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No: Shooting, Basketball, Hockey, Skiing.

Victoria Foil Victory

The prestige of the Victoria College Fencing Club has never been higher. It has won its sport in four university tournaments out of six. It has provided provincial, university and national champions, both men and women, and the standard of its Judging is respected and admired.

This reputation was well upheld at the tournament just completed. The team, led by Win Stevens (you can't have forgotten his Extrav. dancing?) included Eric Flaws, Ray Michael and Ian Free. The women's team: Olga Brooke-Taylor and Mary Ellis. The top three men had gone down to Dunedin last year so hopes for success ran high.

On the Monday all the men's foil events were fought, with Otago as the first opponents. Captained by Alan Simmance, a national-class fencer, they were hard to beat, but they went down 11 bouts won to 5 lost. Canterbury were next; with a team of more even ability and experience they looked like the people to beat. So they were beaten, 12-4. Auckland went down the same way, exactly the same way, 12-4. Victoria had won the Men's Fencing and scored the first points for Victoria for the Tournament Shield.

On the Tuesday the girls fought—er, er, fenced, and Olga BrookeTaylor proved herself the best university woman fencer in the country. She and Prue Lusk, the third member of O.U.'s team, fought a barrage for first place after they had eliminated everybody else. And Prue had her early training at Victoria.

Win Stevens and Eric Flaws were picked for the NZU team to fight Otago-Southland, if Ray and Ian had won one more bout each they, too, would have led to have been considered for the team. A NZU team entirely composed of Victoria fencers is the hope, nearly realised this year, which will spur next year's representatives Alan Simmance and Norm West from CUC completed the team which beat the province 9-7. The women's team, including Olga, were beaten 13-3.

Win was awarded a Blue, for the second well-earned time; one of the two which were given. Eric, Olga and Norm West all deserved them and it was felt that as a NZU fencing Blue signifies provincial standard, all members of the team which had done so well against one of the strongest provinces in New Zealand should get a Blue.

To restrict a report of the fencing tournament to the official functions is to leave unstated the "strength, body and flavour" of the fencing crowd. A more sociable and non-cliquey crowd would be hard to find. But why not go along and see for yourself? Tuesday nights and Saturday mornings in the gym. Good point there. Stop Hit in Time.