Three RTWFC cadets (U17) were selected to represent Britain at the fourth European cadet circuit event of the season in Grenoble on 12-13th November, but could they find their best form in a city surrounded by the Alps?

In perhaps the toughest field of the season, Eilidh Paterson scored one win and was just one hit away from the second win that would have guaranteed her progress into the knockout stages. Still, 159th bodes well for Eilidh, who still has three more seasons to hit her peak in this age group.

Miles Raymond fell to an almost identical fate, finishing 191st after his chances in a must-win match were mangled by a blade breaking just as he was scoring a hit. Them’s the breaks!

Benedict Graham fared better, thrashing a couple of French fencers and sneaking past a tricky Singaporean to comfortably make the knockout stages. There, he scored a 15-11 victory over Poon from Hong Kong, who made a nerve-jangling comeback with lunges to foot before ‘Bomber’ Graham found a way to defuse the threat. Unluckily for Benedict, World bronze medallist Maksym Perchuk awaited in the next round, and whilst he impressed his rival with a couple of great hits, Benedict couldn’t find a way past Perchuk’s arsenal of flicks. Still, 109th was the Tunbridge Wells fencer’s best placing in Europe this season and hints at more to come.

Day two of the event raised the noise levels with both boys’ and girls’ team events taking place at the same time.

Whilst both Benedict’s GB3 and Eilidh’s GB4 teams (pictured) both succumbed to tough teams in the last 32, they both had the best indicators on their team and can be proud of their efforts – particularly a 5-1 win for the former and an 8-5 tally for the latter.

With the club’s cadets having travelled to Budapest, Belgrade and Grenoble in the last five weeks, they can now catch up with schoolwork as they await news of the GB squad selections for Bratislava in January and Krakow in February – but they can also reflect with satisfaction on positive performances in their first international competitions.

On a busy day for RTWFC at the combined Elite Epee / BRC Cadet event in Manchester on 5-6th November, Benedict Graham proved to be the club’s top gun, blasting to his first podium finish at national under-17 level.

Having won 9 of his 10 qualifying bouts, Benedict took out two quality top 20 fencers on his way to the semis, where eventual winner William Paice sneaked past him 15-13.

Meanwhile, team-mate Lloyd Osborne slipped on the banana skin that was Jack Zino in the last 64, losing 10-9 – having been 9-4 down with a minute left.

In the girls’ U14 event, Eilidh Paterson fenced well throughout but missed out on a medal by 1 point in a high-level quarter-final match-up, Andrea Ross performed splendidly to finish 7th, and Izzy D’Abbraccio battled hard despite facing a nightmare draw.

Eilidh and Andrea were also in action on day two of the event, where they came within a hair’s breadth of achieving their goals of a last 16 finish and a wodge of ranking points respectively at the British Cadet competition. Eilidh, 13, won 5 out of 10 poule bouts, got a bye into to the last 32, but then suffered an agonising 8-7 loss to Charlotte Jordan to pull her up just short of the last 16.
Andrea, 14, won 3 poule bouts then turned a 5-9 deficit into a thrilling 15-13 victory in the last 64, but a 15-8 defeat to 3rd seed Kira Grahamslaw left her just one place outside the big points.

Team-mate James Dunmall, 10, bagged a couple of poule wins in the concurrent Elite Epee U12 event, finishing in a very respectable 12th place.

A big weekend of competition resulted in three medals for the girls and a solid haul of GBR Cadet ranking points for the boys.

At the Leon Paul Junior Series in Canterbury on 26th June 2022, Izzy D’Abbraccio struck gold in the under 13 girl’s event, beating English Youth Champ Lea Panyandee-Cappelli 10-9 in the final. Izzy then went up a gear in the afternoon, storming to gold in the under 15 event with a 15-10 win over Emma Mitzova.

Team-mate Andrea Ross took a fanastic bronze in the same event in only her second-ever external competition (and after starting fencing just one year ago).

RTWFC’s competition debutants Elsa Bronbjerg and James Dunmall also fenced at the LPJS and did well to win two bouts each. Unfortunately, in the quarter-finals Elsa lost to team-mate Izzy and James got squeezed out 10-8 by eventual silver-medallist Damian Tovar; they finished 6th and 7th respectively.

