St Albans Fencing Club

2012-01-29T02:47:00.000-08:00

SAFC News Update - January 2012

Hope everyone has had a good weekend. It's been busy down SAFC which is fantastic. We've never seen a year get off to such a well attended start, and we're all very pleased about it.

We had a small gang of us head to Cambridge on the 14/15th for Sabre - everyone came back in the top 20 (although some were more pleased than others about where in the 20). Other than that not a lot's gone on - although there is plenty coming up:

Our match against Bedford was postponed until this coming Thursday so if you're interested in foil/epee then let Philip know.

If you're under 20 there's County Age Group Championships on the 11 February - entry form is available here, and also has the BYC Qualifier details on the same page. If you'd like more information about either speak to Jon.
For those that are interested there is also the Slough Open next weekend - they may be accepting late entries - from the looks of it there are plenty of slots left for Mens Foil if anyone is interested. If you've yet to do a competition this is probably a good one as there will be some familiar faces about on the day.

Senior County Championships are a way off yet but for a date for the diary 13th May should go in there - entry form also on the HFA website. If you can follow HFA on facebook we'd appreciate it, if you've any ideas then mail them to info@hertsfencing.co.uk.

Finally we have our AGM at the Garibaldi on the 21st February at 8pm, there's food and a drink on offer. Agenda's will be going out either Tuesday or Wednesday this week coming but we've already announced on Thursday that a fee increase is being proposed. If you can think of ways of trimming down the expenses or boosting the income then let us know - if you weren't around on Thursday and want a copy of the proposals and the accounts for last year then let us know at the usual address.

2012-01-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas break and you're ready to burn off the Turkey this Thursday until 10:30!

Firstly a big thank you to Bev for sorting out this years Christmas meal - it was very well attended and there were certainly a few of us regrouping at The Boot afterwards...

The day before our Christmas meal we completed the Sabre leg of our local derby against Watford, thus winnning the series and the Wooden Spoon. Well done to all who took part, and I'm sure we all look forward to it ruining trophy cabinets across the club in years to come.

In the world of the less interesting we have our AGM planned for this quarter so in order to vote we need this quarter paid up in advance (if you're over 18 that is) - we'll let you know venue and date when we've got them sorted. If you have anything you'd like to put as an agenda item please let Jon or Peter know. Alternatively if you'd like to get involved then come and harass any of the committee - we like it really.

In the world of competitions coming up:
Cambridge Winter Open - Jan 14/15 (but accepting late entries)
Slough Open - Feb 3/4 (closing date 27 Jan)
HFA Age Group Championships Feb 11 (closing date 4 Feb)
Keele University Fencing Open Feb 25/26 (Closing date 10 Feb- or see Jon)
Nottingham Open March 3/4 (closing date 25 Feb)

If you're going to any of these then let us know. We're hoping to get together a regular crowd who do opens for mutual support/heckling so make yourself known!

See you Thursday

2011-12-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

Christmas Balcony Get Together 22nd Dec.

After fencing this week, we'll be having drinks and eats above the hall. All members and fencers welcome. Just for an hour till 11, but a great way to unwind at the end of the evening and get yourself in the Christmas mood.

We're NOT fencing on the 29th

We ARE fencing again on the 5th Jan.

Happy Christmas everyone.

2011-12-07T09:15:00.000-08:00

No Fencing Thursday 8th Dec.

Remember not to come fencing this week, but to put your best bib and tucker on and come to the Christmas meal at Lusstmanns. Eating at 8.
A few of us will be in the Boot at 7 for a drink (or two).

2011-12-05T11:42:00.000-08:00

News Round-Up: November

It's been a long while since we've pushed an email into your inboxes; we are still alive and we'll try and be more communicative! We have still been throwing things into facebook, so if you've not found us on there yet then track us down.

So what's been going on:
There was a Junior Training Day on 30 October, which was also the day that our Wellesbourne team came third. I've heard positive things back from people who went to the training day and third place is the best result I've heard from Wellesbourne in a long time, so congratulations to Phillip, Matthew, Bev, Sarah, Zoe, Caitlin, James, Phil E, David and Terry.

There was a U20's foil event on 13th November where after a hard couple of fights we saw Ed and Sarah Rose come come with Bronze and Gold medals. Congratulations to both!

4th December saw the Hertfordshire December Tournament - firstly a big thank you to everyone for entering. Hopefully you had a good day out and congratulations to Paul, Zoe, Ben, Jon, Bev and David for walking away with a healthy haul of medals. It was also the HFA EGM which proved that Jon and Philip are eternal volunteers as they got elected HFA Chairman and Treasurer. More fool them. Detailed results for the day are here.

This week is our Christmas meal on Thursday, along with a Three Counties match against Luton on Tuesday and it is the sabre round of our local derby with Watford on Wednesday. So, a busy old week ahead.

In the world of competitions in the not so distant future we have the Cambridge Winter Tournament on 14/15 January.

Remember that due to the Christmas meal there is no fencing this week - we'll be back on the 15th.

PS - Committee meeting on Tuesday 13th at The Goat, 8pm. Be there to discuss fencing and associated horrors.

2011-10-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the link that got sent round yesterday was so very wrong.

It's this one.

PS - if you haven't found us already we are using facebook a bit more until we can find a way or a volunteer to revamp the website.

2011-10-22T02:05:00.000-07:00

News Update - October

It's been a busy old month - a new beginners course has been starting, Wellesbourne in a weeks time, the novice foil part of our series against Watford and a whole raft of County events either happened or due to happen in the next couple of weeks.

Wellesbourne is on the 30th - thank you for volunteering (or 'volunteering' depending on how persausive Philip and Bev were). We look forward to hearing stories of success and that certain people didn't have a heavy one down the pub the night before.

Also on the 30th is a U20 training day organised by Herts Fencing Association. HFA is suffering from a bumper shot in the arm courtesy of Jon being motivated (always a dangerous thing) - entry forms for U20 and Senior events are all currently on the Watford web page. These are on the doorstep - if you like competing there's no reason not to go. On the general competition theme Liam has prepared a short list of competitions that are either a) not too far to go or b) likely to be of interest to those of you chasing rankings points - it's available here.

Speaking of Competitions, Coventry Open and Bedford Open Epee were last weekend - well done to Bev and Jo for both of those.

Looking forward, the competition at Watford on the 4th December is going to be preceded by a quick EGM to elect a new county committee. Paul Cramphorn, Liam and Helen all have other commitments elsewhere and find it difficult to dedicate the time needed to the HFA so are handing on the torch. Chairman Jon and James Dicker from Watford have volunteered to step in - if there's anyone out there who is interested in developing county wide activities please make yourselves known - we have a schedule of things we would like to do (as well as what we need to do) so good chance to chip in and mooch the occasional pint off different people too.

And finally, as all good ideas start in the pub, there is an all weapons event up in Staffordshire in February (25/26th for those who are interested) - a valuable opportunity to combine road trips, fencing and a sensible night's drinking (!) for those who find such things appeal.

