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In a stunning come from behind win Manawatu's Simon Wood swept to victory in the 2001 NZ National Secondary Schools Men's Foil. Despite struggling for form early on, Wood battled through the field from 23rd seed to claim his first ever Secondary School Championship. Early nerves cost Wood dearly. Although he won five out of six bouts in the first round of pools, in the vital second round he struggled to a 2-4 record, even going down in a shock loss to fellow Manawatu fencer Ben St. George. However, in the DE Wood rallied to defeat another club member Nathanael Harris and move into the next round. From there, Wood's characteristic determination and the famous trap saw him charge though the field, decimating the Canturbury contingent. Although reports are sketchy at the time, it is believed competition favourite James Tabak finished 3rd. Wood's win also marks Manawatu's first trip to the top of the podium since the glory days of 1999. With his victory Wood takes a commanding postition as the fencer to beat at the tournament and the TAB has slashed his odds in the epee and teams events. Commentators describe his battle from the back of the field as one of the great Secondary Schools performances. A shocked Webmaster hailed the win as "confirmation of Wood's superior technique" and described his own reaction as "disbelief" which he clarified was meant in a good way. This exclusive report is brought to you by FencingManawatu, the World Wide Leader in Fencing. Stay tuned for continuous 24 hour coverage by the FencingManawatu team. >> s e c o n d a r y -s c h o o l s -p r e v i e w This year the New Zealand Secondary School promise a smorgasbord of swordsmanship and a feast of fencing courtesy of some of the nation's most promising young fencers. The field is wide open and it would take a brave man to attempt to predict the outcomes of this inevitably wonderful event. Still, as a brave man, I choose to stand up and put my neck on the line. Well, not really, seeing how this is anonymous and all. Anyway, here are my predictions: men's foil With the majority of young fencers taking part in Foil this event promises to be huge. There will be a large field and because of this a large tail. This means that there may be an easy ride in the pools for the top fencers but also means they will have to watch their indicators if they want to claim a high seeding. With the top fencers unlikely to be troubled too much in this round, it seems the tournament will really kick into gear around the quarterfinals when the elite foilists meet each other for the first time. The obvious favourites are the Canterbury pair Lowell Mallon and James Tabak, who are ranked 2nd and 5th, respectively, in the national rankings, along with Simon Wood, Manawatu's number one. These three should provide an interesting spectacle were they to meet in the DE. Other contenders will include Central fencer Nigel Candasamy and Cantabrians Andrija Sesun and Jonathon Chan. The rest of the field will compete for a top eight finish. My pick: Lowell Mallon Other finalists: James Tabak, Nigel Candasamy, Andrija Sesun Webmaster's pick: Simon Wood Other finalists: Serge Golbilitzky women's foil This event promises to be just as competitive as the Men?s Foil but fought out between fewer genuine contenders. Like the men?s draw, indicators will be important as the best fencers hope to avoid each other until the final stages. The event seems to boil down to a contest between three top fencers: Chloe Symes and Sarah Tabak of Christchurch and Monique Coleman of Wellington. It is difficult to separate these three and it is yet possible that one may be upset by a lesser-ranked fencer in the quarter or semifinals. Overall, though, this is unlikely and an enticing and interesting contest looms. My Pick: Chloe Symes Other finalists: Monique Coleman, Sarah Tabak, Marguerite Juanico-Neilson Webmaster's pick: Chloe Symes Other finalists: Valentina Vezzali men's epee This event should feature a concentrated pool of Epeeists with very little tail. Because there will not be a big tail the title will be wider open with more good fencing seen from start to finish as elite fencers compete against one other and not minnows. The title is perhaps the most unpredictable of all Secondary School events with any number of fencers able to win. However, Particular favourites are James Tabak, Lowell Mallon, Andrija Sesun and Andrew Thompson of Canterbury, and Simon Wood of Manawatu. My pick: James Tabak Other finalists: Lowell Mallon, Andrew Thompson, Andrija Sesun Webmaster's pick: Simon Wood Other finalists: I'd say Ian Galley, but I think he's past his use by date... I'll go with Pavel Kolobkov. women's epee This event should feature a small field and is likely to boil down to a contest between two more Cantabrians. Chloe Symes and Marguerite Juanico-Neilson are likely to dominate this event with little in the way of competition. Both have to make sure, however to do well in the pools or they may end up meeting before the final. If the two do meet in the final, as the formbook suggests, it should be another close battle that will go down to the wire. My pick: Marguerite Juanico-Neilson Other finalists: Chloe Symes, Fiona Carman, Sarah Tabak Webmaster's pick: Marguerite Juanico-Neilson Other finalists: Idiko Mincza men's sabre This event again comes down to a contest between two outstanding individuals. James Tabak and Jonathon Chan, both of Canterbury will decide who holds this title for the rest of the year. It is inevitable that these two Sabreurs will meet at some stage in the DE, most likely the final, and the winner will take the trophy with along with the victory. It is, however, far too close to call and could go either way on the day. My pick: James Tabak Other finalists: Jonathon Chan, Reuban Fortes, Nicholas Hill Webmaster's pick: James Tabak [but Woody's in with an outside