Summers is shining after British title joy (From Ledbury Reporter)

Summers is shining after British title joy

10:00am Thursday 7th March 2013 in Sport

MALVERN Hills’ Francesca Summers bagged the British Cadet Under 17s Championship epee title in Gillingham.

She received only four hits and scored 30 in the first round to start the eliminations as number one seed.

She went on to only concede four hits in the final too.

Two more Malvern fencers, Danielle Lawson and Rebecca Wakefield, finished second and third respectively despite being several years younger than most competitors.

Their achievement was only bettered when Malvern’s two-time champion Amy Radford first won the event in 2008-2009.

But it was not Radford’s day at the junior nationals, which she claimed in 2010- 2011, as the teenager lost 15-10 to her team-mate Leonora Mackinnon in the top eight.

Mackinnon then fell to eventual winner Caitlin Chang who, although fencing for her home club of Harrogate, represented Malvern earlier this year at a team event in Germany.

Chang works regularly with Malvern coach Matthew Haynes as well as with Brian Matless in North Yorkshire.

Haynes said: “I am really pleased for Caitlin as she is working really hard on her fencing this year.

“When she, Amy and Leonora are fencing together, it is a certainty that one of them will win and it is always a shame if the draw means that the final occurs before the last match.”

Mackinnon has finished the season as British number one with Summers third in the junior rankings.

Summers represents Great Britain in Hungary and Croatia at the European and World Championships respectively later this year.

Meanwhile, the British Youth Championship qualifiers for the West Midlands were dominated by Malvern College competitors.

Wakefield and Eliza Woodhouse won their age groups, while Roshan Goodger was second.

The school, which has a long tradition in fencing, has recently started a scheme for their elite athletes helping them to grow through their sport and work on areas like fitness, nutrition and pyschology.

They hosted the Hereford and Worcester Open which was attended by more than 300 fencers.