Have a good week/end - see you Thursday.

2011-09-21T11:48:00.001-07:00

Greetings fencers.

Just a reminder that tomorrow night there is no fencing (boo!) but there is a thai meal and associated drinks departing from the Boot at 7pm (yay!). If you fancy the meal then drop us an email at the usual so we can make sure there's enough table space booked.

The Open Air will be subject of a far longer post once we've bullied a member of the committee into writing it (and Jon into actually publishing a results list), but the weather held off for most of the day but our clean sheet for Open Air and summery days has finally ended. Volunteers to run it next year eagerly appreciated.

For those of you who have a drinking bent next Wednesday (28th) Philip and several others will be making their way through the various offerings for this years Beer Festival at the civic centre- I dare say they'll let you know where to find them tomorrow.

On a fencing note - The Wellesbourne team trophy is soon to be upon us again. It's 5 teams of 2 for men and womens foil and epee and mixed sabre and will be over in High Wycombe. We've entered in the past and it's a good day out - harass Philip or Jon for details.

See you on the 29th!

2011-09-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

St Albans Open Air - This Sunday 11th Sept

The waiting is over - It's all system go for the annual St Albans Fencing Club open air event.
This year we're at Verulam School, Brampton Road, AL1 4PR.
8:30AM to help set up please – there’ll be bacon butties to encourage you.
9AM sabre check in for a 9:30 start. We’ll finish with the traditional BBQ late afternoon.
Please being your BFA membership conformation email or your BFA membership card for inspection.
See you all there.

2011-07-29T09:29:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday everyone,

Lots of interesting things happening or in the pipeline at the moment. Jon trekked off to Colchester to see what Eastern Region were going on about with talk of development plans and pennies from British Fencing. He's come back full of ideas and enthusiasm so if you'd like to get involved in either County level or even Regional committee do give him a tap on the shoulder.

Another element of this is that Region are looking for referees and armourers - if you'd be interested do let Jon know at the usual address. The final part of this is that we are looking to hold more competitions within county - if you are prepared to help with those then it would be appreciated.

We've had some communication from Watford about having some more competitions and so we've set up a series of matches starting September 1st. This will be Epee and at home - so there's no reason for all the epeeists out there not to come along and do their bit.

The other dates for your diary are:

Sabre 12 October - Away
Foil 3rd November - Home
Novice Foil - 7th December Away

Teams are of 4 (3 and a reserve) - so if you're interested do let me know!

On competitions, at the pub last night we managed to coerce a healthy proportion of those present into doing the Essex Open. Jon may have mentioned something about providing a healthy reward for the best aggregate result. It's the 3rd and 4th September and from the sounds of it we had a solid 10 or so around the table interested in going. Just remember - you will need your BFA licence for that one. Liam is slowly working up a list of competitions that are reasonably close and we'll post that up when we get a chance.

The Open Air marches steadily closer - please remember to get entry forms back to Philip as we have opened entry up to other clubs.

If anyone is interested there is a committee meeting at Helen T's house this Tuesday at 8 - if you are coming from St Albans give Jon an email for a lift or directions.

Finally, as it'll put a smile on Tony's face - Penn and Teller this Saturday at 9- he shall be performing a stupendous piece of magic that will knock your socks off. Get it Sky+'d people.

2011-07-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

News Update: July 18

The Luton Relay saw 9 of us wake up at silly o'clock on a Sunday. We came, we saw and we fenced our little hearts out. Sadly, we didn't win. We did see some impressive attempts to claw victory from the jaws of defeat and Bev managed a small victory which no doubt she shall share with you (at length) for as long as you'll listen.... Thanks to everyone who took part, and for those of you who didn't it was a great day - we'll rope you in next year!

This year's Essex Open (if you've caught competition fever) is on the 3 and 4 September and this year includes a novice foil event. I know there's a few people interested so far, and its not that far to go for an Open. But you will need a full BFA license. Entry is through the Leon Paul shop - and don't forget to let us know if you're going and how you do!

Olympics tickets - some folks have told us they don't want theirs so if you didn't put your name down first time its second chance rules so email us . We'll be pulling names out of a mask Thursday 21st. If you've not paid for your tickets yet can you get cheques to Philip by the 21st as well please.

Open Air looms large upon us once again - Entry Forms to Philip, and Jon usually has a clipboard full with him on Thursdays. It's a great day, we'll have a huge BBQ and bring friends, family and they can see what we get dressed up in the funny white gear for.

See you Thursday

2011-06-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

News Update - June 22

We are planning on entering the Luton Team Relay event on 17th July - we have enough sabreurs to rope in to enter 3 teams potentially - we are short of foilists and epeeists. If you're interested please speak to Liam, Bev or email Jon. For those who will feel bad about not doing something involving fencing that weekend, there is also the Norfolk Open that weekend. If you're going let us know how you do.

There is some interesting activity going on in the world of regional fencing (short story - British fencing is doling out some money and region is meeting in July to carve out a development plan). So far we've come up with the following:
Region-wide performance days
Greater emphasis on armourers/refereeing courses
Incentives for coaches to progress beyond level 1
Develop more sabreurs as a region
Promote youth fencing.

If you've got anything you'd like to see delivered at a regional level then please come and see me.

Finally, if we get the numbers we will be running a beginners course from 7 July. If you're not yet a member and fancy joining the course then please get in touch!

2011-06-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

St Albans win Herts County Team Foil

Congratulations to Terry, Andy and Paul from the St Albans Fencing Club – They took 1^st place in the annual Herts Team Foil.

Liam seemed to be able to perform a sort of loaf and fishes miracle by being able to kit out the Herts Uni team from his old kit bag and then still have a jacket spare for Dale.

Seven teams took part, 5 from St Albans, one from Herts Uni and one from Paul’s new club at Verulam school . We held a short AGM for the Herts County and then moved on to the competition – Two pools, one with 3 teams and the other with 4 were held, the best two teams from each heat going on the semis.

Tony, Zoe, Matt were up against the Uni team. Andy, Terry and Paul (St Albans A) up against St Albans C (James, Liam and Dale). The C team set them selves the target of being team A’s highest scoring opponents, they managed to streak into a fantastic 3 -0! lead before settling down to a respectable 23 – 45 defeat, Liam being the star by managing to pull back 9 points before his opponent ratcheted up his 5 points.

The final was between two St Albans teams – Zoe, Matt and Tony against Terry, Andy and Paul. St Albans A emerging victorious in a match which without a doubt was between the two best teams.

I know it’s been Shavuot this week, and if I’d paid a bit more attention I’d have remembered more of the 10 commandments, but as far as I do remember, some of them were:

- Thou shalt not go out on the razz the night before and not expect to feel as sick as a dog when you fence

- Thou shalt not watch the box, but shall wait for the president to call halt before you stop fencing.

- Thou shall not sit down between pools, ‘cos you’ll never be able to get up again.

