Strong Royal Navy team succumb to inspired SSC

Friday 23rd October 2009, 2:29PM BST.

Meyrick Simmonds, left, of the Sarnia Sword Club goes up against the Royal Navy’s Gareth Knowles at Brock Road Youth Centre. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0857159)

THE Sarnia Sword Club scored a memorable victory over a powerful Royal Navy team in their annual clash at the Brock Road Youth Centre last weekend.

Men and women from each side competed in teams of three at all three fencing disciplines – foil, epee, and sabre – at A and B levels.

Matches were scored on a cumulative system up to 45 hits per match.

At the end of a hard-fought Saturday morning’s fencing, it became clear that, despite the presence of a Royal Navy team of unusual strength, the SSC fencers were not going to yield the Match Trophy, which they had held for several past years, without strong resistance.

The morning ended with the Royal Navy’s A and B men’s foil teams defeated by 45 hits to 33, and 45-24 respectively.

The SSC’s women’s A epee team had also beaten its Royal Navy rivals, 45-41, in a much closer contested match.

Unusually, the Saturday afternoon’s matches brought more defeats for the Royal Navy in sabre, traditionally their strongest weapon.