chance if he finds some sabre gear!] Other finalists: Stanislav Podzinkov women's sabre This is the one event where the winner is already known. Due to a combination of brevet entries [what? - wm] and a competence in the weapon, Sarah Tabak will have no trouble winning the gold. My pick: Sarah Tabak Other finalists: ??????????? Webmaster's picks: Hmmm...tough one here, but I think I have to go with Sarah Tabak! Other finalists: Anna-Lisa Touya men's foil teams A strong Canterbury A team will fancy their chances of winning gold but have to be aware of other contenders. Led by James Tabak and Lowell Mallon, Canterbury are justifiably favourites but could have some difficulty against an improving Central team, provided their big guns are firing, and their own B team, who will be out to prove a point. Don?t take it to the engravers just yet. My pick: Canterbury A Other finalists: Central A Webmaster's pick: There can be only one. Central A. [It's time to get back to the glory days of six straight titles!] Other finalists: China women's foil teams It is the same situation as the men?s. Canterbury are obvious favourites but still have their work cut out. This time, Auckland will also be challenging as well as Central, and there may be a few upsets on the horizon. Given the team format, however, any aberrations should be quickly dispatched by a slick Cantabrian team. My pick: Canterbury A Other finalists: Central A Webmaster's pick: Canterbury A Other finalists: China [though Italy will come close if Vezzali is fencing last...] men's epee teams Canterbury already have one hand on the trophy. In fact it will take a minor miracle for anyone else except them to take it home. Central have a chance, provided all fencers are firing but everything points towards Canterbury retaining their title. My pick: Canterbury A Other finalists: Central A Webmaster's pick: Central A Other finalists: France [provided Obry doesn't throw it away...] women's epee teams Canterbury again, start as the favourite for this particular title but would do well to watch a young Central side which could upset if everything goes right. As is the case elsewhere though, Canterbury appears at the head of the field. My pick: Canterbury A Other finalists: Central A Webmaster's pick: Canterbury A Other finalists: China men's sabre teams Again, Canterbury starts favourites and would seem to have no trouble winning. The only other real challenger will be Auckland but they will be thwarted by lack of depth and big match experience. Put down another one for the team from the mid-south. My pick: Canterbury A Other finalists: Auckland A Webmaster's pick: Chatham Islands C [in other words, who cares?]. Other finalists: Russia >> m a s s e y -t o u r n e y Simon Wood [ Webpage Reporter ] 2/26/00 Massey University kicked off its 2001 fencing season on Sunday with an "A" grade epee tournament at the Massey Recreation Centre. The tournament, the first in a long line of prestigious events lined up for the club, proved a huge smash with both competitors and spectators agreeing that it should become the annual curtain-raising event. The tournament, though, lacked some of the spark it had promised; with top seed and world number 1 Pavel Koloblov unable to attend due to the closure of the Moscow International Airport because of freezing and dangerous conditions. The void was admirably filled, however, by the remaining contestants who produced a spectacle worthy of its "A" grade status. The competition was intense, as always, and reputation meant little, with a number of contenders suffering shock first round losses. The TAB favourite, Ian Galley, surprisingly went down to talented youngster Dave McConnochie 5-2 in the early rounds. This destroyed any chance Galley had of claiming 1st seed for the Direct Elimination and the all-important bye. While for McConnochie, it secured him 5th seeding and an easier D.E. Bout against New Zealand No. 1, Jessica Beer. Galley's unexpected loss, and a host of other favourable results allowed the consistent Jared Cahan to steal the coveted first round bye. The Direct Elimination provided the spectacle that the capacity crowd had waited for. Beer took her time but eventually dispatched a gallant McConnochie, 15-8 to further advance her case as Palmerston North's leading female fencer. Cahan's twin brother, Rochester, wiped aside fan favourite Ian "2" Luxmoore, but not without the occasional fright. Galley, meanwhile, was desperately fighting to keep his championship aspirations on track, but had his work cut out against promising 16 year old Simon Wood, who kept him honest until the final seconds when Galley produced some of his traditional class to dispatch the stunned teenager. The semi-finals proved to be an organiser's dream, with Galley facing Rock Cahan and Jared Cahan squaring off against Beer. The latter bout was a tough tussle but Cahan's undoubted talent saw him through to the grand-final and a shot at the title. The second semi-final provided much more drama and controversy, with a number of dubious decisions by the inexperienced president. The matter was not helped by the experienced competitors, who took every opportunity to try and intimidate the young official. Eventually, and not without uproar, Galley proceeded to the final to take on Cahan. The final proved a dour affair, with both sides wary of giving away the advantage. Cahan eventually won in the dying seconds and survived a last minute scare from a revitalised Galley. After receiving his award, a slab of chocolate, Cahan was quoted as saying that he was "absolutely thrilled to win against such high-quality opposition". Galley, however was less sportsmanlike, and angrily told reporters he was robbed and the draw had been rigged to work against him. final results:
>> s i m o n -w o o d -w i n s !
1st
Jared Cahan
2nd
Ian Galley
3rd =
Rock Cahan
3rd =
Jess Beer
5th
Dave McConnochie
6th
Simon Wood
7th
Ian Luxmoore