Thank you Liam for organising the event, as ever well run and to time. Hopefully we’ll see some other clubs being beaten by St Albans next year.

2011-06-01T14:39:00.001-07:00

News Update:

Good news for those who spoke up about Olympics tickets - we have our full twenty and so if you wanted part of the allocation cheques for £30/ticket to Philip soon please - preferably before the end of the month.

Sword Fighters kit remains in a bit of limbo. British Fencing put a notice around a few weeks ago. The undertone is fairly obvious that for the time being, until SPF kit gets kite marks and the likes, you would probably be best avoiding it for more substantial purchases (socks are probably OK!)

We are now on Facebook for those of you who use these things. No plans for Twitter yet.....

The Open Air starts to loom closer and closer - We are wrapping up final details of venue but it looks very likely to be Verulam School (as a bit of a departure from our normal foray onto the tennis courts) on September 11. Any volunteers willing and able to lend a hand setting up in the morning/sort out pool sheets and the likes would be very much appreciated.

Finally a quick thanks to Helen for hosting the rounders a couple of weeks ago - much fun was had by all even if we do need to consider a new ball!

PS: Herts Team Foil and AGM on June 11. Even if you're not fencing come along and cheer for a bit - it all helps.

2011-03-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

Club News

AGM
Helen Porteous has kindly agreed to be club secretary, taking over from David Reid
Junior club membership fees were set at £40 quarterly and £5 per night
The proposed changes to the constitution were agreed - with the new definition of member and the new junior membership category

Membership Survey
It's your last chance to fill out the membership survey, which will close Saturday 2nd April. Please let us know how you'd like us to run your club!

Late Night Fencing
The second extended fencing session will take place on Thursday 7th April and the 1st Thursday of the month for the rest of the year. We start at 8pm as normal, but fence til 10.30pm.

Fencing Social
The next fencing social / non-fencing night will be on Thursday 12th May - event to be announced, but put it in your diaries now please!

Hoodies and T-shirts
Just to remind you all club branded hoodies and t-shirts are still available, please speak to Helen T, or any of the committee if you're interested

Thank you for reading! See you Thursday!

Helen

2011-03-12T03:44:00.000-08:00

AGM, County Championships, BFA Coaching Course, BAF Performance Day

On 22 March, 8PM it is our AGM at the Garibaldi. As always there's free food and a free drink to be had if you'll come along. This is your chance to have you say on fees and there is a proposal to change the constitution to create a new membership catagory for U18s. A copy of what is proposed is here. It would be helpful if you could have you say on the membership survey beforehand though.

County Championships time is nearly upon us again. Individual events are on 2nd April and we would thoroughly encourage anyone who'd like to go to do so. There is a novice foil category for those who have been fencing less than two years but you will need an electrified bib and current BFA membership. For those of you on BFA social membership you get a free local competition anyway so for the majority of you this would be it. There will be a team foil competition on June 11.

The BFA are running a coach education course in April - this is a two day course designed to get you to Level 1 in your chosen weapon. If you are going please let Jon know. The full details are on the BFA website.

Finally, Liam and his friends in the BAF have come up with a performance/training day in Staffordshire on 21/22 May. Those of you who have been with us a few years will remember Liam and Peter Wright running a gigantic fencing session for all three weapons as a pre-season warm up. Blurb from Liam below:

COURSE INFORMATION

Maestro Roberto Piranio (CV below) will be coming over from Italy to run the course with Prof. Philip Bruce. It is possible that we will also have other European and British Fencing Masters assiting.

Plans are to run the course from 10 am to 4pm on the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend, with a dinner on Saturday evening for those who wish to have a social element to the event. All three weapons will be covered and we are setting a minimum age of 13 for participants (we will be requesting that any participants under the age of 17 should have a few years of fencing and competitive experience under their belt)

Lunch will be included in the ticket price which will be as follows

£45 per head if you have booked by April 20th, £47.50 per head thereafter, £50 within 2 weeks and £55 on the day. A light lunch and refreshments will be included in the ticket price.

If you'd like further information ask Jon for an entry form.

Finally, the date for this year's open air event will be September 11th - mark your diaries.

2011-02-23T05:18:00.000-08:00

Fencing Club Social, Thursday 24th February, Thai Rack

Hi All,

This is the final reminder that there is no fencing on Thursday 24th February, instead we're going for a meal at 7.30pm at the Thai Rack, followed by drinks at the Verulam Arms from around 9pm.

If you'd like to come for the meal and you haven't let me know, please email me asap - social(a)sa-fc-org.uk, replacing the (a) with an @.

AGM, Tuesday 22nd March

Also another quick reminder that the AGM is on Tuesday 22nd March at the Garibaldi pub, starting 8pm, with food at 9pm. Please come along and join in.

Hope to see you all Thursday!

Helen :)

2011-02-21T15:30:00.001-08:00

Membership Survey

We want to know what you think. Sadly we are still years away in R&D from proper telepathy so in the meantime we are going to have to ask you to give us a piece of your mind.

Linky

If you've not done so already, please, please fill in the survey. Its your chance to have a say so we can try and put together a bit of a plan for the next year in time for the AGM.

Thank you!

2011-02-16T01:24:00.000-08:00

Fencing social Thursday 24th February

Hello all,

There is no fencing on Thursday 24th February, so instead we will be going for a meal at 7.30pm at the Thai Rack on George St, which is excellent, followed by the pub.

Please can you email me if you would like to come for the meal, as I need to know numbers asap. Email address is social(a)sa-fc.org.uk - replacing the (a) with an @.

Alternatively you can let Jon know on Thursday and he'll pass your names on to me.

Hope to see you all there!

Helen

2011-02-06T06:03:00.000-08:00

St Albans Fencing Club AGM - Tuesday 22nd March at the Garibaldi pub, 8pm, with food at 9pm

Please come and join in with the AGM and have a say in how your fencing club is run.
We'll be looking for two volunteers to join the committee and nominations are now open!
Secretary, whose duties include; responding to all the enquires received via the website, organising the beginners course and minuting the monthly committee meetings. This position also requires that you be CRM checked.
Web master, whose main duty is design, maintenance and updating of the website.
Many thanks to David R and Liam N, who have done a fabulous job over the past few years on the committee.

Introduction to referring course - 19th February, nr Ipswitch

The Eastern Region fencing association are running an introduction to referring course on Saturday 19th February near Ipswitch. The course lasts all day and costs £14.50 to attend, although they will refund this is you subsequently referee in a competition for them. Jon (Daley) is going up, so there is an opportunity for lift sharing. Please get in touch with him direct for more details.

Fencing Club Social - Thursday 24th February

There is no fencing on Thursday 24th February, as the school hall is unavailable. Instead we are planning to decamp to a nice local restaurant (possibly Thai Rack on George St) followed by the pub (somewhere that does proper beer). More details will be posted closer to the date, but please let Helen know if you would like to come. Email socail(a)sa-fc.org.uk replacing (a) with @.

