RGS Fencers Continue to Impress in International Competition
RGS Worcester fencers have enjoyed an exceptional few weeks of competition, representing both the School and Great Britain with distinction at major national and international events.
We are delighted to share that Henry De Bono has been selected for the GB Under 23 Fencing Squad for the upcoming European Fencing Confederation Under 23 events in Oslo, Laupheim and Thessaloniki, a superb achievement and recognition of his continued progress at international level.
Strong Results at the Leon Paul Cadet ‘A’ Event
Across the weekend of 25–26 October, three RGS fencers travelled to London for the prestigious Leon Paul Cadet (U17) Épée ‘A’ competition.
On the Saturday, Issy Pottinger and Emily De Bono competed in the women’s event. Issy fenced an excellent pool round, winning four of her five fights to earn a bye into the round of 32. Despite a narrow 15–11 defeat, she progressed into the repechage, winning her first fight 15–5 before losing 15–14 in an extremely close contest. She finished a very impressive 13th overall.
Emily also produced a strong performance, winning two of her five pool bouts. She then defeated an opponent she had never previously beaten, taking her round of 64 fight 15–14. Emily joined Issy in the last 32, where she bowed out 15–4 to finish 31st.
On the Sunday, Henry continued the RGS success. After winning four of his five pool fights, he entered the elimination stages as 9th seed and earned a bye into the last 32. He went on to win three consecutive fights—15–5, 15–10 and 15–8—before finishing 7th overall after a quarter-final defeat.
Success Continues at the Elite Épée
The following weekend, the trio were back in action at the Elite Épée in Oundle.
In the women’s competition, both Issy and Emily fenced confidently through two rounds of pools. Issy’s results placed her 11th seed, earning her a bye into the last 32. Emily won her elimination bout 15–14 to join her there. Emily was beaten 15–8 by the 9th seed, finishing 25th, while Issy progressed into the last 16 with a 15–13 victory. She narrowly missed out on the quarter-finals, finishing 10th overall.
Henry had an exceptional day in Oundle, winning every pool fight across both rounds and entering the elimination stages as 1st seed. After a bye into the last 32, he secured dominant victories—19–9 and 15–6—to reach the quarter-finals. His run ended with a tight 15–13 defeat, giving him an impressive 5th place finish.
International Duty in Budapest
From 8–9 November, Henry, Issy and Emily represented Great Britain at one of the largest Cadet Épée competitions in Europe, held in Budapest, Hungary.
In the Men’s Individual event, Henry fenced in a field of 450 fencers from 38 countries. He won all but one of his pool fights to rank 85th, an impressive position given the scale of the competition and received a bye into the round of 256. A tense 14–13 victory at time secured his place in the last 128, where he was defeated by the 44th seed from Greece. Henry finished 79th overall, the 5th highest-placed British fencer, and lost only twice all day, both to athletes who eventually finished 2nd and 3rd.
In the Women’s Team competition, Issy fenced for GB2 and Emily, making her first GB Cadet international appearance, fenced for GB4. GB2 defeated Greece5 45–35 to reach the round of 32, where they were edged out by USA5, finishing 25th. GB4 were knocked out in the round of 64 and placed 54th.
On the Sunday, Issy and Emily took part in the Women’s Individual event with over 400 competitors. Despite determined efforts, neither was able to progress beyond the pool stages. Meanwhile, Henry fenced for GB1 in the Men’s Team competition. GB1 were beaten 35–32 by Spain2 in the round of 64, finishing 36th overall.
Fixture Against King’s School, Worcester
Sixteen RGS pupils recently travelled to The King’s School, Worcester, to fence in College Hall. Three Sixth Form pupils acted as referees throughout, completing the role with great professionalism, while the remaining fencers formed three RGS teams to take on King’s.
As RGS predominantly competes in Épée and King’s School favours Sabre and Foil, all matches were fenced in Foil, placing our athletes at a disadvantage. There was also an age disparity, with two King’s teams made up of Years Nine and Ten, while RGS had Lower School and Year Nine teams.
Despite this, the RGS teams competed admirably. The youngest group earned a 15–7 victory against a similarly young King’s pair. The middle team, consisting of Years Eight and Seven, met a strong Year Nine pairing and were beaten 40–18 despite committed performances. The older RGS team, primarily Year Eight with two Year Nines, produced a spirited match. Emily De Bono brought the score from 0–10 to 15–10 at the halfway stage and, after a demanding weekend in Budapest, continued to close the gap before time ran out. King’s took the overall honours in what was a positive and friendly fixture, and we look forward to hosting the return match in March.
These strong results across demanding national, international and schools fixtures reflect the outstanding progress of all three elite competitors, alongside the growing talent within the younger squad. Henry is currently 7th in the British Boys’ Under 17 rankings, while Issy sits 7th and Emily 22nd in the Girls’ rankings.
Congratulations to Henry, Issy, Emily and all of our young fencers for their continued success.
