The "Fencer Diaries" 2007 - July to December

Kent Mixed Open Epee 2007.
9th December.
The musings of Captain Yoda...
“It was the morning after the night before (who's idea was it to have the club Christmas meal out the night before a competition.......oh yes mine!) and we gathered at the appointed time. everyone looked a little worse for the wear but our leader was full of enthusiasm as we sorted who would be Bexley A, Bexley B and Bexley C. I was in Bexley B (the brats).

This year we were going to improve on last years placing and this year we knew how the system worked so it was with confidence we approached our first poule.. and lost.
The second poule was THAT team from deepest Kent and included scary vets so we decided that just getting a point would be good! Our leader said ‘get 10 points and I'll be happy’... We didn't quite manage that but we survived though the milky bar kid was stunned by the speed with which the scary vet could move! I was just glad to survive to fight another day....
Overall we did well though, we only just lost one 45/43 and finished the poule stages with a very good win...

I left and my young Padawan learner took over from me... on my return, I discovered that we had done well and had managed to come 7th, narrowly losing to Tenterton B before winning against Ramsden B.
Meanwhile our leader, the Fitz and Dark Vader were in the final...
It was thrilling. The guys held on and pursued THAT team.. Giving the scary vet a run for his money but not quite managing to beat them. There was much shouting encouragement (yes we are noisy in our support of each other) and some groans.. But we had to settle for second. Still, there is always next year.”

Note to self - don’t book the Christmas meal out the night before the Kent epee next year and learn how to fence epee before then!
Note to others.. impressive guys!

Additional comments from Captain K!...
After making a serious dent in a very good spread laid on at our Club local on Saturday, it was a merry jaunt down the A2 to Gravesend. This time nobody got lost (apart from Phil, the Padawan, who would arrive later and have a detailed tour of Gravesend before getting on the piste). And let's not forget Max, drafted in at a late stage to ensure we had a strong presence of three teams.
Check-in was pretty simple and the teams were announced pretty quickly. There was a bit of drama because one of our pack managed not to dry his jacket, hence the need to borrow a jacket from Tenterden.

I have vague recollections of fighting Bexley C for our first fight. It was almost a repeat of our club poule night, with a bit more at stake. Well, it was pretty obvious that Bexley would prevail - just a minor matter of which part. A few screams, and 45 hits later, the answer was Bexley A. Having said that, it wasn't an easy fight. Fitz was fighting with a broken foot, and it was only sheer concentration that allowed us to claw back from the jaws of defeat!

On to the second round, we were up against a Tenterden team. Fortunately, we didn't have to be nice to them for lending us a jacket earlier. Obi Wan (Dark Vader) and Fitz did very well to set up a good foundation. My fleche hadn't kicked in, so I was left with lunges and parry-riposte sequences.
But once again, we prevailed and were then pitted against a Gravesham team of lefties and a lanky. Fitz opted for foot hit mode, whilst our Chairman was in the mood to flick. Me - I have no idea, other than I tried to hit somebody with my arm drawn back. Now why would I have not got the hit?
Once again, we prevailed due to some very good team work. The last team we fenced at the 'poule' stage was Ramsden (I think). By this time we had worked up a pretty good head of steam, with Fitz riding on adrenaline and almost gliding with his bad foot. Another resounding win saw us top of the poule and ready to take on the semi-final.

Taking on Tenterden C was fun. A couple of 20-second bouts and a little berating of self was more than enough to get us through. Nobody took it too serious, just serious enough to ensure the win and set up an epic battle with Tenterden A. Coming up against Ralph, John and Richard was no easy feat, but we held it together. I must admit though, those vets do move like the wind and hit with grace. Alas, we couldn't quite prevail and were thus happy to yield first place to those more seasoned.

Overall, a competition well worth attending. We'll be looking to do better next year. Many thanks to everybody who took part, and to Matt for sending his best wishes through the pain barrier.