Membership survey

The committee are planning a membership survey, to see what you all think of current nights, potential changes and what you'd like the focus of the club to be. This is advance notice that an email will be coming your way with the survey details on. Please take five minutes to respond, it will help to make the club what you'd like it to be!

Last, but not least we have two safety warnings for all club members and visitors to the site.
1. If you are fencing electric you must wear breeches; if you are not, you will be asked to stop.
2. If you find any defective kit please tell a member of the committee, or mark the item with some of the warning tape in the kit cupboard. We won't be mad if you break something, but we won't be able to fix it if you don't tell us it's broken!

Thanks for reading,
See you all for fencing on Thursday.

Helen :)

2011-01-17T09:35:00.000-08:00

Three Counties League at home to Bedford.

In a nutshell, we won – but only by the depth of rust on our blades from the Christmas break. It could very easily have gone against us.

We won the Epee 6:3 with David W thankfully not dropping a bout. His last bout was, as it turned out, crucial and very close- 5:4. Philip and David R helped out, but could have done better as both lost one bout 4:5. At least Philip could blame it on the cakes (you had to be there!). Amazingly, 5 out of the 9 bouts were won/lost at 5:4.

As if that was not enough, foil was the real nailbiter contest. As is becoming the norm these days, we entered the final bout 4:4. It fell to Terry to carry the mantle to the final bout once the epee had finished. We had expected Dan to change to foil, but having just had the last epee bout with David, they decided that Emmanuel should take his place. Terry took the lead, then lost it, then regained it, then lost it. Well, you know the score. Oh you don’t yet, do you? It went to 4:4 (“as is becoming the norm”). The last point was won by Bedford. I think Terry tried to counter attack, with which he usually succeeds - but not this time. So Bedford won the foil 5:4.

Although our winning margin was only one fight across both weapons, it would have taken Bedford only two extra hits to turn the tables in their favour. Hence the second sentence above.

One doesn’t get much closer than that!

The next match is away to Milton Keynes on 20th January, ie NEXT WEEK! Philip has offered to drive, so if you are up to it please email him- treasurer(AT)sa-fc.org.uk

2010-12-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

Snow news is good news - BUT PLEASE KEEP AN EYE ON THE SITE

In spite of the weather as of 17:45 we still intend to fence this evening (16 Dec) and afterwards get together for some food, drink and socialising. We also will hold a very brief EGM at 9 o'clock.

PLEASE DO KEEP LOOKING HERE. If the weather gets worse or if the school tell us they're closed, we'll update the site as quickly as we can.

If you are coming, please drive carefully

2010-11-18T13:19:00.000-08:00

EGM 16 December

Venue: Balcony, Marlborough School, 9:30 (before the Balcony do)

Introducing Junior members to the club requires us to amend categories of membership which in turn needs a change to the constitution. As part of the review we realised that the section on subscriptions doesn't really sit well with how the club currently goes about collecting fees and so we have suggested a change to reflect this. A tracked change version is available here. If you have any questions about membership changes please speak to Jon - for fee questions let Philip know.

First fixture against Luton Sword 16 Nov (away)

Four intrepid fencers went to sort out Luton: Bev, Zoe, Dave and Philip, taking the risk of fog descending either on the way there or on the return home. Luckily, we only had to contend with Philip's poor map reading, with a back up satnav system that in Bev's words had 'a mind of its own'.

Well, we did not lose, but we did not win, either. The result was a dead heat and an exact repeat of our July match, winning the epee 5:4, but losing the foil 4:5. One of our epeeists was most unfortunate in losing 4:5 three times, but it gave all of us the opportunity to experience the adrenalin rush on each of those three bouts. Actually, there was even more adrenalin provided in that the scores as we entered the final bout in each of the foil and epee was.........4:4. How weird is that?

Something very novel and most welcoming happened during the brief rest between the pools. Cakes were provided, courtesy of a Luton team member who works in a bakery. Very nice, indeed, thank you and could set the scene for subsequent home matches, I think.

Would that be a suitable enticement for other members to put their names in the hat for the next match on 2nd December, AT HOME to Bedford?

No?

Let them eat cake, then!

2010-11-18T04:52:00.000-08:00

Fencing Club Christmas Meal!

Thursday 9th December, 7.30pm, White Lion

Hi All,

As Christmas is rapidly approaching it's time to organise the fencing club Christmas meal!
All welcome, including partners, friends and hangers-on!

Venue is the White Lion pub, just off Old-London Road in St Albans. Cost will be £25 for three courses including tip, but coffee and mince pies are £2.50 extra.
Please see Helen at the club or email social(at)sa-fc.org.uk (replace the at with @) to reserve your place.

All reservations and menu choices will need to be made by Thursday 2nd December and the cost paid in full. Menu below.

Look forward to seeing you all there,

Helen :)

Starters
Parsnip, Chilli and Parmesan Soup Served with Crusty Bread Roll
Duck Liver and Cognac Parfait With Toast and Orange and Champagne Syrup
Smoked Salmon Cannelloni Tubes of Smoked Salmon filled with Beetroot and Red Chard

Main Meals
Traditional Roast Norfolk Turkey With Seasonal Trimmings
Fillet of Scottish Salmon en Papillotte With Fennel and Lemon Ceviche Buttered New Potatoes and Watercress Purée
Brie and Asparagus Tart, With Parmesan Pastry Served with Mixed Leaves and Buttered New Potatoes

Dessert
Traditional Christmas PuddingServed warm with Brandy Butter
Cinnamon Crème Brulée..
Selection of English Cheeses with grapes and oatcakes

Freshly brewed coffee served with mince pie - £2.50 supplement

2010-10-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Child Membership

Please note that we plan on amending the clubs policy on members under 18.

We propose to allow members aged 15 and over to attend, but they must have a responsible adult in attendance at all times.

We appreciate that this makes a bit of a change from previous (if I recall correctly it puts us in the same position the club was in around 2000) and so we would welcome your comments.

2010-10-21T10:28:00.000-07:00

Three Counties League (Foil & Epee)

The 2010/11 season's fixtures have just been issued and are shown below. If any member wants to be considered for either weapon at any match please email treasurer@sa-fc.org.uk.

For home matches there can be no doubling up (whereby a fencer can do both weapons), so if there are insufficient volunteers, then the Press Gang procedures will be implemented!

Away to Luton Tue 16 Nov 2010

Home to Bedford Thu 2 Dec 2010

Away to MK Thu 20 Jan 2011

Away to Watford Wed 2 Feb 2011

Home to Watford Thu 17 Feb 2011

Home to MK Thu 10 Mar 2011

Away to Bedford Tue 12 Apr 2011
Home to Luton Thu 9 June 2011

Since we only marginally won the 2009/10 season overall, the opposition will be keen to deny us holding on to the Trophy (still to be received!).

New zipper hoodies

2010-10-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand we are considering purchasing some new zipper hoodies for male and female members of the club. It's going to get colder, so why not purchase one before winter hits us.

