Arnold Lodge fencing trio qualify for British youth finals

Fantastic fencers Samantha Greenwood, Jemima Warwick and Luca Davey from Arnold Lodge School have qualified to represent the West Midlands in the finals of the British Youth Championship.

This fiercely competitive event, the biggest for juniors in the UK, will take place on May 1-2 in Sheffield where they will fence against the best from other regions.

"This is a huge achievement for these three young fencers.

"Their excellent achievement has made me extremely proud," said their coach Wai Yu Kwan.

"Their hard work, resilience and determination has* shaped them to become fencers of the future."

Samantha and Jemima both won gold in the U12 and U10 sabre respectively. Luca managed to finish strongly in eighth place after narrowly losing to the first seed 8:10 in the quarter finals in the U12 sabre. Their love for the sport was elegantlydemonstrated on the day and has provided valuable experience to prepare for the finals. All three fencers started as beginners at the school and worked extremely hard in sessions. Enjoying the sport, they have competed in Liverpool and Manchester where they've exponentially built their skills through competing in beginner level compe-titions, to finally take the leap for regionals.

"I like fencing because it is fun and I would like to get better and win a gold medal," said Luca.

"I enjoy the tactics and skill. I also enjoy improving and being part of the Arnold Lodge team!" added Jemima.