The May 2026 monthly club competition was delayed for one week, following on from the hottest May ever recorded in the UK. With temperatures soaring to an uncomfortable 36 degrees on the last Tuesday of the month, it was more ice cream weather than dressing up in your protective fencing gear! The delay proved to be a worthy decision with a very healthy & keen fencers attending for the first Tuesday, and much milder weather in June. With time in short supply and the scorer needing to have the competition ‘done and dusted’ due to other commitments, it was decided to compile a poule unique and have a one-hit shoot out, where every fencer fenced everyone else. With four pistes in play, it was going to be a busy night.

Dave started the evening well, but despite beating Rob, felt that this was his turning point, when it all started going downhill; not too much though, as he still scored a very respectable eight wins overall.

Nate was very consistent over the course of the evening, managing nine wins overall.

Jake and Rohan were more consistent than Dave, winning one, losing one, rather than starting well and then faltering, and managed to equal Dave’s eight wins.

Steve, Peter and Mark were ‘even Stephen’s’ winning as many as they lost (seven apiece), and Steve was just one behind with six wins. Unusually, Henry was way down in the standings or maybe he just liked grouping with the ladies that night, as he scored five wins, alongside the grand dames of the club; Ellora, Jaina and Claudia.

Overall, the fencing pretty consistent with all fencers at one point or another being in the mix to be the champion on the evening, but that is always the way with the one-hit format – you just never know who is going to win. In a surprise on the evening, it was Tadek and Robert who came up trumps with twelve wins apiece. The scorer was happy to declare Tadek the winner on countback, but, after much deliberation between the fencers and the vice-Captain, it was decided to hold a final between the two, with the first to five hits being the winner. Robert’s forte is normally the poules to five and then DE rounds to fifteen hits, so it was a surprise to see him competing for the trophy, especially seeing as he detests the one-hit format, but clearly, he saw redemption and the trophy being his, having agreed to a final fence-off. However, on the evening, it was the youngster, Tadek, who showed real maturity to hold his nerve and power through to a 5 v 3 victory over Robert.

Well done to everyone who competed and a particular well done to everyone who put up with me bossing them around to various pistes and duels all night (Peter and Jaina, you didn’t mention it at all!). Finally, a special congratulations to Tadek, who was crowned our May 2026 champion; that makes him our champion three out of five months, in 2026, so far (Jan Champ, Mar team champ, Apr champ!). Is there anyone out there who can put a stop to his winning ways…till next time!

Winners – L-R – Peter, Robert, Claudia, Steve and Torran

At the end of April, we found ourselves, back at Cygnet Leisure Centre, with a very healthy fifteen fencers, all primed and ready for action in the April monthly club competition.  On a spur of the moment (we’ll know not to do that again!) thought, it was decided to have three teams of five fencers, with each fencer fighting every other fencer from the opposing team and, winning team stays on.  Each duel would see the two fencers fighting to the next multiple of three before standing aside for the next pairing (i.e. first duel to 3 points, then next up the first team to reach 6 points, then 9 points etc before another pairing would take over).  Unfortunately, with all teams being very evenly standardised, time was against us and it was decided that the first pairing of Team A vs Team B would fight to 39 points, but then, for the winner stays on match (and the one declaring an overall Team Champion), we could only manage a team total of 30 hits before the Badminton Players descended upon us and we had to leave!

Henry set Team A (Henry, Ellora, Phil, Mark and Nate) up well with a 3-0 lead, which Jake managed to erode, for Team B (Dave, Jake, Tadek, Tom and Paul) on the very next go.  Tadek, Tom and Jake managed to maintain that lead over the next three rounds, but Team A were not to be outdone.  Having kept up the pace by landing hits against their opponents, Team A managed to regain the lead, again thanks to Henry.  The lead remained short-lived again, with Paul managing a 6-2 victory over Mark and a very narrow 21-20 lead to Team B, overall.  However, it was not to be Team A’s night and Team B managed to retain the lead right through to the final bout, eventually winning 39-34 to take them through to the final.

The first round of the final saw Claudia hold her ground, for Team C (Claudia, Torran, Rob, Peter and Steve) against Dave, with both fencers finishing their round with 3 hits apiece.  Jake managed to turn things around for Team B and Tadek held that advantage until Peter stepped up for Team C, putting them into a very narrow 12-11 lead.  With much toing and froing, Jake took back the advantage for Team B, but Claudia regained the lead, 18-17 for Team C.  Peter, Steve and Torran held on to that advantage for Team C, but in the second to last leg, Paul had a storming round for Team B, giving them a 3-point lead into the penultimate round.  Dave held on for a 30-27 lead, for Team B, going into the final, but two matches back-to-back, especially when it’s Rob, bringing home the bacon for Team C, proved to much.  In only his second team fight of the night, Rob, against a well-fought Dave had a storming 6-0 victory and clinched the trophy for Team C. 

Thank you to all those who attended and joined in with the competition.  Without you, these things wouldn’t happen.  Well done to all those who competed on the night, there were some really close and well fought duels.  The questions to be answered now are (1) Is Rob now finally back and recovered to the fullest extent and will he continue his winning ways and (2) with Peter being in the winning team, is he the lucky team mascot you need to have or was this just a lucky blip in the Mark/Peter winning teams combo?  Finally, a huge congratulations to Team C – Peter, Rob, Claudia, Steve and Torran for being crowned our April 2026 Monthly Club Competition Winners.