“The nature of competition that BUCS presents is totally different, but it also brings with it a unique social scene both within the university setting and nationally.”
– Jamie Craze, Edinburgh University graduate
In BUCS team fencing matches, students compete in all 3 weapons in the same match. This means that a full BUCS team could have over 12 fencers (3 Foil, 3 Epee, 3 Sabre with reserves in each weapon). However, it is not uncommon for fencers to double up and fence multiple weapons in the same match.
Matches build to a cumulative score of up to 135 (3 team relays to 45 points). The winner is the team which has the highest overall score. If teams are tied, the winner is decided by the team that has won the most weapons. The BUCS fencing programme has both a league and cup knockout format. The cup concludes its knockout series at BUCS Big Wednesday.
BUCS leagues are generally made up of around 6-8 universities, based on geography and past performances. In most cases, teams will play each other twice. Matches either take place on Wednesday afternoons (home or away). Some leagues hold weekend tournaments where every team fences a full set of matches over two days. Formats are agreed by the individual leagues, so it’s worth checking with your university ahead of time how they will run their matches.
At the end of every year, there is promotion/relegation into the next league. Promotion to the Premier League is decided through a play-off format between the team being relegated and the teams being promoted from the leagues below. The winner of that match will advance to the Premier League next season, while the losing team will move to the lower league.
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