Please speak to Helen Turner at the next fencing meet to arrange for your purchase. The zipper design hoodie is show in the image above.

23rd September

2010-09-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Just to let you know there is no fencing on Thursday 23rd September due to a school parents evening, so we'll be convening at the Hare and Hounds pub on Old London Road at 8pm instead.

Hope to see you all there!

Helen

Fencing social

2010-08-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

Fencing Social - Tuesday 14th September
An Evening of Magic & Mind Reading with Chris Dugdale (directed by Tony Middleton)

Hi All,

On Tuesday 14th September we're organising a fencing outing to see Tony's latest production at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, click here for full details.

Tickets will be the bargin price of £10, as long as ten or more of us go (£15 if not).

Please let me know if you'd like to come and bring your money along to fencing on Thursday.

You can email me direct (if you have my email address) or socialATsa-fc.org.uk (replace the AT).

Other halves, friends and all welcome!

Hope to see you all there.

Helen

ps. Date for your diary - Thursday 9th December - Fencing Christmas Meal

Club news

2010-08-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

News Update 18 August:

Hope you've all had a good week. Last Thursday saw the return of Coach Liam from his travels and travails in Switzerland, coming third in the Master of Arm's event at the Fencing Master's World Championship. I'm sure we can all appreciate what an achievement this is!

The Open Air is on the Sun 12th Sept (see the news item further down the page) - it would be great to see you there.

Finally, the magic Mr Middleton is producing a show in Hammersmith for the next few weeks. Helen has sent round an email for those who'd be interested in going to see (and Tony has promised a few drinks!) on the following dates:
Tuesday 7th September, Tuesday 14th September or Friday 17th September.
Adult tickets are £15, consessions £12.

Other halves, friends and all welcome.

See you tomorrow!

Open Air & BBQ

2010-08-02T22:26:00.001-07:00

Open Air and BBQ - 12 September

Hopefully this will not come as a surprise to everyone who's been along recently, but our annual open air event is rapidly looming over the horizon. If you haven't had an entry form yet it is available here or if you can get to any club evening one of the committee should have a few copies on them.

If this is your first, its a relaxed day to get a bit of fencing in, show the family quite what it is you do on Thursday nights to come back with odd shaped bruises, and then get stuck into a few beers and BBQ afterwards (or during!).

NO FENCING 22nd JULY

2010-07-19T03:37:00.000-07:00

NO FENCING 22nd JULY

There's no fencing this Thursday (22nd July), so Helen Porteous has very kindly offered her garden for a friendly game of rounders and some socialising.

A limited quantity of drink and a few nibbles will be available, please bring your own if you want anything specific, or to drink a lot!

Further details please contact socialATsa-fc.org.uk (replace the AT)

2010 Club Photo

2010-07-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the long awaited 2010 club photo, you can download a larger version from here

Site updated

2010-07-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

The site has just been upgrade, those who are subscribed to the news feed may have got some extra emails sent out for old news items.

Commitee meeting

2010-07-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

SA-FC August committee meeting, Tue 13th July 8PM
On the beer terrace at the Sandridge Rd Allotments (behind the King William pub).
Access is from Marshall Avenue, which runs between Sandridge Rd and Beech Rd.
Entrance is between house numbers 24-26. Post code for your Tom Tom AL3 5HT.
Park in the car park and walk on the path that runs directly away from the car park towards the two polly tunnels on the far side of the site.

We’ll be on the beer terrace, or if wet in the far polly tunnel

Beer, snacks, company, executive decisions to be made, and funny shaped vegetables!

Herts County Team Foil Championship

2010-07-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Herts County Team Foil Championship

SAFC entered four teams, representing half the entries (there were ten at one stage). After a brief AGM, at which all proposed resolutions were passed and after a few last minute changes, the pools commenced. Although Liam was organising the event, he kindly offered his services to make up team C- thank you, Liam!

After some gruelling bouts, only A and B teams made the cut to the semi finals, with team A drawing Ayot St Lawrence. This was a hotly contested match, with Zoe, Tony and David W working very hard, only conceding 45:42 at the very end. A great match to watch.

Team B (David and Gill Reid and Max) drew Watford A, but lost 45:13. Guys- if you need consolation, Watford A went on to win, 45-42 against Ayot St Lawrence.

One point that was clearly made during the day- it is quite possible to get several hits against the likes of Paul, Ben, Andy and Chris. Certainly the passing around of information about how the opposition fences from closely watching them helps everyone. They are not invincible!

Well done – EVERYONE. If it is not the taking apart that counts, then it is the taking part that matters.

Afterwards, many participants went to another place to watch another match of a different kind. I would dearly love to say I don’t know what the score of that one was, too- but I am sure everyone knows it already.

T-Shirts!

2010-06-27T03:04:00.000-07:00

T Shirts!

At long last (and thanks to the creative talents of Beverley Sullivan) we can finally show you what the next round of T shirts will look like:

We are offering T shirts (and subject to demand, hoodies) for £7 or £15 for the hoodies.
All we need to know is:
Your size
The number you're interested in
Whether you'd like a hoodie.

If you can drop us an email with all this and a cheque for the right amount to Philip, we'll do the rest.

See you all Thursday

Open Air announcement

2010-06-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

17th June - News Update

Hi everyone,

Two big announcements this week. The first is that the Open Air is the 12th September and we'd like you and your other halves to be there. Its an opportunity for spouses and loved ones to see quite why we dress up as we do and come back aching on any given Thursday (and enjoy a BBQ and maybe a beer or two while we're at it). Entry forms will be making their way to you shortly.

The other is that the ever talented Tony Middleton will be doing his magic show at the Old Town Hall:
Saturday 19th June, 7:30pm
Sunday 20th June, 7pm

Tickets £10, £7 concs.

Call the festival box office on: 01727 864 511
or tourist information: 01727 844 488
or online: http://www.stalbansfestival.com/theatre/icalrepeat.detail/2010/06/19/158/14/sonics-amazing-magic-shows

Match Report - Away to Bedford

2010-05-27T04:43:00.000-07:00

Match report: Away to Bedford

For the 6th fixture of the season, St Albans marginally won both epee and foil against Bedford. At 5:4 and 5:4, you cannot get more marginal than that - except in a General Election.

You would have been proud of the coalition forces: our coach Liam joined the two Davids (the older ones among you will recall the regular use of this phrase during the 1980’s) in the epee and James B, Philip and David W for foil.

A victorious majority was attained early on at 5:2 in the epee, so I would like to think that the final two bouts were part of the team’s cooling down process. The ‘GBR’ on the back of Bedford’s youngest epeeist had nothing to do with it, I am sure.

Now with the foil, there was a true nail-biting finish. It looked as though we had won at one stage, but then an opponent said they had yet to fence James, who had already had three bouts. On investigation it was found that James had fenced and won against their shared third team members. Once the tally had been adjusted, James was told of the 4: 4 score and that it was down to him to fight his 4th bout of the evening, against Russ who is not an easy opponent. The result? James won in the most convincingly way possible- 5:0- and assuredly wins the Man of the Match Award and was elected Prime Sinistre (see me if you need an explanation)!