Meanwhile, at the Cadet BRC in London, the considerably more experienced trio of Miles Raymond (22nd), Benedict Graham (23rd) and Lloyd Osborne (27th) all put in points-scoring performances in pursuit of a top 20 British ranking in the Cadet (under 17) category. Their exploits keep Lloyd in 14th, Benedict moves up to 23rd and Miles to 46th.

In the girls’ event the day before, Hannah Taylor and Andrea Ross both scored some great hits in finishing in 28th and 31st position and now sit in joint 67th in the national rankings, ready to deploy the invaluable experience they’ve gained next time round.

A trio of talented RTWFC fencers made the trip to Hatfield for the England Youth Championships (EYC) on Saturday 11th June, and Lloyd Osborne headed south with some hard-won hardware.

First up was the indefatiguable Izzy D’Abbraccio, who competed in Poland on Thursday, in the under-13 girls’ epee. Izzy won all six of her poule bouts to get a bye through to the last 16, but then slipped on the banana skin that was Matilde Samuel-Lajeunesse in an agonising 10-9 loss. A finishing position of ninth in the national champs isn’t what izzy wanted, but it isn’t half bad.

Next up, team-mates Zach Bench and Lloyd Osbourne set to work in the boys’ under 15 epee, the former struggling at first against older, more experienced fencers before bouncing back, and the latter doing his back line ‘rope-a-dope’ routine to great effect.

Heading into the last 64, Zach was seeded 38th and took out 27th seed Leo Cook 15-13 before going down to 6th seed Robin Silk 15-7. Zach finished a creditable 31st out of 56 in his first competition at this level.

Lloyd sat in 9th after the poules, and twice squandered comfortable leads against bottom-ranked but fantastically named Osbert Weston before finally fighting his way back from the precipice to turn 12-14 into 15-14. Phew! Lloyd then took out Cowper 15-6, Hinkley 15-7 and Chiappini 15-12 to book a semi-final slot against Tristan Lumineau. Whilst rangy southpaw Lumineau, who already has bags of international experience, ran away with a 15-5 win, Lloyd learnt plenty and can now rest his aching legs and reflect on another fabulous day of fencing.

Well done, team – you make us proud every time you step on the piste.

Team-mates Eilidh Paterson and Izzy D’Abbraccio eclipsed the opposition at the Leon Paul Junior Series U13 event in London on Sunday 15th May, with Eilidh taking gold and Izzy bronze.

Both girls bagged four wins out of five in the first round of poules, with Eilidh winning two bouts 5-0 and Izzy one. Ranked second and third going into the second round, Eilidh then won all five bouts – to just six hits scored against her in total – and Izzy four, giving them both byes through to the quarter-finals.

In the round of 8, Izzy advanced by a score of 8-4 against Agnes Maudsley, but then succumbed to number one seed Zina Suresh 10-6 – the shorter bout format not allowing her scope for another infamous comeback. In the other half of the draw, ‘Hurricane Eilidh’ blew through Emily Delchev 10-4 and followed that with a come-from-behind 10-8 win against third seed Lea Panyandee-Cappelli.

Suresh awaited Eilidh in the final, and once again she hit the front against the RTWFC fencer, but Eilidh stuck with it, figured out a new strategy, pegged back her tricky opponent and ultimately nicked it 10-9 to strike a glittering gold.

Huge congratulations to Eilidh and Izzy on their latest podium performances.

A great eight of RTWFC fencers travelled to the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield on the early May bank holiday weekend having qualified for the British Youth Championships. Here’s how they fared.

Super Saturday

Lloyd Osborne, having lost his first two poule bouts, then clicked into gear, winning nine bouts on the spin – including a superb 15-10 victory against number one seed Charlie Luytens-Humphrey and a great tactical triumph over Alex Nicholas in the semi-finals. In the final, though, Alessio Bazzocchi was on fire, and a tiring Lloyd couldn’t find a way to quell the flames, ultimately settling for a brilliant silver.

Sunday roast

Hannah Taylor, Benedict Graham and Miles Raymond set out in their respective U16 events in poules stuffed full of GB team fencers.

Hannah blitzed her first opponent 5-0, then showed some counter-attacking variety in downing her first DE opponent before her lack of experience at this level caught up with her in the last 32.

Benedict also got off to a good start, but a tricky last 64 draw against Cuzme Rigo resulted in an agonising 15-14 loss. Next time, Benedict…

Miles didn’t quite execute in the poules, but carried a higher tempo from his 5-3 loss against GB number 1 cadet Cador Beautyman into the DEs, hammering his first foe before going down fighting against top seed Amani Campbell-Okolo in the last 64.

