12 March 2005. Liverpool University Fencers distinguish themselves at Keele University Sabre Invitational.

Adele Wharton, Tanya Waller, Michael Knowles and Henry Wang competed in the Keele University Sabre Invitational, held at the Sports Centre of Keele University. Michael Knowles won the Men’s Competition, and Henry Wang finished 7th, while Adele Wharton finished 4th and Tanya Waller 8th. Competition was fierce, with Michael and Henry meeting in the quarterfinals, in a thrilling 15-13 match. Congratulations to all the fencers who participated in the competition.  For full results, visit the Keele Uni Fencing Club page.

12 March 2005. Liverpool University Fencers distinguish themselves at North West Regionals - Foil.

Liverpool University fencers where present at the 2005 North West Regional Competition, held at the West Lancs fencing club. Competition at this event featured fencers from all over the north west of England. For the men, Ben Carter finished 16th, while Adam Swift 22nd, Chris Power 28th and Rooban Kanapathywasm 26th also had good outings. The women’s sole representative for foil was Susan Colley, who finished 6th. Congratulations to all fencers for a great tournament. The North West regionals continue next Saturday, in Sabre and Epee.

2-3 April 2005. The Glasgow Open.

The word ‘Fun’ only mildly describes this event. No offence to the MOFT or Nottingham, but the Glasgow Open was Quality, Boss, Groovy, Peachy Keen, and ‘Faboo’ altogether. It started with a four hour drive to Glasgow, then Deep Fried Haggis, a Deep Fried Mars Bar, a spicy Chicken and Sweet Corn Pizza and ‘Darts’, and it just kept getting better. On Saturday, Kirsty Mills finished 12th in Ladies Epee, while Mario Mezquita finished 19th in the Lads, and Michael Knowles 26th in Men’s Sabre. All entered the secondary for their events, With Mills finishing 17th, Mezquita 6th (both on Epee), and Knowles 3rd in sabre (shiny Medal!!).  That night, after much needed Chinese Food and jokes of exploding sheep with James, we met with the rest of the fencers at the mandatory party, and partied down! Then we were met by Rooban and Kev, who had just made the journey in the Spaff-mobile.

The following day in foil things went fairly well for all fencers. Kirsty finished 12th (she likes the number) in Ladies foil, Rooban 51st, Kev 30th, and Mario 22nd. Only the lads were able to get into the secondary, with Rooban finishing 17th, Kevin 5th and Mario 3rd (shiny Medal!!).

Special Thanks go out to Dusty, from Glasgow and the rest of the organizing committee for organizing a fantastic tournament, to the guys from Dundee Uni, swell bunch of lads, Chris from Durham, to Alan Wylie, the lefty from Kent that took Kev and Mario out in the quarters and semis respectively, to the guys from Manchester, good sabre bouts, lads, to the lady with the French accent from Cumbria, Spafford for taking our two Preston but-kickers all the way up to Glasgow, and to our FIRST CONVERT TO THE CULT OF THE RAISIN!, Robert. Spread the mighty wisdom of the Raisin! Wherever you go!

26-27 March 2005. The Birmingham International!

It seemed as if a biblical plague descended upon Liverpool fencers prior to this year’s Birmingham International Fencing Tournament. Men’s Captain Kevin Wong fought a brick wall, and lost in a close bout which left his left hand fractured, and Kirsty Mills received a visit from the Mumps Fairy the previous Saturday evening. Nevertheless, like eager lambs to the slaugh….I mean fencers that we are, Liverpool University fencers still went to Birmingham in the spirit of adventure! In Men’s Foil, Mario Mezquita Finished 77th and Rooban Kanapathywasm 125th. In Women’s Foil, Susan Colley finished 54th. In Men’s Epee, Chris Power finished 77th, Mario Mezquita 113th and Rooban (I will not write his last name ANYMORE!) 115th. It was an eye opening and humbling experience, with fencers from 14 nationalities present (where was my flag?!). Special thanks go to Dave and Steve from UCLAN, for providing us with a place to crash, and for Steve’s ‘enlightening’ theory. Disco Guitars and Scowling Female Swedish Foilists all around! No converts to the cult of the Raisin!, though...

