Varsity competitions might seem out of reach to many. Sportspeople who fill the ranks of Blues teams have often mastered their disciplines long before coming to Oxford, putting the new player at risk of feeling there is no way into the game. This is where novice competitions come in, providing an opportunity for those who have picked up the sport within the academic year to test themselves against the Tabs. For more niche sports like fencing, Novices is an excellent way to bring new players into the fold in a sport that could otherwise be challenging to break into. This year’s novice fencers took to the stage at Iffley on the 17th of May, putting up performances, the likes of which seasoned veterans would look on with pride.
The full-day affair began with the team competition, which took place in a relay style. An Oxford fencer faces off against a Cambridge opponent in a bout to five points, at which time both players swap out for a new pair of duellers, who compete until one side has (cumulatively) amassed ten points – and so on, with play advancing in multiples of five points, up to 45. Oxford reached the golden 45-point mark in all but the men’s foil, meaning there was a convincing victory for the Dark Blues overall, of 172-147 in their favour. This included an exceptionally tight Women’s foil matchup anchored by St Hugh’s College’s Lily Harris that finished 45-44, but there was clear daylight in women’s epee, where Cindy Yeung anchored Oxford in a 45-27 success.
Fencing resumed after a lunchbreak, but the pause in play did not disrupt Oxford’s dominance. This time, individuals faced each other in a straight knock-out mixed gender tournament. Sabre, absent from the team round, also made its appearance. Sabre fencing makes for fast-paced, aggressive action, as not just the tip of the sword but the whole blade can be used to score points. Proactive, offensive play is rewarded, and the flying lunges on display were a joy to behold, not least in the final, that was played in a hastily set-up new section of the hall as badminton players came to requisition most of the space. This was between Cambridge’s Matt Swales and Oxford mathematician Rico Chung. This matchup went down to the wire, ending 15-14 in Chung’s favour. Cambridge won by the same scoreline in foil, their representative squeaking past Balliol College’s Jaden Ruddock by the finest of margins. His exuberant celebrations in the aftermath showed that defeating Ruddock was no simple challenge. In foil, just the tip of the blade can be used to score points, and even then only on the torso and groin, making for fascinating tactical matchups.
Epee, too, only uses the tip for point-scoring, but the whole body of the opponent becomes a valid target. Both participants can score a point in the event of simultaneous strikes, making sudden counterattacks a key part of the game. Although his semi-final went down to a nerve-wracking tiebreaker, Hugh’s Jacob Humphrey came into his final having not gone behind in any previous knockout round. This all changed against an unorthodox Cambridge fighter who quickly gained momentum from a buoyant away support. The tables turned back in Oxford’s favour though, after a failed attempt at Humphrey’s feet. Having parried this successfully, a quick jab by Humphrey on the stomach put him 5-4 ahead, a lead that would grow to 15-10. Oxford’s total domination in individual and team epee is all the more impressive given that Cambridge have dedicated epee coaches of their own. In the end, however, it was only foil where Cambridge seemed able to match Oxford’s strength.
These results keep the good times rolling in what has been a standout year for fencing in Oxford. In March, Oxford’s Men’s Blues claimed a Varsity victory over Cambridge for the first time in six years, an achievement which has been recently nominated for Sporting Moment of the Year as part of Oxford University Sports Federation’s Sports Awards 2025.
It will be no surprise to see some of these successful novice names graduate to fight for seconds and Blues teams in years down the line.