There are now only two fixtures left, home to Milton Keynes, which has been postponed once more due to their difficulty in getting a team together and home to Luton on 8th July.

Let Philip know if you wish to want to join a team.

Quiz Night

2010-04-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Quiz Night!!

Just a reminder that we'll be having a quiz at the Hare & Hounds pub on Old London Road, in St Albans this Thursday (29th April) starting at 8pm. Directions here.

Entry fee is £2 per person, with cash prizes for first and second place!!

So come along with your clever hat on and enjoy the intellectual(?) company of your fellow fencers.

There will be chips - so how can you resist!!

See you all on Thursday I hope.

Helen :)

2010-04-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

Hello all, there is a Quiz Evening - next Thursday 29 April (Marlborough school is closed for exams) - so we're convening at the Hare and Hounds (Old London Rd) at 8:00pm. Fencing will resume the following week on Thursday 6 May.

Curry night on Thursday April 1st

2010-03-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

No fencing on April 1st .... this is no April fools joke :)

It's a curry night instead at the Waterend Barn (Lloyds) which is in the centre of St Albans.

Please arrive at 8pm. You can have a look at the website here and also find a map on how to get there.

See you there! If you haven't been fencing for awhile, then please come along and catch up with everyone.

Round Up - 25 March Round Up - 25 March

2010-03-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the long weekend, please join us for a Curry at the Waterend Barn on 1st April - meet there at 8 and then hopefully onwards for a night on the town!

For those of you interested in competitions and sabre (a minority I know!)

this

might be of interest.

The AGM returned a committee in the form of:

Jon Daley - Chairman

Philip Allen - Treasurer

David Reid - Secretary

James Bird - Armourer

Liam Nichols - Webmaster

Helen Turner - Social Secretary

A very warm thank you to Hazel for all her efforts as Social Secretary over the past two years and also to John Williams for his enormous contribution over the past five years.

Finally we are accepting designs for a new logo to go on club branded kit - so grab your coloured pencils and get scribbling. We'll be looking to select a design in the first week of May - the designer of the winning logo may get something for their efforts.

Newspaper article on the St Albans Fencing Club

2010-03-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not seen the article in the Herts Advertiser which was published on March 11th, 2010, you can download a scan of the article from this page or view our flickr page

Annual General Meeting

2010-03-14T10:35:00.001-07:00

AGM - Tuesday 16th March 8PM at the Portland Arms

It's that time of year again - time to stand up and be counted, your chance to stand for high office without the danger of being embroiled in an expenses scandal.
8PM start at the Portland Arms http://theportlandarmspub.co.uk/ at AL3 4RA.
We'll be feeding you, so no need to eat before you come.
If you'd like to see the agenda before hand, or have anything you'd like to add to the AOB section, please contact one of the committee.
Look forward to not being able to squeeze into the bar.

Hold the front page!

2010-03-14T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hold the front page!

We're in the Herts Advertiser - Thanks to some background work by David and an evening hosted by Jon, we've a good spread in the 11 March issue.

Not normaily given to flights of fancy, the reporter describes been introduced to a 'strapping young gentelman' - Names on a post card please!

A fantastic bit of publicity for fencing generilly, and most importantly for St Albans Fencing Club.

The full article can be found at hertsad24.co.uk - a scan of the article is available on our flickr account

Herts Senior Championships

2010-03-03T11:40:00.000-08:00

Herts Senior Championships are on the 15th May (Saturday):

Check-In Times:

Novices Foil 10:00 - 10:15
Seniors Foil 11:30 - 11:45
Sabre 14:00 - 14:15
Epee 15:30 - 15:45

Upcoming matches

2010-03-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Upcoming matches - St Albans v

Home to Watford 11th March 2010

Home to Milton Keynes 8th April 2010

Away to Bedford 18th May 2010

Home to Luton 8th July 2010

Match report - Feb 24th

2010-03-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

Watford Vs St Albans 24

February

It is most pleasing to report an overall victory in our fourth fixture! A convincing win in epee (7:2) but another 4:5 defeat in foil.

Teams: Epee- David White, Jason and David Reid
Foil –Peter Davies, David White and Philip

DW did several ‘catwalk’ changes in order to fence epee and foil, doing the club proud in both. Peter Davies defeated Andy Docherty convincingly in the first bout, Andy being a past HFA Foil Champion.

At 4:4 in the foil it fell to DW for the decider, but victory was not to be ours. There is the return match, though, at home on 11 March, so do come and support your teams!

Match report - Jan 28th

2010-01-29T08:20:00.000-08:00

Milton Keynes Vs St Albans 28 Jan

Unfortunately, this third fixture result was a long way removed from our dead heat last week with Bedford. The Epee team of Jason, Tim and David managed a competent 5:4 victory. There were no marginal results and Tim's heels were much quieter! It was a bit unnerving to see a named jacket with 'WAL' underneath it, but a few discreet enquiries informed us that the opponent was 'merely' a sabreur. Jason managed a vital clean sweep and the exercise helped him along the road in recovering his former svelte figure (last seen in the 1990's?!).

Matters went downhill after that, convincingly losing the foil 7:2.
With the team initially comprising Philip and James, David was persuaded to swap his epee for a proper sword and 'get on with it'. Unfortunately (that word again, so you probably guess what is coming next) Mr 'WAL' doubled up on foil, too! But David promptly stood up to the mark and scored both our victories.

Convincingly lost the foil? Well, let's look at that in a bit more detail, shall we? Were there any 'marginal' defeats? Yes- two, with both lost by Philip.

So............ if Philip had turned them into 5:4 VICTORIES,
then.........? OK, stop right there! I know where you are going with this one- the foil score would still have been a defeat, but 4:5, not 2:7, right?

Yes. And then............? Oh, no! It would have been another dead heat; Bedford all over again! Calculators at five paces, anyone???

Remember: "the fencing is not over until the 5:4 loser swings!" (or is that whinges? ED)

The next fixture is 24 February; away to Watford.

Match report - Jan 24th

2010-01-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

St Albans vs Bedford Jan 24

In our second outing of the season we achieved a dead heat, losing the epee 2:7, winning the foil 7:2, but with indicators across both weapons at -18 and +18. How unlikely or unlucky is that? The scoresheets have therefore been passed to the Three Counties Organiser for adjudication.
Watch this space- although he might decide to do nothing and leave it to our return match in May.

Bedford's Russ, Graham and Adam fenced epee first against Jason, Tim and David. Most of this happened whilst two thirds of the foil team were doing maintenance work on the storage cupboard doors. After their convincing win, Bedford then changed over to foil. My recollection is that Adam was the more controlled, innovative and faster moving team member and probably caused our teams more of a headache. To be fair, Liam H had mentioned a few weeks ago that the Bedford foilists were becoming stronger (previously it had a predominance in epee and sabre).