19 March 2005. North West Regionals - Epee and Sabre.

The closing weekend of the NW Regionals at West Lancs saw a flurry of Liverpool fencers participate.  For Men’s Epee, Chris Power finished 12th, Adam Swift 17th, and Rooban Kanapathiwasm 21st. On the Women’s side, Jen Pope finished 9th. In the Mixed Sabre results, Henry Wang finished 10th, Chris Power 14th, and Rooban Kanapathywasm 20th. In the words of our beloved Ginger Armourer: ‘Funky Monkey!’ Congrats to all!

2 April 2005. Preston (UCLAN) Beginner’s Foil.

Steve and Dave both asked me at the Birmingham International to make sure Kevin and Rooban attended the Preston Beginner’s Foil Competition. I was threatened with lots of scowling and beer pressure, and eventually caved in. They both attended the event, and promptly took 1st and 2nd place respectively in the tournament. Not to be undone, Adam Swift took 3rd. Susan Colley was also present and also took a medal, but did not tell me what place she came in at the Committee meeting so there! Little did we know it was to be the beginning of a fantastically groovy weekend of medal taking… Still no Raisin! Converts...

2 May 2005. Men’s BFA May Foil Rankings Released.

The British Fencing Association released today the May rankings for Foil, through the Southwest Fencing webpage. Quite a few welcomed surprises in the rankings for Liverpool fencers, as Kevin Wong jumped to 170 in the UK, up 60 places from last month’s 230, thanks to good showings at the Nottingham and Glasgow Opens. Mario Mezquita made it to the rankings for the fist time at 339, after a good run at the Glasgow open, while Rooban Kanapathiwasm and Ben Carter Remain constant in their rankings. Keving Wong also took the distinction of being the highest ranked fencer in Liverpool. Congrats to all for a good showing in the rankings. Keep up the good work!

 

Rankings

Wong, Kevin 170

Mezquita, Mario 339

Kanapathiwasm, Rooban 433

Carter, Ben 487

4 May 2005. Women’s BFA May Epee Rankings Released.

The British Fencing Association released today the May rankings for Women’s Epee, through the BFA webpage. Kirsty Mills makes her debut in the BFA rankings this month in at 172, after a well earned 13th place finish at the Nottingham Open. Kate Merryman, one of this year’s outstanding epeeists is in the 162nd slot, and former club captain Jenny Yates completes the trio of Liverpool Uni fencers at 148. Congratulations ladies!

 

Rankings

Yates, Jenny 148

Merryman, Kate 162

Mills, Kirsty 172

8 May 2005. Men’s BFA May Sabre Rankings Released.

The British Fencing Association released today the May rankings for Men’s Sabre, through the BFA webpage. Michael Knowles climbs 39  spots to 215, after a solid showing at the Glasgow Open.  It has been a difficult year for Michael to enter competitions, as he has dedicated more time to his duties as club coach, so seeing him get back into the swing of things and travelling to tournaments with the rest of the gang was a great experience for us all. Kevin Wong maintained his ranking in sabre at 259. Congrats, Gentlemen!

 

Rankings

Knowles, Michael 215

Wong, Kevin 259

11 May 2005. Men’s BFA May Epee Rankings Released.

The British Fencing Association released today the May rankings for Men’s Epee, through the BFA webpage. Former Liverpool University student and club member Chris Power remains the highest ranked Epeeist at 162 (down two spots from April), While Mario Mezquita made a giant leap of  191 spots from 394th to 203rd. Rooban Kanapathiwasm remains on the rankings, at the 402nd spot. Congrats, Gentlemen! (Note: Rankings for men’s epee do not include results from the 2005 Glasgow Open)

 

Rankings

Power, Chris 162

Mezquita, Mario 203

Kanapathiwasm, Rooban 402

17 May 2005. LUFC to have representatives at 2005 British Championships

The 2005 British Championships, the biggest yearly event for fencing in the UK, will see some of LUFC’s finest attending. The event in question, which will take place 9&10 July 2005 at RAF Cosford, Wolverhampton, will feature the best of the best at all weapons in fencing in both individual and team competitions. So far, Kevin Wong, Men’s Captain, will represent the Club in Men’s Foil. A men’s foil team is currently being planned, as is a women’s epee team. If you have any further info on LUFC members registering for the British Championships, please e-mail the webmaster.

30 May 2005. LUFC End of Year Competition Results

This past weekend was the 2004-2005 LUFC End of Year Competition for all Club members. The two day event had around 22 fencers participate in three weapons, both in men’s and women’s categories. Congratulations go not only to the winners, but also to everyone who participated in the event, either by fencing or organizing what turned out to be a fantastic end of year comp.  For a full list of results, photos, and videos, please click here.

