The women’s fencing teams for Lancaster and York entered the Main Hall of the Sports Centre excitedly. The first bout began with a clash of the foils within an early touch by Lancaster. A series of thrusts later, and York gained their first point as well. The teams reset and switched off fencers every three minutes until the first team reached forty-five total touches.
During the first bout, Lancaster held a steady lead to York and end up finish the first bout 45-27. The second bout, done with sabres, began with the first touch to York. With the fast-paced nature of the sport, Lancaster quickly regained the lead. Several times throughout this round, Lancaster and York touched at the same time. The referee was left to decide which team was to be given priority, and therefore the point, or if both teams were allowed the point. During this round, York had slight technical difficulties with having their weapons registering. Once fixed, the chase for the lead was constant; Lancaster won the second round with a score of 45-39.
The final round, completed with an épée, appeared to be the most closely matched between Lancaster and York. The home team made the first several touches while Lancaster was quick to catch up. For nearly six more touches, the teams were at a stalemate. On the last reset, both teams gathered in huddles to encourage their respective last fencer. Both of the teams fought hard, but York was able to keep their lead in this weapon, winning the bout 45-35.
One of the York fencers, Jessi Rumble, said “I think overall, our fencing team had a lot of passion and we’re happy with our results.” when asked about the team’s performance. Lancaster’s team paused their celebration to give a group consensus that “We crushed it.” Others added that Lancaster’s female fencing team is the only undefeated team this term for Lancaster. The girls contributed four points to Lancaster’s total.
