Australian Fencers To Tour Soon

Press, Volume C, Issue 29469, 22 March 1961, Page 13

Australian Fencers To Tour Soon

'T'HE first national fencing "*■ team to tour New Zealand is expected to arrive in Christchurch just before Easter. This team, mainly of younger Australian fencers, has a small number of highly experienced members, and appears to be a group from which the Australian Fencing Association expects to choose the representative teams now and in the future. Even without some of the older, more experienced members it must

be considered as an International team of considerable ability. The 15 members of the team all come from the east coast of Australia, and nine of them are from Melbourne. The captain of the team, Mr E. J. Szakall, who may or may not fence, was manager of the fencing section of the 1960 Australian Olympic team. His wife accompanies this team as chaperone. One member of the team who will be remembered by many New Zealand fencers is Mr G. Watford who was with the first fencing team, ever to tour New Zealand, the Australian Universities side of 1957. Two Groups The Australians arrive in two groups, on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Easter, for what must be one of the most arduous programmes ever set down. On Thursday they fence Canterbury teams in the morning and early afternoon, and Otago-South-land in the late afternoon and at night. Both sets of

matches will be fought off in the Knox Church Hall in Bealey avenue. On Saturday morning and afternoon they fence a combined South Island team at the Canterbury University gymnasium. They fly to Wellington on Sunday and during the following three days fence full matches against Wellington. New Zealand and New Zealand University teams. Spell Then there is a short spell of a day and a half when they travel by way of Rotorua to Auckland. In Auckland they fence Auckland and a North Island team to end the tour. They leave New Zealand on the Sunday. As it takes at least eight hours of fencing to fight off a full match, it is apparent that by the time the Australians leave Auckland they will probably be worn out. It is unlikely that the Australians will be beaten in a match in Christchurch but they may lose one event against Canterbury (the women’s foil); the South

Island team, although weakened by withdrawals, will not be defeated easily—and may win. For the first time, also, complete electric foil gear will be used in a competition in the South Island. This makes for rather less delay in the deciding of points, and also removes any doubt as to whether a movement has actually landed—or not. The equipment used requires the wearing of a metal lame jacket, which covers the valid target, so that the recording apparatus can differentiate between hits landing on the lame jacket (a conductor), and hits landing on off-target material (nonconducting). The recording apparatus (“box” to most fencers) is rather more complex than the electric gear for epee (which has become a common sight in New Zealand fencing during the last 10 years), but bears a close resemblance to it. However, one distinct difference has been the small number of breakdowns occurring with the foil gear compared with the sometimes frequent break down with epee gear. For some of the South Islanders this will be their first competition with electric foil, but they have been using it in practice for the last three or four months, and have become quite proficient with it. Quality Easter week-end promises some of the best fencing ever seen in Christchurch. The Australians naturally know less about the South Island teams than is known here about them, and it is highly likely that in order to test the opposition in Christchurch—and to play safe-7 they will use their strongest teams. Because of the withdrawal of some fencers and the nonavailability of others, both the Canterbury and South Island teams have been reselected. The amended teams are:— Canterbury.—Women’s foil: Mrs E. McElwee, Mrs O. Jekyll, Miss P. Eliott, Miss M. Soeterik. Reserve, Miss V. Woods. Men’s foil: E. Thomas, R. J. O’Driscoll, M. Woods, J. Hanna. Reserves, B. Mclntyre, P. Sharp. Sabre: K. Beard, O’Driscoll, Woods, Hanna. South Island. Women’s foil: Mrs McElwee, Mrs Jekyll, Miss Eliott, Mrs L. Pratt. Reserve, Miss Woods. Men’s foil: Thomas, G. Murphy, E. Nye, A. Keller. Reserve, Woods. Epee: Nye, Beard. Keller, Woods. Reserve, O’Driscoll. Sabre: Nye, Murphy Kellar, O’Driscoll Reserve: Woods.