Final placings (from the top) Tenterton A, Bexley A, Bexley C, Tenterton C, Tenterton B, Gravesham, Bexley B, Ramsden B, Ramsden A, Tonbridge
Well Done to all.

Wilkinson Trophy - Men's Open Team 2007.
25th November.
The thoughts of Captain Kev...
“We (the team captain) had decided to take two teams to represent Bexley at the Wilkinson Trophy. Bexley B did outstanding well under the circumstances. Not being aware of the calibre of the opposition we took to the piste against LTFC"A" team (OK, so, we sussed that some bloke called Barbasiewicz ranked somewhere in the UK top 10 might play for them, but were we bovvered? - Nah! Not one bit!) And took a creditable 17 points off the opposition who didn't, as far as I recall, get to 45 - we timed them out.
Next up was Huntingdonshire, where Matt unfortunately sustained his war wound. Huntingdonshire showed commendable sportsmanship accommodating our late replacement with Craig stepping in to the fray (not to mention Matt's fencing kit!) and proceeding to acquit himself very well with borrowed weapons in his off-hand, carrying on Matt's good work of racking up the points for Bexley B. Alas victory managed to elude us once again, but more points scored this time (24) - once again the opposition got timed out and didn't manage the full 45 against us.
At this point that fickle middle finger of fate made itself known in the form of Bexley A vs. Bexley B. Clearly it would have been wrong of us to upset the applecart and prevail against our Illustrious Chairman and our Competition Secretary, so Bexley A proceeded on to claim 13th place. On to our final bout of the day - Bexley B vs. Greenwich, comprising Karl and some blokes called Garry & Tim who somehow looked strangely familiar. Not wishing to upset Greenwich, Bexley B did the descent thing and took 16th place, albeit that halfway through my bout against Karl the end fell off of my epee (those little grub screws can be a real b*gg*r when you're trying to set the point back into the end). All the guys did very well, we all made the opposition work for their victories, and enjoyed some rather remarkable chocolate brownie to boot!”

Three cheers to all the Bexley Boys and best wishes to Matt for a speedy recovery.

The additions of Captain K!...
"In Bexley A, Owen beat a certain Jonathan Willis 5-3. Scott scored no less than 20 hits, including hits on JW.
Fighting the team from ULU was an experience, especially when their best fencer was a left-handed whirlwind who moved faster than the eye could see. But at least we managed to lose with dignity, having put up a brave fight.
Somewhere further down the line we came up against LTFC (aka Howard's Handicaps - their words rather than mine). Captain Blood and the Welsh Wizard were visited with a few foot hits from Bexley A's captain - just so they knew not to get too close.

All the guys did very well, we all made the opposition work for their victories, and we became the envy of the event when we proceeded to break out the 'bucket' of rather remarkable chocolate brownies which we managed to share (sparingly, of course)!"

Just a quick note to wish Matt well. He fell in the line of duty but we wish him a speedy recovery and all the best over the Christmas season.

The Miller Hallett 2007.
24th November.
Trials and Tribulations of the Competition Fencer...
“OK. So we (first wave fencers) turn up to this really small place wondering whether there are any more than the two pistes we can see. Otherwise we're going to have to line up down the length of two pistes and learn the parry prime-riposte routine very quickly. Eventually, it all pans out and there are enough pistes for everybody. We started a bit late, but that wasn't going to help me. Obi Wan, and Doctor T were also on piste somewhere. Not to mention a few other Bexley fencers looking to put the BFC name firmly on the fencing map.

My poule was not one I would like to face again. I vaguely remember losing fights quite badly and wondering whether I would even get to fight off for the L32 position. Nevertheless, I thought I should take my own advice and concentrate on one hit at a time. It seemed to work because I managed to win two fights.
It meant I was fencing the 9th seed from the poules - not something I relished. I also managed to issue a red card because one of the fencers had a tear in his jacket, and was wearing no plastron.

