zakhar Lozlov (RUS) in the final.

GBR results: Evans 9th, Gray 16th, Lonsdale 30th & Rhys Pollitt 42nd.

Women’s Individual Sabre

The second event of the tournament saw four British fencers line up in a field of fifty-seven.  Bethany Brierley, Elise Llewellyn and Ellen Robbins Wilkinson all recorded two victories from five poule matches to go through to the next stage but Erin Corcoran could only manage one victory and went out.

The incomplete round of 64 was as far as the British fencers got as Charkviani (GEO) beat Brierley 15-11, Ventura (ESP) defeated Llewellyn by the same score and Robbins Wilkinson fell 15-10 to Plekhanova (RUS).

Nisanur Erbil (TUR) won the event, beating Mariya Zinyukhina (RUS) in the final as Gaia Pia Carella (ITA) and Angelina Okutina (RUS) shared third place.

GB results:  Brierley 39th, Llewellyn 42nd, Robbins Wilkinson 43rd & Corcoran 50th.

Day 2

Women’s Individual Epee

Day two began with the Women’s Individual Epee where the field of one hundred included four more fencers from Great Britain.  Rachel Lever (V3D3) and Eva Reston (V4D1) progressed to the knockout stage but Maisie McCormack (V3D3) and Isabella Summers (V0D6) did not.

Both remaining British fencers were eliminated in the round of 64 as Lever lost 15-11 to Zaretskaya (BLR) and Raikhlina (RUS) beat Reston 15-12.

Eszter Muhari (HUN) took the title by beating Anna Liakhova (RUS) in the gold medal match.  The losing semi-finalists were Alecja Klasik (POL) and Lili Buki (HUN and they collected the bronze medals.

GB results:  Reston 36th, Lever 46th, McCormack 67th & Summers 95th.

Men’s Individual Sabre

Another four British fencers were part of the seventy-four-strong field for this event.  Rory McClellan (V4D2), Max Cromie (V2D4) and Darcy Holdsworth (V2D3) progressed through the first round but Sam Freeman (V0D5) did not.

Only McClellan made it through the round of 64, beating Frumgarzts (ISR) 15-12 as Galecki (POL) defeated Cromie 15-6 and Holsdworth fell 15-13 to Abate (ITA).  McClellan went on to beat Terekhov (RUS) 15-13 to make the round of 16 where he lost 15-14 to Pagkalos (GRE).

The Championship title went to Emanuele Nardella (ITA) who beat teammate Pedro Torre in the final.  Giorgio Marciano made it three Italians on the podium as he claimed bronze with Antonia Heathcock (GER).

GB results:  McClellan 15th, Holdsworth 48th, Cromie 51st & Freeman 69th.

Day 3

Men’s Individual Epee

The final day of individual events saw four British fencers line up in a field of one hundred and four in this event.  Jacob Foulsham (V5D1), James Jeal (V4D2) and Isaac McKerr (V3D3) made it through the poule stage but Harry Baston-Hall (V1D4) did not.

In the round of 64, Foulsham beat Olkvam (NOR) 15-9 and Jeal defeated Syrota (UKR) 15-12 but McKerr fell 15-9 to Tolasov (RUS).  Both remaining British fencers went out in the 32 as Gurov (RUS) beat Jeal 12-11 and Foulsham lost 15-14 to Lopez Corazon (ESP).

Vladimir Tolasov went on to take the title by beating Levente Bartko (HUN) in the final with the bronze medals going to two Italians, Dario Remondini and Simone Mencarelli.

GB results:  Foulsham 18th, Jeal 27th, McKerr 48th & Baston-Hall 88th.

Women’s Individual Foil

The final individual event also feature four British fencers who competed in a field of eighty-three.  Henna Raiyat (V4D2), Georgia Silk (V4D2), Teagan Williams-Stewart (V3D3) and Emily Beardmore (V2D4) all progressed through the first round.

All four were eliminated in the round of 64 as Silk lost 15-11 to Rassolova (RUS), Raiyat fell 15-3 to Nekifor (HUN), Darde (FRA) beat Williams-Stewart 15-9 and Beardmore was defeated 15-10 by Sofran (ROU).

Erika Nekifor went on to claim the silver medal, losing to Matilde Calvanese (ITA) in the final.  The bronze medals were awarded to Margerita Lorenzi (ITA) and Aleksandra Korablina (RUS).

GB results:  Raiyat 37th, Silk 42nd, Williams-Stewart 45th & Beardmore 56th.

Day 4

A full compliment of British entries took part in the team events formed by the fencers who took part in the individual events in each case.

Women’s Team Epee

Twenty countries competed in this event and Great Britain beat Austria 45-29 to progress to the round of 16 where they lost 45-15 to Poland.  They finished fifteenth as they lost 45-26 to Switzerland and 45-37 to Belarus, before beating Greece 45-40 in the placings matches.

Hungary took the title beating Ukraine in the final as Poland beat Russia to claim bronze.

Men’s Team Foil

There were eighteen entries in this event and Great Britain followed a bye through the round of 32 by beating Romania 45-22 and Turkey 45-30 to make the semi-finals where they drew France.  Evans, Lonsdale and Rhys Pollitt opened up a 13-8 lead after three legs in that match but trailed 30-29 after six.  Lonsdale fought back in the seventh leg to put Great Britain 35-31 up and Evans got through the penultimate leg with Britain leading 38-36.  Castanie of France performed superbly in the final leg to take France to a 45-41 victory.

The result meant a play-off match against Hungary who had lost to Russia in the other semi-final.  Rhys-Pollitt, Lonsdale and Gray fell behind 15-12 after three legs.  A strong Hungary manage to further expand the lead.  In the penultimate leg Evans who had replaced Gray outscored Mihalyi 6-3 to hand over a 32-38 deficit to Rhys Pollitt.  A remarkable 10-7 anchor leg in favour of Rhys-Pollitt was not quite enough as Hungary took the bronze medal 45-42.

Russia beat France 45-43 to take the gold medal.

Women’s Team Sabre

There were just twelve teams in this event and Great Britain narrowly lost 45-43 to Germany in the round of 16.  In the placings matches, Great Britain had a bye which they followed up with victory 45-40 against Spain.  They then lost 45-41 to Romania to claim tenth place.

Hungary won the title, beating Russia in the final as Italy beat Turkey in the bronze medal play-off.

Day 5

Men’s Team Epee

A field of twenty team in this event saw Great Britain benefitted with a bye through the round of 32 before they went on to beat Spain 45-43.  In the quarterfinals they faced Italy and lost 45-27.  A victory over Austria 45-35 in the placings matches was followed by defeat 45-38 to Switzerland, meaning the British team finished in sixth place.

Italy went on to win the tournament by beating Hungary in the gold medal match.  Russia secured bronze by beating Poland in the third place match.

Women’s Team Foil

There were fifteen teams in this event and Great Britain went down 45-29 to Romania in the round of 16.  In the placings matches they beat Belarus 45-41 and Sweden 45-44 before losing 45-39 to Latvia, thus finishing tenth.

Russia secured the title by beating France in the final whilst Ukraine claimed bronze with victory over Poland.

Men’s Team Sabre

The final event included sixteen entries and Great Britain drew Hungary in the first round, losing 45-36.  A defeat 45-36 to Belarus in the placings matches was followed by victories 45-41 over Azerbaijan and 45-39 against Belgium, putting the British team into thirteenth spot.

Italy took the final title of the Cadet Championships by beating Russia in the final.  Hungary beat France to secure bronze.

Cadet European Championships 2019 results are here.