Elgin seemed like the fencing epicentre of the world when Elgin Duellist Fencing Club hosted the Highland Open Fencing Tournament at the end of last month (28 & 29 September).
A tournament record of 150 fencers from 32 clubs, from as far afield as the USA and China, gathered at Elgin High School to compete in the most northernly nationally ranked fencing competition in the UK over the weekend.
A record number of 18 fencers from Elgin Duellist Fencing Club -ranging in age from 13 to 72- also took the brave step to compete in the Men’s and Women’s Epee, Sabre and Foil categories and to fight against ex-Olympian, Commonwealth and national pentathlon champions.
There is a summary of results below but please read the full account in Elgin Duellists Highland Open Write Up here.
Summary of results:
Men’s Epee
1. Tristen Bell, Forth Valley Fencing Club
2. Alasdair Baker, Unaffiliated
3T. Will Miller, Eastbourne Fencing Club
3T. Duncan Readle, Dundee University Fencing Club
Women’s Epee
1.Ying Ki Lee, Braveheart Fencing Club
2. Laura Jamieson, Braveheart Fencing Club
3T.Mhairi Gifford, Shetland Fencing Club
3T. Avi Jaffe Tsang, St Andrews University Fencing Club
Men’s Sabre
1. Jack Geddes, Salle Ossian
2. Callum Kettles, Salle Ossian
3T. Gellert Neiszer, University of Glasgow Fencing Club
3T. Adrien Catte, Edinburgh Fencing Club
Women’s Sabre
1. Lucy Higham, Salle Ossian
2. Sophia Milne, Salle Ossian
3T. Rosalind Graham, Sancroft Blades Fencing Club
3T.Yue Shao, University of Glasgow Fencing Club
Men’s Foil
1. Lachlan Grant, St Andrews University Fencing Club
2. Gleb Iakovlev, Edinburgh University Fencing Club
3T. David Moody, Salle Solas
3T. Joe Joyce, Culloden Fencing Club
Women’s Foil
1.Chloe Campbell, Forth Valley Fencing Club
2. Ao Feng, Edinburgh University Fencing Club
3T. Lily Graham, Edinburgh Fencing Club
3T. Mhairi Gifford, Shetland Fencing Club
For Elgin Duellist club members, this may be the only time that they have an opportunity to compete against some of the top-ranking fencers in Scotland and further afield. With the nearest fencing tournaments usually held in the central belt of Scotland, we are delighted that so many of our club members competed and did so well. This is the highest proportion of Elgin Duellists that we have ever managed to get beyond the first direct elimination stage. We look forward to doing even better next year.