Somehow, I lost all understanding of fencing in my L64 fight. By the end of the first period I was 1-4 down. Nothing worked. The fleche had deserted me, and my distance was so bad that a child with a 10cm reach would have picked me off. The second period wasn't much better. I think I was probably about 4-10 down. And then somebody must have rebooted the computer. The third period saw me claw my way back up from the mire and get some very good hits. I still didn't get a fleche on, but I stopped drawing my arm back and had my point control sorted out. I didn't win, but it ended at 9-14.

On the other hand, Doctor T did really well. He got into the second wave and managed to finish 45th overall. Mmm - much better than my 105, so he gets points and will probably shoot above me in the rankings."

Note to self: Do not extend onto a straight arm - it normally means you get hit
Note to others: Wear the right kit, and make sure it conforms
Next Stop: Next Day

The Welsh Open 2007.
12th November.
Further adventures of the Competition Fencer...
“For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to make the trip from Willesden, and subsequently ended up spending about two hours trying to get on to the M4. Once I managed that, it was just a small matter of another two hours to my destination.
The Institute where the event was to be held had some nice rooms, and I met up with a whole bunch of Havestock fencers for dinner.

Sunday morning was no different from any other Sunday, except I was in Wales ready to do battle with the other 185 or so fencers. There was only one 'easy' poule, and it wasn't mine... I think I won three fights. I beat a pommeller using my carbon-fibre and got trounced by some chap with the worst footwork I have ever seen. Shame his blade control wasn't the same. Once again, I was beaten by a vet and then went on to do damage to a left-hander. I can’t say much else, other than I wasn't happy at the end of the poule round.

My first DE went to the wire. For some reason I was really tired and made some very basic mistakes. I'm sure there is a mental rule that says you shouldn't extend onto a straight arm. I must obey that rule one of these days. Somehow, I managed to win 15-13 (or was it 15-14?), with the full knowledge that I would have Baby Barbi in my 128 fight.

On the piste for the L128, I managed to get the first hit. Hurrah for me! After that, it was just a case of damage control. Step back and wait - Ah! That didn't work. Fleche? Er - no! Parry riposte? Mmm - double hit. Now for somebody who had a bad back, Baby Barbi was doing exceedingly well and beat me 15-9. Reasonably respectable score, but I would have preferred to have gone on to win and get into the L64. As it was, Barbi went out in the next round whilst I finished 89th overall.”

Next Stop: Miller Hallett

The Bedford Open 2007.
21st October.
The BFC Crew and the Competition Fencer...
“Having watched England lose the rugby and with a premonition that all would not be well with Hamilton in F1, it was only right I head off to Bedford with a positive mindset.
A convoy of two cars and four competitors cruised up the M1 and subsequently found that TomTom had been given the wrong postcode by yours truly. At least somebody knew where we were going though, and we got there despite the disagreement between roadworks and TomTom.

Check-in was uneventful, save for the fact that there was every temptation to drink the prize wine and jump on to the high jump mattress for a snooze. In the absence of that, we moved quite smoothly into the poule round. Our not so new fencers were further down the hall so it was harder to keep tabs on them this time. My poule wasn't the weakest I've encountered.
There was the habitual veteran there to give me a hard time (I lost 4-5), the out-of-sorts teenager that I beat, as well as the kit provider who stunned me with a foot hit before I woke up and managed to win 5-1. Then there was the Scottish lad. Amiable though he was, I think he might have been making up for the country's early exit at the World Cup. Although we relayed hits back and forth, he eventually caught me 5-4. Other than that, I managed to win four and lose two.
The rest of the contingent had similar results, except for the Good Doctor in our midst who had a rather poor showing at this stage. Thankfully, there was no cut.

With a bye into the 128 I had time to watch a few fights and congratulate the rest of team on getting through to the L64. This led nicely into the L64 since I retained the piste where I had previously been presiding. I managed to referee the fight of one of our club mates whilst also watching the piste behind me. Unfortunately our aspiring fencer was unable overcome a much stronger opponent (he had lost to him in the poule as well), but he showed great fortitude and temperament in his bout.

