Fencing Mens 1sts
Time: Saturday 16.00
Location: Main hall
Points: Lancaster 4 - York 0
York 111 – Lancaster 135
If, as some have suggested over the weekend, there is a dimension of class divide within Roses, then it could be assumed that there are some sports the ‘toffs’ of York have somewhat of an advantage with. Surely at sports like archery and equestrian, our apparently upper class backgrounds would give us a better chance of victory? And what about the most apparently upper class sport of them all? It would appear that the Lancastrian fencing team had not been informed of the class divide, as they impressed in the men’s 1st.
York did manage to score a point before their swords were even picked up, as a member of the Lancastrian team was given a red card for being incorrectly dressed. But this was only one point on the long road to the 45 needed to win with the first sword, the foil. Lancaster was quick to stream ahead on points, and after two matches Lancaster has all 10 of the possible points, while York trailed behind with a mere 2. But York weren’t willing to give up the fight, and quickly fought their way back, most impressively in the last game of the match. Although the Lancaster was 1 point away from 45, the York team carried on fighting to the very end, managing to pull their score up from 28 to 33, aware that in fencing, every point can count. But even this impressive sword play was not enough to stop Lancaster from reaching 45, and winning the foil, 45 to York’s 33.
Next the two teams fought with the saber, the heaviest of the fencing swords. Here York saw their chance to close the gap in the scoring, but even after some impressive footwork by the York team, it was obvious they were feeling pressured by the skill of the Lancaster team. Once again, Lancaster was the first to reach 45, while York had 41. The overall score, after two swords had been played was 90-74. While Lancaster may have won the first two battles, the war was still on.
The final sword that was fought with was épée, the closest sword to the traditional rapier, used in historical fencing. Aware they were 16 point behind, the York team fought furiously, but it very soon became obvious exactly how skilled the Lancastrians were. More than two hours after the first foil match, the final point was scored, and the épée was won by Lancaster, who had managed to reach 45, while York had managed 21. The final score was 135-111 to Lancaster; an impressive score for both teams.
Sarah Foster