With the foil comprising Andy, Philip and Ben, it was Ben that got the only clean sweep of the evening, with a fine display of his close quarters swordplay. Some of you may recall this at our Open Air last September (there are still some photos on the website).

With no bones, blood vessels, boxes or blades broken, I suppose you could call that a result in itself!

Since I do not have the scoresheets, I do not know how close the bouts were. The same teams may, therefore, have to be fielded at the next match by default- unless more of you are interested in putting your name forward!?
Let Philip know.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We resume activities on 7th January 2010 - provided we don't get the type of weather we had last Thursday (We hope

everyone got back alright)

See you all on Thursday 7th January 2010

Membership renewals

2009-12-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

The social membership cards for the latest beginners course have arrived (We'll distribute at the next club night 7th January 2010 and thereafter).

We would also like to remind you to check that you have up-to-date BFA membership and hence insurance cover.

Basically, you have to renew your membership every 12 months. Social membership needs to be renewed through the club (ie, via David Reid) but you can take out/ re-new full membership online

britishfencing.com

directly. (Generally speaking, if you intend to fence competitively at a number of venues then you should be taking out full membership.)

Fencing in the snow

2009-12-18T00:50:00.000-08:00

When is snow like a pizza? When it's deep and crisp and even.

What a strange night's fencing that was! We had to call a halt early - the school hall was going to be shut because of the snow that had fallen.
As it was the last session of the year, we were due to hold a social get together afterwards - this turned into a cross between speed dating and the world pie eating competition - Lets do it again next year.
At 10PM it looked like something from Scott of the Antarctic, I hope everyone got home safely.

Match report, 24th November - away to Luton

2009-12-11T00:14:00.000-08:00

Match report - 24 November - away to Luton

This was our first fixture of the 2009/10 Three Counties League comprising five clubs within Bed, Bucks and Herts. It was a disappointing start to our retention of the trophy for the third consecutive year, but it is early days and we will not give up without a fight or two (seven, to be precise).

First off was the epee, comprising David, Tim and Hazel and Philip combining as third fencer. Although we won 5:4, four of the nine bouts were 5:4, but only one being in our favour. Not much change since the last report, then, you may say. We were, though, fielding Tim for the first time (step forward, that man) and what a great start to his new found career as an epeeist! It was truly a sight to behold, with Tim controlling the whole piste, renewing attack after attack, until his opponents simply ran out of room to retreat. We hope the heels were not too sore the next day, Tim - they certainly sounded painful! Well done.

Foil was not as entertaining, although fencing suppliers will be pleased with our efforts, as three blades were broken. It should have been four, but Philip's newish Leon Paul blade refused to succumb to an honourable break, but continued throughout pretending to be made from lead. Don't forget to buy a replacement blade for James', Philip! Even though we also fielded James and Hazel, Luton again fielded their old veteran, Geoff, who won all his three bouts. We really must find a way around his effective parries and retreating footwork. Any ideas, Liam? Oh no, not more footwork and first counter riposte exercises?

Do you want to give sweat and bloody beers for SAFC? If so, put your name in the bag - you know where we are!

Christmas meal

2009-12-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

We're not fencing on Thursday - we're getting fat instead. 7:30 PM at the Portland Arms Pub for our sitdown Christmas meal (which you've all of course booked with Hazel!).
Portland Arms is off the Verulam Rd on the way out of St Albans towards Redbourn AL3 4RA http://theportlandarmspub.co.uk
If you've any questions please get hold of Hazel on social@sa-fc.org.uk
See you there.

St Albans open air - match report

2009-09-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

9:30 in the morning on the 2nd Sunday in September, it can only be check in for Sabre at the annual St. Albans fencing club open air.

Once again club members and their significant others enjoyed a full day’s fencing in the fresh air, by the end of the day we were glad to get to the barbeque and beer, though it must be said one of our number started on the beer rather earlier than most and had worked out that he could down a beef burger during the 1min break in the Epee semi final – Next year we’ll have to try him on spinach.

Four souls were keen enough to check in at 9:30 for the Sabre, some spirited bouts saw the winner decided in a single pool, before many of us had finished the bacon butties.

Fifteen of us checked in for the Foil, and we were soon running through two rounds of pools to determine the direct elimination (DE) positions. Tactics now played a part as lunch was available – eat now between pools, or wait until the Epee starts? How much quiche can a fencer consume and still fight a bout?

Jon D was all the time working away in the background trying to decipher the scribbles on the pool sheets as we each handed in the results on the way to the refreshments, and then prepared the next round as we stuffed ourselves.

Now it’s the turn of the Epeeists. Much confusion as people try and work out which of the body wires they’re wearing they need to plug in – and a new problem, the sun’s come out and we cant see the scoring box lights clearly – what a great problem to have!

Not as many people signed up for Epee, so we’re put into two pools of 6 and off we go, getting much bigger bruises than in Foil.

Never seems to take a long as the Foil, and even with the bigger pools all to soon most of us are wishing we’d tried that bit harder, reached that bit further, been that bit quicker so we cold have finished that much further up the results table.

Jon says back to the Foil – more tangled body wires, searches for missing lames, then back to the piste for the first (and for some of us last) round of the DE – now we’re starting to get tired we’re also fighting to 15 points, but the breeze through the mask makes it that bit more bearable.

Through the DE up to the final, than back to the Epee to run through the DE, and finally we’re ready for the finals – Foil first, and you can tell it’s a well run competition as the best two fencers give us the best match of the day. The match goes to it’s 3rd 3min period, but the two fencers

seemed as fresh, fast and determined as we’d been at the beginning of the day.

To finish off the fencing for the day we all sit down to watch the Epee final – two very different styles, Philip with a classical style and very neat covering action – Andy, laid back and open almost to the point of horizontalness. A fantastic match, with the lead changing many times, neither player giving up, and neither allowed to get to far ahead, but in the end Andy just managed to get a couple of points ahead and clinch the trophy once more.

A great days fencing, fantastic food and good company, what more could we have wanted? Next year it’ll be even better.

RESULTS

Sabre
1st Paul
2nd Philip

Joint 3rd Terry, Tim

Foil
1st Paul
2nd Ben
Joint 3rd Philip, Terry

Ladies Foil
1st Susie
2nd Lindsey
3rd Susan

Epee
1st Andy
2nd Paul
3rd Philip, Jason

A big thank you to Jon for organising the event and running the day. To John and Phillip for purchasing the food and drink. To Katrina for setting out the lunch and to Helen for running the barbeque. Finally thanks to everyone who helped on the day - moving, setting up etc.

Photos from the Open Air event are now online

2009-09-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

The latest photos from the Open Air event have been uploaded to the photos section of the site.

You can also view the images at a larger size on our flickr.com Open Air page. You can download the images from the flickr.com website and leave comments if you have a free account with flickr.com.

If you have any photos that you would like to add to the site, please bring them in on the next fencing night.

A video of some of our novices fencing in the competition is available on youtube.

