High-flyers Southampton too strong in fencing

Southampton: 135
Cardiff: 117

Having endured a tough opening day defeat to Bath, Cardiff menÔÇÖs 1st met top of the league Southampton in their second successive away fixture. SouthamptonÔÇÖs surprising early season form had impressed after inflicting heavy defeats on both Swansea and UWE by 135 to 65 and 50 respectively.

With four regulars unavailable Cardiff fielded a 4-man team, just one more than the bare minimum for a match. This saw captain George Hawksworth and Edward Sibert fence all three weapons amounting to a full three hours of fencing for the two veterans. The pair provided Southampton with solid opposition throughout.

Having debuted in the opening fixture Josh Green contributed with a solid performance in the sabre, suggesting that he will be a valuable asset both this year and in season to come. Having impressed in the trials, Jack Houltson was handed his first team debut and showed that he is a versatile and solid fencer.

A strong performance in ├®p├®e was not enough to stop Southampton claiming a 45-36 victory that should be considered an impressive effort given how well the league leaders have been doing in this weapon. In foil Cardiff did even better, but ultimately lost out by just a single point at 45-44. Southampton secured the victory in sabre by a score of 45-37 leaving a tired Cardiff side to reflect on defeat.

The performances of Green and Houltson, who were able to prov their worth in this fixture, will pose a question for selectors with fierce competition for several places in the team.

A disappointing result for Cardiff but even with a depleted side it was an improved performance from the opening match against Bath. SouthamptonÔÇÖs third successive win sees them at the top of Western 1A with 9 points, although numerous results have as yet gone unreported. Cardiff remain in 6th position and are yet to table a point. Cardiff will feel that a victory in their first home fixture against Aberystwyth on November 13th is vital to remain comfortable in the division.

CARDIFF: G Hawksworth, E Sibert, J Houltson, J Green

Michael Lundin