The 1st round of the 2022/2023 N Ireland Junior Foil Series took place last Sunday 4th December at the Royal Belfast Academical Institute in the centre of Belfast. Twenty-three Sullivan Upper Fencing Club junior members attended, nine of them year 8 beginners competing in their first ever fencing competition: Riley Browne, Thomas Gillespie, Ethan Dilworth, Erin Keogh, Sarah Burns, Mitchell Brown, Patrick John, Molly McGrillen and Thomas Morrow.
U12s
Year 8s can end up in either the U12 or U14 age group depending on whether their 12th birthdays fall before or after the calendar year end. This year there were only 2 SU U12s, Molly McGrillen and Thomas Morrow. In the boys’ event Thomas finished 5th, while Molly was third and won a bronze medal in the girls’.
U14s
In the girls’ U14s Cassidy Ogle and Erin Keogh both made the semi-finals, Erin reaching this stage only after a nail-biting 15-14 quarter-final win against club teammate Phoebe Henderson. Cassidy and Erin were both knocked out in the semis but took bronze medals in joint 3rd place. Phoebe was 5th, Sarah Burns 6th and Lois Donald 7th. Carrie Martin-Brooks unfortunately fell ill in the poule stage of the competition and had to withdraw.
Tom Woolsey-Jensen also won a bronze, making it to the semi-finals of the boys' U14s. Rohan Nair and Theo Beggs were close behind, just outside the medals, making the quarter-finals to finish 6th and 7th. Sam Snoddy, Adam Sugar, Riley Browne and Patrick John all made the last 16 in 10th, 13th, 15th and 16th places, with Ethan Dilworth 17th, Mitchel Brown 18th and Thomas Gillespie 19th.
U16s
Last year’s girls' U14 series winner Amelia Penny had a superb start to her year as an U16 with a convincing 15-7 win in the U16 final, while Alexandra Ong finished third to win a bronze.
In the U16 boys’ event Noah Currie also won bronze, while Myles Wilkinson had a very narrow 15-14 victory over club teammate Lennox Brown to reach the quarter-finals and place 7th with Lennox finishing 11th.
Overall, a great set of results from our SU fencers, winning a total of 1 gold and 6 bronze medals. Well done to all 23, and thanks to one of our senior fencers, Alexander Penny who attended the event as a fight referee.
Round 2 of the NIJFS will be on Sun 8th Jan 2023 in Hunterhouse College in south Belfast.
David White
SUFC Coach
7 Dec 2022