2009 St Albans Open Air - update

2009-09-14T01:41:00.000-07:00

The 2009 St Albans Open Air was held Sunday 13

September. A great day of fencing finishing with a barbeque meant everyone had a fantastic time. Thanks to Jon D for organising the event and running the competition so efficiently. A full report will appear soon

SAFC closed 20th & 27th August

2009-08-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

The St Albans Fencing Club is closed on August 20th & 27th, 2009 as the sports hall receiving a new protective varnish coat on its floor surface.

August 20th we're heading down to the

Waterend Barn

more details at the next fencing night.

August 27th we will be having a bowling night in

Watford bowling centre

. More information will be posted in the next few days.

Beginners course announced for October

2009-08-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

We're pleased to announce the next beginners course which is scheduled for October, 2009.

Please visit the

beginners course page

for more information.

Welcome to the new St Albans Fencing Club website

2009-08-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new site, if you have any suggestions or content you would like to add to the site please use the

members contact form

and let us know what you have to offer or what suggestions you have for the site. We'll see what we can do.

We'd also like you to use the

members contact form

to update your contact details.

If you are a current member please ensure you subscribe to the site to receive updates whenever the site is updated. You can subscribe to this site by entering you email address in the subscription box on the left of this page.

We hope you like the new site and welcome and suggestions/comments.

St Albans Fencing Club Open Air Event

2009-08-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

Announcing the St Albans Fencing Club Open Air Event, Marlborough School, Sunday 13th, September 2009.

There will be a cold buffet lunch and a BBQ in the early evening. Tickets include both meals. A selection of soft and alcoholic beverages will be provided.

Entry fee: 1 weapon £5, 2 or more weapons £10. Download the entry form here

Personal performance course

2009-08-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

INTRODUCTION:

Hertfordshire Fencing Association (“HFA”) is organising a personal performance course to help develop fencing within the County. HFA hopes that as many fencers as possible will attend to improve their own skills and to gain new ideas as to how they can train at their own clubs. The cost of organising this day is being supported by HFA.

PROGRAMME:

The day will be suitable for fencers of all ages and abilities (Participants must be aged 11 or older). The day will include sessions focussing upon the development of physical abilities for fencing, footwork exercises in addition to weapon specific training. We hope that the day will be enjoyable for all participants and give them new ideas for their fencing.

COURSE STAFF:

Course staff will include Mr Liam Harrington, Mr Gianpaolo Marini, and Mr Darren Tee. All coaches in the County are welcome to attend at no cost.

TIME AND VENUE:

The day is being organised at the Hertfordshire Sports Village (Map Overleaf) and will be from 10.00am to 4.30pm. So that we can start promptly we would kindly ask all participants to be at the Hertfordshire Sports Village by 9.45am.

More information and course admission form is available on our downloads page

Match report: Three counties Vs Luton

2009-07-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

Match Report: Three Counties against Luton 16 July 2009

This was the last of the fixtures in this season’s calendar. Although we won both weapons, the score belies the struggle behind them.

Foil 6:3

The team comprised Andy Wood, Peter Davies and Terry Salinger. In this match, there were four bouts that reached 4:4, which was very unusual. Two were lost, but two were won, with Terry having to cope with one of each. These were stressful times for all concerned, including spectators – such bouts require both physical and mental stamina and can be very draining. Perhaps, Terry, if you fenced more regularly you would not have to put us through this torture?!

One notable hit was an off target one on the left wrist of a Luton opponent, which went through his watch strap and flung the watch four metres away. The owner did not notice, however!

Epee 5:4

This team comprised Mike Beazley, Michael Waterworth (making a return to the club from a far too long absence- welcome back, Michael) and Philip Allen. Whilst the competition’s rules dictate that the host club must field six fencers (three in each weapon), visiting teams may ‘double up’. Luton had two of their four members who doubled up and in order to try and get as many bouts fence as soon as possible, it ended up with each of their epeeists having to fight their three fights consecutively. This is by no means easy, as some of SAFC know from past experience, due to:

Lack of experience/preference in one of the weapons,
High quality of opponents (eg: SAFC!)
Age

Full marks to Luton’s ‘young’ Geoff, whose preferential weapon seemed to be foil, but won two of his epee bouts with only a brief rest in between. Remember: fencing is a sport for life – however short or long it may turn out to be! Please also note that you only need to be over 40 to join the

National Veteran’s Association

Was there a notable event? Well, yes there was; Philip performed his first (and supposedly, last) fleche of the season- and got the point! On second reading, perhaps that should be

notifiable

event.

Recorded results for the clubs’ fixtures:

E&OE!

Support your club by……..giving BLOOD!

H.F.A Team Foil competition

2009-05-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

St Albans Fencing Club has four teams competing in the Team Foil competition held on 7th June. Details below, results to be posted next week.

Date: Sunday 7th June 2009 . 10am-3pm
Venue: Hertfordshire Sports Village,
St Albans Road West, Hatfield Herts

Note: All Fencers must fence or reside in Hertfordshire.

More competition dates can be found on the H.F.A website.

Foil Bronze award

2009-05-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Liam Nicholls, and Basia Nadolnik (St Albans) and Max xx (Wheathampstead) who have all passed their Bronze Foil test. They have been training diligently for the past 7 weeks to pass the test and passed with flying colours.

We're on Flickr.com!

2009-05-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

Visit our page on Flickr.com to download the latest images from our competitions and social events. If your already a member of Flickr.com why don’t you link up with us and leave some comments on the photos. You can visit out photostream here.

Beginners course 16th of April

2009-03-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

Bookings are now open for the beginners course which begins on the 16th of April. Please read the beginners section for information on how to apply.

New safety rules. This affects you!

2006-10-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

From January 2006, if you are fencing with electric weapons, you will need to ensure that your clothing conforms to the ` following new safety standards:
1. Jacket - minimum CEN1/ 350 Newtons
2. Plastron - minimum CEN2/ 800 Newtons
3. Mask - minimum 350 Newton bib (PLUS must be fitted with safety back strap)
4. Breeches - minimum CEN1/ 350 Newtons PLUS now compulsory for all electric fencing

Please note that these rules apply to all electric fencing - even just practicing on club nights. (There are even more exacting rules covering FIE A-grade competitions - see the BFA web-site for further details.)

While the club has bought some 800 Newton plastrons (principally for beginners), all members should be aware that it is their individual responsibility to ensure that they have the correct equipment. Details of the FIE safety standards are posted on the BFA web-site and displayed on the club notice board, but if you are unclear about how the rules affect you, please ask a committee member.

An 800 Newton plastron will cost in the region of £30; breeches around £40.

Remember, these rules come into effect from January 2006. You are responsible for your own compliance. Besides the obvious risk to your personal safety in the event of an accident, your BFA insurance is likely to be invalidated if you fail to comply with the new standards.

New club coach

2006-05-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Liam Harrington has been appointed our new club coach to replace Mike Whale. Despite his 'retirement', Mike will be continuing to provide coaching for the foreseeable future.