FENCING TEAM MAKE LAST EIGHT

When people think of fencing, the first image that comes into their head is public school kids dressed in tight fitting white clothes shouting "En Garde" at each other. This could be an image that would attract some people to the sport, but is a stereotype not far from the truth. However, for those people that have tried fencing, they would realise a great deal of satisfaction can be gained, causing pain to these jumped up arrogant twats. I am sure when the other universities looked at the BUSA league this year they couldn't believe Sunderland, an ex-poly would have the audacity to try and fence alongside other universities such as Leeds, where fencing has been a tradition for many years.

The main members of the Sunderland team consisted of myself (11 years' experience), Hani Hanna (3 weeks exp.), Nathaniel Zettle (3 weeks exp.), Adrian Schmid (2 years exp.), Sam Bartle (2 years exp) and David Antonolopoulas (2 years exp.). The matches were fought using all three weapons, foil, epee and sabre, first to 45 points in each weapon. Having fought well in the group stages of BUSA, we found ourselves in 2nd position in the league. This position allowed us to proceed to the knockout stages of the competition. The team we were drawn against UCL were disqualified in th elast 16 propelling us through to a match against Lougborough for a place in the last 4.

When Loughborough turned up at Crowtree, the first thing they said was "God this place looks poor!". I was surprised that this comment wasn't followed by something like "Do they have running water this far North". It immediately started our relationship off on the wrong foot. As they returned in their matching tracksuits, it was quite alarming to notice that only one of them was English, the rest of the team was made up of a Spanish lad who fenced for Spain in the last Olympics, and a Bulgarian bloke who also fenced internationally. It became clear that we were out of our depth! After the first few fights it seemed we were not going to be as pasted as we thought. Some sturdy performances from the Sunderland team meant we actually won the foil, 45-43. Over the course of the match, their team captain was getting increasingly more annoying, forcing me to take a more aggressive approach when drawn against him in the epee. A strategically placed shot in the shins caused him to wail like a baby and withdraw from the fight as his sock began to turn red. We continued to win this weapon 45-37. However, when it came to the sabre, their international expertise took over and they wiped the floor with us meaning we lost the match over all 112-125.

As the Loughborough team captain limped off towards his team bus, I felt proud that we had shown that Sunderland is a force to be reckoned with. I wish the club all the luck in the future and hope that the team next year will be as dedicated and sadistic as the one I have had the pleasure to captain this year.