NEWS: City fencers make their point at South West event

FENCERS Toni Denham, Tia Sims Lymn and Benjamin Andrews led the Plymouth gold rush at the South West Age Group Épee Championships at Millfield School.

Plymouth High School for Girls student and Great Britain épeeist Denham topped the podium in the girls' under-18 competition.

Denham was joined on the gold standard by Plymouth College's Simms Lymn and Kings pupil Andrews, who cleaned up in the girls' and boys' under-12 age category, respectively.

Simms Lymn and Andrews are both members of Plymouth Fencing Club – which nailed 12 medals in total and also have 14 fencers qualifying for the National Championships.

Denham, who lives in Plymouth, but represents Wellington Swords club, said the qualifiers continued 2011's good fencing form for her, after she reached the last 64 at the Dijon under-20s tournament earlier in the year.

"I felt positive at the regional qualifiers and am looking forward to the nationals," said Denham (pictured left),one of the city's young athletes who are part of the Herald-backed Team Plymouth scheme.

"I didn't lose a fight at Millfield and after reaching the last 64 of a senior tournament for the first time in January, I'm also looking ahead to improving on that later in the year."

The nationals take place at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield at the end of April.

There were silver medals for Plymouth College's Megan Woodrow, who lost to the 17-year-old Denham in the under-18 final.

And runners-up places were claimed in the under-12 age category by Plymouth College's Catherine Bishop and Hyde Park's Josh Hellings.

Bronze medal winners from the city included Rebecca Razey (Plymouth College – under-18) and Kelcey Pillage (Plymouth High – under-16).

They were joined by bronze age category medallists Katie Davies-Gregory (under-16), Charity Brifaut (under-14), Alice Simmonds, (under-12) – all Plymouth College – along with their under-14 boys team-mates, Josh Wrigley, (Devonport High School for Boys) and Plymouth College's, Tim Andrews.

Also going to the Sheffield event is Plymouth College's Georgina Barrington, who receives an automatic bye to the finals after finishing third at last year's National Championships.

She will be joined by her club and school-mate, Alice Rogers, who was sixth in the under-16s. Devonport High School for Boys' Tom Weatherby was fifth in the same age category.

Plymouth Fencing Club's former GB coach, Andy Hill, said he and coaching partner Peter Barrett, were thrilled with their charges' achievements.

Hill said: "We were extremely pleased with the number of qualifiers. This reinforces our position as the top club in the area – next year we would like to take 30-plus fencers to this event."

Hill and Barrett are also celebrating a double success for the club, as he explained: "The day before the qualifiers, two of our fencers decided to try a remarkable double by fencing in Manchester as well. For one of them Benjamin Andrews it proved to be very successful, with him winning a bronze medal at the Leon Paul National Ranking event (under-11) in Manchester and gold at the South West under-12s the next day.

"But for Emma Andrews it proved to be one event too many. In Manchester she won the under-11 category, which was a remarkable achievement as Emma has just moved up from under nines. But she had to withdraw from Sunday's tournament, due to an injured leg."