15 June 2005. LUFC summer practices schedule

Practices will continue for the die hard fencers this summer at LUFC, although in an informal manner. Please consult the Practice Schedule section of the webpage for more information.

15 June 2005. The Wrexham Open

June 10 & 11 2005 was the weekend of the Wrexham Open, a fencing tournament in the North of Wales, which LUFC fencers have been attending for the past few seasons. This year, five LUFC fencers participate in the event. Outgoing men’s captain, Kevin Wong (27th foil), incoming men’s captain Rooban Kanapathywasm (29th Foil, 36th Epee), incoming women’s captain Kirsty Mills (21st Foil, 17th Epee), making his debut on the tournament scene John Spafford (35th Foil), and follicaly-challenged webmaster Mario Mezquita (25th Foil, 14th Epee). Congratulations to all for solid performances.   

15 June 2005. New Ranking Section in LUFC Webpage!

As a part of the re-organization process of the LUFC website, monthly fencer rankings will now be available in the Rankings section of the website. This section will include monthly national rankings of current LUFC members who are competing in various opens in the UK and abroad, as well as the appropriate links to British fencing for a complete list of the UK rankings in each individual weapon.

15 September 2005.  LUFC Fencers Begin Season in Good from.

Fencers from the Liverpool University Fencing Club begin this season in fantastic form, with many of the fencers located in the middle of the table in the British Fencing Association Rankings. Among the ranked fencers are former men’s captain Kevin Wong (158th in Foil), 2005-06 Women’s Captain Kirsty Mills (127th in Foil, 119th in Epee), Kate Merriman (111th in Epee) and webmaster (hey! That’s me!) Mario Mezquita (146th in Epee). Here’s to a fantastic new fencing season.

15 September 2005. BUSA publishes ‘Guide to University Fencing Clubs’

After a summer of gathering information regarding University Fencing Clubs from throughout the UK, the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) has launched a Guide to University Fencing Clubs. In it, prospective students can find out about the facilities and organization of fencing clubs at their potential universities. To see the guide, click here. LUFC contributed to this guide, by sending information regarding the club. If you have any comments about the information that appears about LUFC in the Guide, please contact us.

15 September 2005. BUSA Calendar of Matches for 2005-06 season released.

The Calendar of Matches for both Men’s and Women’s for this year’s BUSA season was recently released in the BUSA webpage. The men’s team will face off against the usual suspects from last season (Lancaster, UCLAN, UW-Bangor and Keele), while the women face some newcomers in their group. For a full list of the schedule, visit the BUSA webpage.

15 September 2005. Fresher’s Fair @ Liverpool Uni.

With term about to begin, we’d like to remind all interested students that LUFC will be present (as always) at the Fresher’s Fair this year, which will be held on Sunday the 25th (11:30am to 3:30pm) and Monday the 26th of September (9:00am to 3:30pm), at the University Sports Hall. Please feel free to visit us at our stand. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us by e-mail.

29 September 2005. LUFC Fencers have good results @ Shropshire Open

Several LUCF fencers began the season in the right way this past weekend, during the Shropshire Open. All the fencers were male foilists, with former Men’s Captain Kevin Wong (35) enjoying the best final seeding in the 70 fencer strong men’s foil category. Adam Swift (whom we shall forgive for listing West Lancs as his club this once) finished 44th, and current men’s captain Rooban Kanapathywasm finished 51st. Congratulations to you all.

29 September 2005. Ashton Open sees many LUFC fencers

LUFC had the cast of regulars attending this weekend’s competition at the Ashton Open, a small, friendly Open just east of Manchester. Present were Henry Wang (who finished 7th out of 12 in Men’s Sabre), Kirsty Mills (8th in Women’s Epee), Mario Mezquita (12th out of 20 in Men’s Epee), Rooban Kanapathywasm (13th) and Kevin Wong (8th). It was a small, yet very fun tournament, which we recommend to new club members as a tournament to try next year (the webmaster won a prize in the draw!)

