THE steadily growing Bathurst fencing fraternity played host to a dozen clubs from across New South Wales last Sunday to compete in the annual NSW Central Western Regional Fencing Championship, staged at the Charles Sturt University gym.

This year’s tournament included events in the open men’s and women’s foil, men’s and women’s novice foil, team foil and men’s and women’s epee.

Fencers travelled from as far away as Wagga Wagga, Newcastle, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains, western Sydney, the Southern Highlands and Canberra to compete, with many of them contesting multiple events. It resulted in over 70 individual entries and eight teams.

The Penrith Academy of Fencing representatives starred at the competition, the Penrith Blue side winning the team foil event over a composite outfit while CSU managed to finish equal third alongside Penrith Red.

Penrith’s Rene Kopiec continued their good form in winning the open men’s epee while Southern Highlands fencer Ellie Jordan won the open women’s epee.

Again it was Penrith taking the major spoils in the men’s open foil, with James Frith beating clubmate Myles Burnie in the decider.

From a Bathurst perspective, their best result came through Zelda Doyle who was runner-up to Jordan.

CSU’s Dominic Fubelli and Arthur Meek also placed in the novice men’s foil behind Blue Mountains swordsman Joseph Williams.

“We actually had double the amount of entries we were expecting,” CSU club president Roland Zopf said.

“Fencing has obviously been around for a long time and in most of the cities around Australia it has a pretty good following, but not so much in regional areas. That is starting to change now and it is beginning to grow quite a bit in those areas.

“It was good to see a really wide range of levels on the weekend. There were quite a few experienced fencers but also a lot of people who have only recently taken it up. Hopefully it keeps growing.”

The competition on the weekend kicked off a busy second half of the fencing calendar as a local contingent prepares to contest events in Wagga, Newcastle, Bowral and Penrith in their respective regional championships.

Those interested in giving the sport a go are encouraged to get to the CSU gym on Wednesday from 6pm-8pm where there are coaches eager to teach new fencers.