On the piste behind me somebody from my previous poule had boasted that he wasn't going to lose to Bexley's number 3 or 4 fencer, having already lost to our number one fencer in the poule (his observation rather than mine). Alas, one should never fry the egg before breaking it first. He lost, with Bexley cheering our latest conquest. My L64 was against another vet who had it in his mind that I was not supposed to win. Once again the fleche came to my rescue. But I also opted for pistol over carbon fibre/French grip in order to take my opponent's blade.

So, with three of the four Bexley fencers through to the L32 (as well as The Fitz), we were doing pretty well. I had already heard one person question where all 'these Bexley people' had suddenly appeared from. Alas, the house started to crumble at this stage. The Fitz went out to a mate from Uni whilst I was ousted by a young chap with (dyed) red hair. Our number 3 fencer (see above) was also prevented from progressing, but at least the Good Doctor progressed to the L16 before being thwarted.

And because there are a few mad fencers amongst us, we decided to stay and have some fun on an unmanned piste. 15 hits - winner stays on. Absolutely brilliant. Tiring, and then we got to watch the Pollard-Barbi final.

I'm ecstatic. Four fencers and four sets of points in the ranking table (16, 19, 31, 61), plus Bexley seems to be putting its name on the map.”

Note to self: Do not dye hair red (whenever it's not shaved to within a whisker of the scalp)
Note to others: Bexley FC fencers do know how to fence
Note to Obi Wan: Shame you missed it. But at least 'The Force' was strong within us
Cookie Monster: You know the drill.
Next Stop: Welsh Open

The Sussex Open 2007.
6th October.
The BFC Crew and the Competition Fencer...
“Having felt reasonably positive all week, I wasn't too happy to wake up on Saturday morning with a niggle in my throat. I knew that I was coming down with the bosses cold (at the wrong time). However, apart from one of us drinking dodgy tea and almost throwing up, the five jolly fencers had a pretty pleasant trip to Portslade.

Check in was fine, and there was plenty of time for the Good Doctor to become 'the man with the golden blade', whilst Big Gaz decided to spend a few quid on a new weapon and glove. Rumour has it he bargained as if we still lived a few centuries back.

The poule round was good for everybody. I'm especially pleased that our latest addition to the competition circuit succeeded in getting two victories in his poule. The club chair also did well ~ even if he did have to travel to the venue by himself. ~ As for me, I managed to beat one of the Army guys (pay back) and produce a near perfect fleche. Four victories and two defeats in the poule was nothing to be sniffed at.

The first round of DE was interesting. Our newbie competition fencer was busy enjoying the delights of the cafe when I informed him he had to get back on the piste. Nevertheless, he gave a good representation of the club. It was only misfortune, or competition experience of the opposition, that caused him to lose out. Still, he only just missed out on ranking points, coming 65 out of 76.

The rest of us all had interesting fights in the L64. I have no recollection of who the other guys fought, but, like me, they seemed to get beaten by people who refused to let them win. I had a veteran from Tenterden. I always assumed that the elders would let we younger ones progress, but he wasn't having it. At the end, I settled for a 11-15 defeat and congratulated him on a job well done.

At least, we all got to watch the finals and see Fitz lose narrowly to one of the Barbi's. All in all, a job well done by the BFC crew.”

Note to self: Must remember to write amusing and insightful ‘notes to self’
Note to others: See above!
Next Stop: Bedford

The Bristol Open 2007.
16th September.
Public Transport and the Competition Fencer...
“I'm of the considered opinion that there should be a clause in the competition calender that says 'no travelling during good weather', especially when we are supposed to be in the autumn/winter season. And with that introduction, let me amuse (or bore) you with my exploits over the weekend.

In the absence of a car, I ended up pulling my 2 tonne wheelie bag down the road to the station. Ten minutes in the sun with a heavy bag is not fun. But at least I managed to get to Paddington in time for a bottle of iced water and some cookies - and the train of course.
Arriving in Bristol was nothing extraordinary. The 'nice' B&B was interesting - red bedsheets, with a sequined bedspread. As I said - nice!