Manic Monday

The third and final day of the British Youth Championships saw U14 trio Eilidh Paterson, Izzy D’Abbraccio and Daisy Beadsworth in action, along with Oscar Allison in the U18 Boys Epee.

All four scored some perfectly executed touches, and Izzy made it into the last 32 following a nerve-shredding 15-14 victory over left-handed Sophia Harper.

Next year, Eilidh and Izzy will have another stab at the same age group, when many of the girls who finished above them will be in the under 16s.

Well done to all of the RTWFC team in Sheffield for their camaraderie, fighting spirit and national-level fencing skills – you did us all proud.

Final placings

2nd Lloyd Osborne – U14 Boys (54 entrants)
25th Hannah Taylor – U16 Girls (41)
27th Izzy D’Abbraccio – U14 Girls (51)
33rd Eilidh Paterson – U14 Girls (51)
38th Benedict Graham – U16 Boys (71)
50th Oscar Allison – U18 Boys (53)
50th Daisy Beadsworth – U14 Girls (51)
62nd Miles Raymond – U16 Boys (71)

RTWFC had 15 fencers battling it out for British Youth Championship qualifcation at the SE Regionals in Burgess Hill on Saturday 5th February… and 11 made it through! Four medals – including two golds – were just the dazzling tip of an iceberg made of pure team spirit. Take a bow, one and all.

Qualified:
🥇 Lloyd Osborne (U14 Boys)
🥇 Freyja Chisholm* (U12 Girls)
🥈 Eilidh Paterson (U14 Girls)
🥉 Benedict Graham (U16 Boys)
5th Isabella D’Abbraccio (U14 Girls)
5th Alec Hargreaves (U12 Boys)
6th Hannah Taylor (U16 Girls)
7th Oscar Allison* (U18 Boys)
8th Anastasia Khlemanova (U18 Girls)
8th Daisy Beadsworth (U14 Girls)
11th Miles Raymond (U16 Boys)
Just missed out:
11th Zach Bench (U14 Boys)
12th Gabriel Lam (U14 Boys)
13th Matthew Gathern (U18 Boys)
17th William Briggs (U18 Boys)

* Represent RTWFC but train elsewhere

Following her victory in the under-13 Scottish national championships on Saturday 15th January, Eilidh Paterson stepped up to the under-17 age-group the following day… and won! Again!

Eilidh beat the no. 1 ranked fencer in the semi by a score of 15-10, then took the final 15-13 to become Scottish Cadet Champion – all at the tender age of 12!

Truly awesome fencing, Eilidh. We salute you!

Strong performances by RTWFC’s fencers at the Elite Epee Junior Series were capped by bronze medals for Lloyd Osborne and Isabella D’Abbraccio.

All five of the club’s representatives performed admirably at the competition in Surrey on Saturday 23rd October, but it was our Under-14 fencers who shone the brightest.

Lloyd Osborne amassed five victories in the poules to be ranked fifth out of 21 going into the knockout rounds. A bye was followed by two dominant wins – 15-2 and 11-4 respectively – before Lloyd went down fighting in the semi-finals against eventual winner Oghenegaren Thompson. Despite a late rally via sharp beat fleches, Lloyd couldn’t quite neutralise the attacks of his speedy left-handed opponent and went down to a score of 15-10.

In her first Under-14 competition, 11-year-old Isabella D’Abbraccio took three wins from four in the qualifying round to progress as fourth seed. A bye was followed by a nail-biting 15-14 victory over fifth seed Emily Brunellesi, then Isabella lost a similarly nerve-shredding bout 15-14 against semi-final opponent Agnes Palmer – the latter’s parry-ripostes just enough to quell Izzy’s fire-power.

A busy week of stage performances caught up with Eilidh Paterson at the quarter final stage of the Under-14 event. Having fenced brilliantly to win all five of her poule bouts and progress to direct elimination as top seed, Eilidh ran out of steam in her quarter-final, losing to Palmer 15-13 and finishing fifth overall – a very creditable result given her hectic schedule.

The club’s two representatives in the boys Under-17 event ended up colliding in the last 16.

The fast-improving Miles Raymond qualified tenth out of 30, then kept his composure to sneak a 14-13 win against Jack Brandon in the round of 32. In contrast, team-mate Benedict Graham misfired in the poules and ended up 26th, then fenced brilliantly to dismantle seventh seed John Prineas 15-8 and blast through to the last 16.