8 October 2005. Fencing World Championships Get under Way in Leipzig

Yesterday the Fencing World championships got underway in Leipzig, Germany. Fencers from all over the world will be competing for the next week for the highest honours possible in fencing outside of the Olympic Games. Anyone interested in catching some of the action of the World Championships can go to the FIE’s official television website, http://www.fencingchannel.tv/, where daily highlights will be shown. UoL students living in the Melville Grove Halls of residence will be able to catch the finals of each weapon live on Eurosport DE (channel 7 on your televisions).

25 October 2005. LUFC Fencers @ Leicester Open

Several LUFC fencers attended the Leicester Open for their first time this year. While the tournament suffered from some logistical setbacks, the level of competition was nonetheless extremely high, as many of the UK’s top fencers were present.  Saturday saw Mens’ Captain Rooban Kanapathywasm and former Captain Kevin Wong compete in a 150 strong men’s foil field, finishing 136th and 105 respectively. Saturday saw women’s captain Kirsty Mills and former Club Captain Jenny Yate, who put on an impressive display in an 88 women strong field. Mills finished 62nd, while Yate 26th, both losing to eventual Champion Jos Hoffmans-Clark, of Salle Rose. In Men’s Epee, Mario Mezquita found himself 113th in a 157 strong field. 

25 October 2005. Coach Knowles Shines @ Civil Services Games

LUFC Coach Michael Knowles distinguished himself this past weekend at the Civil Services Games, coming in 12th in Foil, 8th in Sabre and 7th in Epee (the last one he doesn’t want to admit, since he is primarily a sabreur). Congratulations, Coach!

 

25 October 2005. Membership Fees for Semester 1 are Due

LUFC would like to remind all members that membership fees for term 1 are due by end of next week at the latest (4 November 2005). Fees are £25.00 per term. If a member has not paid the fee, he/she will not be allowed to attend practices or fencing sessions. Fencers will also not be taken into consideration for LUFC squads which participate in the BUSA leagues if they have not paid membership fees. If you have not yet paid the membership fee, please contact LUFC treasurer, Chris Ford (e-mail the contact at the bottom of this page).

7 November 2005.  November Rankings are out on BFA webpage.

The November fencer rankings are up on the BFA website. With Good Results at Ashton and Shropshire, Men’s Captain Rooban Kanapathywasm made the greatest jump, from 337 to 237 in men’s foil. Kirsty Mills continues to be in the top 125 in both Foil and Epee in the women’s rankings at 121 respectively. For more information, please see the rankings section of this webpage or the BFA.

 

LUFC Shines at Phoenix Foil Beginner’s Competition.

A record entry of 8 LUFC fencers entered the 2005 Phoenix Foil Beginner’s competition, held every year at the Liverpool Fencing Club for fencers with two years or less experience. This year, the competition took place on Sunday, 6 November. Again, LUFC had a strong and quality showing at the tournament, with 5 of the top 10 male fencers being from LUFC and all fencers finishing in the top 20.

 

In the women’s side, Kirsty Mills repeated once more at silver medallist, losing out to cadet Sophie Foo from Cressy Club 9-15 in a tense match. Kirsty and Sophie exchanged results during the rounds of poules, with Sophie striking first blood, but being stifled by a much more tactical Kirst in the second round of poules.

 

In the men’s side, Hassan Mirza and Gavin Williams proved strong contenders, with Gavin finishing 2nd overall after the first round of poules. With some good defensive blade skills, Hassan managed to present staunch opposition to all fencers, and was the only fencer to score more than 2 points on LUFC Men’s Captain Rooban Kanapathywasm during the two rounds of poules. Ben Lo and Chris Ford also had good showings in the competition, as did Alex Wheldon, one of our longest travelled (NORTH WALES!!) fencer on the day. All LUFC fencers made it past the first round of DE’s on the day.

 

Rooban lost out in a heated and exhausting semifinal to Vadim Grom from Liverpool Club, who met up in the finals with LUFC’s resident Armourer (and web dude) Mario Mezquita. In what was an exciting, intense, nerve-wrecking, all-international (Panama v. Russia) foil final, Mario Mezquita edged out Vadim Grom 15-14, to claim the Phoenix Foil Gold.

 

Congratulations to all the winners and awards recipients at the Phoenix foil, to the Liverpool Club for planning a fun and fantastic tournament, thanks to Miller’s Musketeers, new sponsors of the Phoenix Foil for all the great prizes for the winners, to Kev and Tanya for their fantastic support on the day, and to LUFC fencers for some fantastic and thrilling blade work!

 

Photos and videos of the competition will be available shortly (I hope).