Sunday was another good day. Having arrived at the venue, I proceeded to buy myself a new foil blade. You can imagine the strange looks I received at the armoury - I couldn't have passed it off as an epee blade even if everybody was drunk.
The poules were drawn and my first fight was against a vet. For some weird reason, I was compelled to use the tennis racquet (aka carbon fibre) grip. I can only be thankful for intuition. Being a vet does not mean a lack of speed. The guy had a foot hit on me before I had even moved. And so I had to call on the fleche - again. Winning the fight 5-4, I was then pitted against a young lad who thought I was a pommeller. He just couldn't understand why beating my blade wasn't having the desired effect - I guess it might have something to do with the fact I was using a pistol grip. Sorry!

I went on to win another fight and then came up against one of the Haverstock Italians. I thought the first hit was after the corps de corps, but the ref thought otherwise. Needless to say, class won out leaving me with my first defeat of the day. Another victory with the pistol grip and then on to the pommel again. 5-1 rounded out my poule with me second on five wins and a loss. If only the DE could be that easy.

Having discovered that everybody from 128-167 was cut at the end of the poules, I was left to fight the brother of a chap from the poule. He was seeded 111 so it should have been easier than I made it. But having gained a 3 hit lead, I kept on giving the advantage back to him. Once again, the call of the fleche had to be answered. Thankfully, I got most of them on target at the right time. But winning 14-13 on time was a tad closer than I wanted.

Being in the L64 is becoming a familiar tune, but my fight to get into the L32 was a mare. At one point I was 0-6 down, and at the break I was well behind at 3-8. The fleche failed to work and distance seemed to be a thing of the past. I couldn't even blame it on the fact he was a leftie. The truth was that I was outclassed by a younger lad who had been competing for over six years. Losing 6-15 wasn't good, but I think I put everything I had into it - he just had more. Having said that, finishing 37 wasn't too bad, and Fitz was also in with a good position, having finished 25.”

Note to self: Keep pushing the boundaries, and never make a bet unless you know you can win
Note to others: A sequinned bedspread is not a substitute for breakfast at the B&B
Next Stop: Sussex - Oct 6

The Essex Open 2007.
2nd September.
The First of the Season with the Competition Fencer...
“Waking up at 05.30 on a Sunday morning has got to be nigh on criminal, even for a fencing competition. But that's exactly what I did, and subsequently found myself on the road at 06.45. Fortunately, my electronic American friend talked the sultry gang of four all the way to the venue in Colchester.
Checking in was uneventful, and I had plenty of time to get a new blade. Tiger Tim and Big Gaz managed to find something interesting to do whilst the Irish member of our little contingent went to chat to some foreigners (Brits).

My poule of seven was interesting. I lost my first fight - perhaps I was still asleep - without seemingly batting an eyelid.
I did manage to get three hits on the Welsh Wizard in the next bout though. After that, it was all about teasing one of the contestants who had a hang-over. Strangely, he wouldn't take my advice of giving up either fencing or drinking.
With the teasing over, I managed to keep my wits about me and win the next three fights...
Partly due to the tennis racquet grip, and a little as a result of actually keeping distance, it meant that I gave a respectable showing before I lost to the guy I was teasing.

But déjà vu is my worst enemy these days. For the third time, my first (L128) DE was with one of the boys from Gadaski. I think we're both tired of this scenario now, so we'll be looking to either file complaints or do better next time.
Suffice it to say, I didn't go off the piste or throw a tantrum. I did lose some concentration though, meaning I let a 3 point lead disappear, leaving us at 13-13.
At this point, I was definitely at sea without a rudder, but the gods of fencing were smiling upon me. A parry to septieme was followed by a rather erratic riposte to my opponent's thigh - 14-13. Did I fleche? I can't remember, but I did win 15-14.

