BRITISH YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS – DAY 1 REPORT

The British Youth Championships 2014 began on Saturday 3rd May at the EIS – Sheffield.

Under 12 Boys Epee

Forty-one fencers competed in this event.  The first semi-final saw Sam Jackson beat Williams Jones 10-9 with Myles Ashforth defeating Mark Taylor 10-3.

Christine Hamilton officiated the gold medal match in which Sam started well, by moving into a 3-0 lead.  A patient Myles levelled the score before Sam created a brilliant hit to go 4-3 up into the first break.  At the start of the second period it was Myles who got the better start, opening up a 6-4 lead. Sam pulled back to 6-6 before the two traded hits to a score of 8-8.  Suddenly, Myles stepped up the pace and took the Under 12 Boys Epee title 10-8.

Under 12 Girls Epee

Twenty-nine girls took part in the first event to finish at the EIS Sheffield.  In the semi-finals Henriette Hadalin beat Sophia Kalimtgis 10-5 and Rachel Lever made the gold medal match beating Messina Herrling. 

Elinor Robinson refereed the gold medal match between Henriette and Rachel.  It was an extremely tactical fight with Rachel taking a 2-1 lead into the first break.  The patience continued in the second period and the referee was forced to call halt for non-combativity.  With Rachel leading 3-2, Henreitte had to push and closed the gap, levelling at 5-5 with less than 10 seconds to go.  Rachel launched a bold attack to re-establish the lead at 6-5 and with one second left on the clock the Oundle, Peterborough & Stamford Epee Club fencer went on to become the 2014 Under 12 Girls Epee Champion.

Under 14 Boys Epee

There were sixty-two fencers in this event.  Despite a slow start Alexander Sells beat Benjamin Andrews 15-10 in the first semi-final whilst Torriq Roach dominated the other semi-final beating Dominic Paul 15-6.

The final match was overseen by Sarah Steacy.  As is common in epee, the fencers started cautiously but Alex took a 6-3 lead into the first break.  He continued to press, striking with well-timed fleche attacks to go 8-3 up. Tariq adjusted the distance he was fencing at and only trailed 10-8 at the second break.  At the start of the third period Tariq repeatedly forced his opponent to his back line but wasn’t able to score.  Alex went on to take the Under 14 Boys Epee title 15-9.

Under 16 Boys Foil

Fifty-seven fencers took part in this event.  Daniel Kiss led from the start of the first semi-final and went on to beat Ciaran Archer 15-11.  The other semi-final started much more competitively but Ben Bates pulled away from his opponent, Dominic De Almeida, to win 15-9.

Sean Grundy refereed the gold medal match which started evenly with Ben and Daniel tied at 4-4.  Daniel appeared to surprise his opponent by immediately stepping up the pace of the fight and was soon 8-4 up – hitting with both attacking and defensive actions.  His dominant display continued but time ran out in the first period, with the score at 14-5.  At the start of the second period Ben rallied to score four hits in a row before Daniel closed out the match to become the 2014 Under 16 Boys Champion with a 15-9 victory.

Under 18 Boys Foil

Forty-seven fencers took part in this event which saw Stephen Brown beat Isaac Mulcahy 15-7 in the first semi-final and John Feaster overcome Alan Lozovik 15-11 in the second.

Mihai Rascu oversaw the gold medal match which John took control of from the start, leading 9-6 after the opening period.  The second period began with a stunning fight back from Stephen and a failed video appeal from John meant Stephen was able to draw level at 13-13.  Stephen scored again to take the lead for the first time in the match before John levelled at 14-14.  A fantastically sharp attack from Stephen saw him take the title 15-14.

Under 18 Girls Foil

Just twenty-seven fencers took part in this event with Katie Smith beating Jade Clarke 15-9 in the first semi-final and Yvonne Chart beating Bella Dmochowska 15-8 in the second.

The gold medal match was refereed by Ondrej Janicek. Yvonne dominated the fight from the start rapidly establishing a 6-1 lead inside the first two minutes.  A successful video appeal from Yvonne contributed to her commanding lead 10-4 going into the first break.  A comfortable finish saw her take the Under 18 Girls Foil title 15-6.

Under 14 Girls Sabre

Forty-two fencers took part in this event and Lizzie Moffat went on to beat Hannah O-Reilly 15-2 in the first semi-final whilst Sophia Potter overcame Maia Fashokun 15-5 in the other semi-final.

Beth Davidson refereed the gold medal match and the first period saw Lizzie and Sophia evenly matched – the latter leading 8-7 at the break.  The first period had been plagued by early starts forcing the referee to award a yellow card to Lizzie and a red to Sophia.  Sophia remained composed and opened up an 11-8 lead.  With the pressure on, Lizzie made another early start, getting a red card for her troubles.  Sophia went on to become the 2014 Under 14 Girls Sabre Champion with a 15-11 victory.

Under 16 Girls Sabre

Twenty-eight fencers took part in this event with Caitlin Maxwell beating Jessica Corby 15-11 in the first semi-final and Maria Chart knocking out Daisy Hutton 15-9 in the second.

With both finalist hailing from the same club (Truro Fencing Club) it was always going to be a tough match.  Caitlin started much more confidently and led 8-4 at the break with a string of well-controlled attacks and a solid defence.  She continued her assured display throughout the second period winning the Under 16 Girls Sabre title 15-8.

Full results can be found here.