Navy team goes under after a storming start

THE Sarnia Sword Club defeated the Royal Navy in their annual team fencing clash. The home squad won eight matches to the Royal Navy's three to clinch victory despite falling behind to an impressive early navy performance in the sabre A match.

The navy capitalised on a damaging 11-point loss by the Guernsey team's Eion Rizutto in the penultimate fight to clinch an early lead when Mark Needham claimed the required five points in just one minute 40 seconds of the final bout.

However, the SSC hit back to level the overall score with a 45-20 victory in the sabre B match before falling behind again as the Navy won a nail-biting 45-44 thriller in the women's epee

Day two started just as well for the navy with a high tempo A team victory in the men's epee, but that was where their success for the competition ended as the SSC turned on the style in all the remaining team clashes.

Youngsters Jenny Harding and Rosie Milner shone for the women's sabre A and the two senior men's foil teams proved too strong for their respective navy counterparts as the SSC pulled away in the overall score eventually to win 8-3.

The prestigious master at arms award went to the navy's Needham and after three months of solid training with Olympic fencers in Budapest, the SSC's Rev. Robert Harnish won the title of professor of fencing.