A tense first period of ‘friendly fire’ saw Miles and Benedict locked at 8-all, before the latter’s greater arsenal saw him pull away for a 15-10 win. In the quarters, Benedict couldn’t quite solve the southpaw puzzle of William Paice and slipped to a 15-7 defeat – but he may well have learned enough to secure the win next time. Ultimately, Benedict placed 8th – just one win away from a medal – and Miles finished 12th, and both should be proud of their efforts.

Overall, all five RTWFC fencers finished in the top half of their respective events, showing great potential in a competition that is a step up from regional level and just a rung below British-ranking events in terms of difficulty.

The RTWFC Championships 2019 took place on Saturday 22nd June, bringing together current club members, regular club visitors and a couple of speedy alumni in four different competitive categories.

In the Senior Mixed event, experienced tactical smarts were met with youthful fire, and whilst the former had its moments the latter won the day. Having starved Piero Steiner of his favourite diet – his opponent’s blade – in an eyebrow-raising semi-final win 15-12, Paul Baillache fenced Daniel Powers in the final. However, following his dispatch of ‘Deadly’ Amelia Dudley in the last 4 by a scoreline of 15-6, Daniel was even less charitable in the final – winning 15-5 against a bemused Mr Baillache.

In the Senior Female category, Lindsey Briggs eased past Maria Machado 15-5, only to be strafed by Amelia 15-6 in the final – youth, in this case, also holding all the cards of experience too.

Georgy Faires pulled off a resurrection via repechage in the Cadet category, having lost his quarter-final to the cooler head of Jacob Earl 14-15. After the dust had settled, Georgy picked himself up and went on to beat Matthew Gathern in the first repechage, then got handed a bye in the second round due to his opponent’s withdrawal. In the semi, Georgy scraped past William Briggs 15-13, then met fellow repechage survivor Benedict Graham in the final – who had edged out Jacob 11-10 on priority to slip through the semis. Although Georgy took the title 15-10, special mention should go to Benedict – who should have competed in the Under 14s but rose to the challenge of fencing older boys with his trusty size 2 epee – bravo Benedict!

In the Under 14 age-group, ‘Lethal’ Lloyd Osborne lived up to his nom de guerre, shading Sergey Khlemanov 6-4 in a cagey final. En route to the top step of the podium, Lloyd defeated Max Withers 10-5 in the last 4, while Sergey – having only just returned from a long injury layoff – kept Eilidh Paterson at arm’s length for a 10-7 victory. Miles Raymond and birthday boy Laurie Briggs finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Besides the ‘bling’ on offer in the four categories, fencers were also battling it out to get their hands on ‘The Professor Steven Paul Shield’ for outstanding performance on the day. Benedict came mighty close, compiling a ledger of six wins and three loses against older opponents with longer swords, but was pipped by Senior champ Daniel Powers. Having lost only once in the poules – finishing with a indicator of +15 – and outscoring his three DE opponents by a total of 31 points, Daniel was ultimately a worthy winner. All hail ‘Danny Longshanks’!

Huge thanks to Chris Higginson for piste preparation and refereeing, to Josh Pink, Rob Parsons, Roberto Steiner, and James Fleming-Fido for refereeing, to Martin Briggs for photography, and to Don Coe for armoury, refereeing and for setting up videos of ‘Prof’ in the bar afterwards. Don’s efforts (ably assisted by web wizard Jacob) meant that we could all admire Prof’s nonpareil fencing and coaching skills – a truly fitting spectacle following a toast by club members past and present to our irreplaceable head coach.

Results

Senior Mixed

1 Daniel Powers  2 Paul Baillache  3 Piero Steiner  3 Amelia Dudley  5 Zach Burgess  6 Martin Briggs  7 Daniel Weaver  8 James Fleming-Fido  9 Simon Munns  10 Lindsey Briggs  11 Maria Machado  12 Simon Gnana-Pragasam

Senior Female

1 Amelia Dudley  2 Lindsey Briggs  3 Maria Machado

Cadet

1 Georgy Faires  2 Benedict Graham  3 William Briggs  3 Jacob Earl  5 Leo Lee  6 Freddie Higginson  7 Matthew Gathern  8 Bodie Patching

Under 14

1 Lloyd Osbourne  2 Sergey Khlemanov  3 Eilidh Paterson  3 Max Withers  5 Miles Raymond  6 Laurie Briggs