Louth Fencing Club defeat big city clubs at Yorkshire Foil

Louth Fencing Club at the Yorkshire Team Foil, from left, Stephen Blair, Sam Blair, William Lonsdale, Archie Broughton, Joe Blair, Ben Crick and Tom Funnell. EMN-190407-160037002

The senior event is open to all Yorkshire and Humberside clubs and is considered one of the most prestigious events of the year.

Louth sent two teams, with the second of them seeded last, but improving their ranking to finish in an excellent fifth place.

The first team, consisting of William Lonsdale, Sam Blair and Archie Broughton fenced spectacularly well to win 45-38 in the final to deny the powerhouse Sheffield team the trophy for the first time in eight years.

It was an even more outstanding achievement considering the combined age of the Louth squad, with all three ranked cadet or juniors, aged 15 to 18.

Archie Broughton added to this success by competing for Yorkshire/Humberside in the GB Cup, an inter-regional event with 30 entrants.

The Louth archer had a tough semi-final, losing narrowly 14–15, but went on to win a well-deserved bronze medal.

They were cheered on by the club’s coaches Kate and Jim Harris, from Grainsby.

“Our fencers always exceed our expectations and we are all proud of their achievements,” Jim said.

“To compete and win against adults from large cities like Sheffield and Leeds is remarkable for such a small club.

“Especially well done to Stephen Blair who recently won a bronze in his first competition, and Tom Funnel who competed for Louth in his first team event and did so well.”