Promising Season Start for both Junior Sabre Teams

Five international events took place this weekend and it was a promising start for the Junior Sabre teams.

Junior Women’s Sabre World Cup – Plovdiv

It was an impressive start to the season for Great Britain’s Women’s Sabre Team who narrowly missed out on a medal in Bulgaria this weekend.  Maria Chart, Jessica Corby, Caitlin Maxwell and reserve Shreya Anil took to the piste on Sunday, lining up in a field of sixteen.  They defied their seeding to first beat Italy 45-32 and then Mexico 45-33 before just losing 45-38 to the number one team in the World, Russia.  They ran the number two team in the World, the USA extremely close in the bronze medal match but lost 45-44.  However, this was undoubtedly a great result for this young team.  Russia went on to take the title beating Hungary for the gold.

In the individual event on Saturday, Caitlin Maxwell finished fortieth in a field of one hundred and forty.  A strong start to the day saw her drop just one of her six first round fights, earning her a bye through the incomplete round of 128.  She then fell to the strong Italian, Passaro 15-10.  Maria Chart was the only other British fencer to make it through the first round winning four of her six first round matches.  She fell in the 128, 15-12 to Michel (USA).

Sofia Pozdniakova (RUS) took the individual title, beating Liza Pusztai (HUN) in the final as Lucia Lucarini (ITA) and Petra Zahonyi (HUN) picked up the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Maxwell 40, Chart 69, Davis 102, L. Wood 105, Anil 112=, Bray 114, Corby 120= & Nightingale 122.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Junior Men’s Sabre World Cup – Plovdiv

There was also a men’s event in Bulgaria at the weekend and again it was the team (Simon Dacey, William Deary, James Edwards & Joshua Maxwell) who stole the thunder by finishing fifth.  Their ranking meant a bye through the incomplete round of 32, which was followed up by a comprehensive 45-21 victory over Canada.  Italy knocked them out of the main tournament 45-35 in the round of 8 but they went on to beat Hungary 45-35 and Poland 45-44 to take fifth place.  Italy went on to win the event, beating France in the final as Russia took bronze with a win over Germany in the bronze medal match.

In the individual event, Deary and Maxwell both made the round of 32.  Deary started the day flying, winning all six of his first round matches which earned him a bye through the round of 128.  He went on to beat Yoshida (JPN) 15-13 before falling 15-8 to Solier (FRA).  Despite dropping two of his six first round fights, Maxwell battled past Nalewaja (GER) 15-6 and then Soprana (ITA) 15-12 before losing to Godlewski (POL) 15-12.  Jamie Craze, Simon Dacey, Nicholas Howes and George Suddards were all eliminated in the round of 128 but James Edwards, James Fotherby and Samuel Rooney were unable to get through the first round. 

Benjamin Natanzon (USA) won the event beating Konstantin Lokhanov (RUS) in the final as Gherardo Caranti (ITA) and Andrey Gladkov (RUS) settled for the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Deary 17, Maxwell 28, Dacey 69, Howes 81, Craze 95, Suddards 110, Fotherby 150 & Edwards and Rooney 157=.

Full individual results here.

Full team results here.

Cadet Women’s Foil – Budapest

A massive event took place in Budapest at the weekend with two hundred and twenty-four fencers taking part in the Women’s Foil competition.  Amy Home was the highest placed British fencer, finishing in fifteenth place.  She won five of her six first round matches, earning her a bye through the round of 256.  She followed that up with victories over Myroniuk (UKR) 15-13, Corabi (ITA) 15-5 and Hanzl (HUN) 15-9 before falling to Li (CAN) 15-5 in the round of 16.

Madeleine Brown, Yasmin Campbell, Bronwen Granville and Mhairi McLaughlin all made the round of 64 as Mirren Black, Alice Campbell, Becci Curwen, Isabella Gill, Heloise Hardie and Phoebe Newton-Hughes made the 128.  Seville Babaeva, Phoebe Hughes, Rachel Jones and Henna Raiyat did not make it through a tough first round.

Nora Hajas (HUN) won the gold medal beating Marie- Eleni Chaldaiou (GRE) in the final as Delphine Devore (USA) and Anna Udovichennko (RUS) took the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Home 15, Y. Campbell 47, McLaughlin 58, Brown 60, Granville 62, Newton-Hughes 78, A. Campbell 83, Hardie 87, Gill 100, Black 104, Curwen 116, Hughes 202, Raiyat 203, Jones & Babaeva 204=.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Men’s Foil – Budapest

Fifteen British fencers lined up for the Men’s Foil competition in Hungary at the weekend in a huge field of two hundred and fifty-one.  Isaac Jolley attained Britain’s best result, winning five of his six first round fights.  He got a bye through the round of 256 and went on to beat Totusek (CZE) 15-12 and Kirin (RUS) by the same score before losing 15-7 to Gruber (USA), to finish twenty-fifth.  Brij Gautam made the round of 64 as Matthew Abrahams, Douglas Ashby, Ben Attias, Edmund Howlett & Finlay McAndrew all made the 128.  Anton Fenyk, Harri Hayes, Duncan Morrsion & Luca Plastow all got knocked out in their first elimination fights (256) but Will Yun-Farmbrough, James Rutherford, Benjamin Stezaker & Dan Summerfield did not make it through the first round.

Kirill Borodachev (RUS) beat teammate Ivan Troshin to the gold medal as another Russian, Vladislav Mylnikov joined Austrian, Moritz Lechner in the bronze medal position.

GB individual placings:  Jolley 25, Gautam 52, Howlett 65, Abrahams 67, Ashby 69, Attias, 84, McAndrew 112, Plastow 145, Hayes 155, Fenyk 163, Morrison 168, Yun-Farmbrough 209, Stezaker 212, Summerfield 214 & Rutherford 221.

Full individual results here.

Cadet Men’s Epee – Budapest

There were four British fencers in this event who were amongst a field on two hundred and fifteen.  Jack Bell emerged with the best British result, finishing fifteenth.  He won three of his five first round matches, earning a bye through the round of 256.  He then beat Rachwalik (POL) 15-9, Formanek (CZE) 15-14 and Gidzinski (POL) 15-10 before losing 15-7 to Varengo (ITA) in the round of 16.  Jacob Foulsham made the round of 64, losing 15-6 to Yakovliev (UKR).  Dominic Paul lost in the round of 128 but Ethan Kew did not make the first round cut.

Giulio Gaetani (ITA) took the gold medal, beating Filippos Gkogkos (GRE) in the final.  Ricardo Masarin (ITA) and teammate Pietro Varengo picked up the bronze medals.

GB individual placings:  Bell 15, Foulsham 64, Paul 95 & Kew 207.

Full individual results here.