Brentwood School Fencing Club Sabreurs started the Fencing season off with great success.  Following on from Lower Sixth former Grace O'Connell's Gold medal success at the UK Schools Games, the squad were in action at Hamlet, Essex and Bristol Senior Open Competitions and the Gateshead Under 20 Circuit event during the past couple of weeks.

The Hamlet Open took place in Stratford upon Avon at the start of September and was a Sabre only competition.  In the women's event, ex-pupil Chrystall Nicholl and Brentwood Assistant Fencing Coach Katherine Kempe both finished in third place.  16-year old Grace O'Connell finished in 5^th which was an excellent result in a field of close to 100 competitors whilst Ria Perkins reached the Last 64 round.  In the Men's competition, Olympian and ex-pupil Alex O'Connell finished 2^nd after losing to full time fencer Neil Hutchison in the final, whilst Henry Gann and Danny Ryan both reached the quarter-finals.  18 year old Alexander Crutchett finished in 9^th place and 16 year old Ashley Henderson finished as one of the top Under 17 fencers in 91^st place.

After the competition, Alex said, ‘I have won this event for the past five years so I was disappointed to lose to Neil in the final, however, I have just returned from Beijing and have not been training for a couple of weeks so I wasn't as sharp as I should have been.  The competition was useful though in that it reminded me that I don't like losing in domestic competitions so it was a good motivator to get me back into training.'

The smaller Essex Open was held on the day after Hamlet and having finished second for the past two years, Alexander Crutchett was delighted to take Gold this year.  Henry Gann finished in 6^th place and Brentwood Epee coach James Thornton finished in 17^th.   Last year Grace O'Connell won the Women's event but this year Brentwood's only female competitor was Ria Perkins who finished in third place.

Maintaining his form from the Essex Open, Alexander Crutchett again took Gold at the Gateshead Under 20 Sabre Circuit event which was held last weekend.  Ashley Henderson, who is still only in his second full season of fencing, did well again to finish in the top half of the competition in 26^th place.  In the Women's event Grace O'Connell finished in third place after losing to her Great Britain team mate Jessica Davies of Millfield who then lost to Sophie Williams in the final.

Following her defeat, Grace commented, ‘ It was frustrating to lose to Jess as I had beaten her in the final of the UK Schools Games but almost invariably in these competitions the top three places are shared between me, Jess and Sophie.  The fact that it varies from competition to competition as to who finishes in which place at least keeps things interesting.  We are all good friends having fenced together in the British Under 17 team for the past few years and now in the Under 20 team so whilst we are opponents on the piste, we are back to friends as soon as the bout is over regardless of the outcome.'

Held on the sample weekend as Gateshead, the Bristol Open saw Alex O'Connell once again back on top form as he took Gold for the second year running after beating full time fencer Chris Buxton in the final.  Henry Gann and Danny Ryan maintained their bid to be selected for this season's Great Britain Senior team by reaching the quarter-finals and Last 16 respectively.  In the women's event, Katherine Kempe and Ria Perkins both reached the Last 16 as well.

With the season hotting up, Ashley Henderson will fence in the Manchester Under 17 international next weekend and the Under 17 and Under 20 National Championships the weekend after.  Grace O'Connell and Alexander Crutchett will both fence in the Under 20 National Championships before representing Great Britain in Poland and then in Amsterdam at the Under 20 European Championships where Grace will be the youngest member of the Women's Sabre team.  The battle for places in the Senior Great Britain team will continue until Christmas when selections are made for the New Year internationals.  Alexander Crutchett hopes to maintain the place he secured last season with Gann and Ryan hoping to join him and O'Connell in the eight man team.  Alexander's brother, Anthony Crutchett who travelled with O'Connell to Beijing as his sparring partner, is currently out of action due to injury but will also be a strong contender for the team.  If all are successful it would certainly be strong recognition for Brentwood School that five of the eight man British team train in the school's outstanding facilities and are coached by the school's Master-in-Charge of Fencing David Sach who was himself a top British International Sabreur.