Just in case there are any doubts, winning is not all it's cracked up to be. I think my club mates had the better deal - they got to watch the rest of us work really hard. Winning the L128 gave me the opportunity to clash blades with another worthy opponent from last season for a place in the L32.
For whatever reason, I switched to the pistol grip and was fortunate to surge ahead, leading 10-8 at the break. Possibly the break was the deciding factor, with my opponent getting a few tips from his club mates. At 10 all, I guess I started to have visions of victory but managed to freeze up just a little. Imagine my frustration when I gave away two easy hits to find myself at 10-12. But a least there were no fleches this time around. Just pure and simple blade work. Somewhere, I managed to find a few extra hits and lose the fight 14-15. My consolation is that I gave him a tough fight.

Well, it was the first competition of the season and I managed to secure some ranking points. That puts BFC back on the map and gives everybody something to aim for through the rest of the season.”

Note to self: Giving away easy hits is a sure way to lose a fight. Concentrate
Note to others: There is a rumour that competing with a hangover is good for you
Note to club secretary: Chocolate brownies are a motivational factor
Next Stop: Bristol Open - Sunday 16 September

Question from the WebMonkey, would you prefer the diaries by year or season?

The Cambridge Open Air 2007.
8th July.
The Innocent, The Doctor and the Competition Fencer...
“I always thought I was a reasonable chap when it came to planning. Alas, that was put to the test when attempting to meet up with a few fellow fencers for the Cambridge Open Air.
Some clever person had decided Le Tour de France would come through the south east, hence my being on virtual lock down in the Bexley-Thamesmead area. Not to mention the alarm not going off - I mean, why haven't they developed alarms that set themselves?

Nevertheless, we still made it to the venue in about 80 minutes and the weather (surprisingly) was good. Not to mention that there were no problems with drawing the poules. The best bit really was that there were three representatives of BFC at the competition.

With two rounds of poules, there was always the possibility of seeding reasonably well. I managed to win 7/10 fights, although the fights I lost told me quite a bit about my ability (or lack thereof) to learn from previous experiences. The good Doctor was also well seeded at the end of the poule. And the competition innocent had two victories and even caused somebody to shout in frustration - I must give that a go next time.

My L64 fight was interesting - having to fight somebody from LTFC. Having given away six hits in the first period, there was no way he was getting any more in the second. And six minutes is a long time to get three hits, so I slowed the pace and picked my points.
Unfortunately, the Doctor and the Innocent got knocked out in the same round, so they ended up watching me - not a good option at the best of times.

The L32 was even more interesting. Having been knocked out by my opponent in a previous competition and yet having beaten him in the poules elsewhere, it was really anybody's game.
We're talking about lots of fleches, a yellow card apiece for corp a corp and an allegation that I was off the piste. Mmm - me thinks not, but ... So, the Bexley camp on the left and the Gadaski camp on the right all keenly watching this contest. And don't forget the loud shouts from both contestants.
In the second period, there's not much in it. But my opponent missed a fleche and I hit before he passed. I suspect that this really was the turning point because he started to lose focus. But the third period still held a bit of suspense as I missed a hit and was reeled back to a two-point lead. Thankfully, I sneaked the fight 15-13.

So we're now down to the L16 and I realise I'm fighting the number one seed from the poules - who also happens to visit BFC on the odd occasion. Funny enough, he was watching my L32 fight. I had a spirited start, but then he pulled away and kept distance. The only way I was going to get a hit was to fleche or go for the double. Suffice it to say, all my hits were doubles. At 9-14 I had to ask myself why I didn't do better in the poules. Being beaten 15-10, I could only congratulate myself on a good day's work (I had better get some brownies) and hope the other guy would go ahead and win.

But seriously, all the BFC guys put in a good showing to take points. Not to mention that one of our 'visitors' managed to win the competition. Bring on the British Champs.”

Note to self: Must get more notes
Note to the brownie monster: Where are they?

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