The late morning of Saturday saw York face Lancaster in fencing, with the Opens 1s and 2s as well as Womens 1s and 2s taking place in a lively Lancaster Sports Arena. There was an evident mix of spectators – some just came along to witness some heated battles and others with a vast knowledge of this sport that had its origins in Ancient Egypt.
Each team competes in three weapons: foil, sabre, and épée, which were described by a commentator as “essentially their own sport”. Each has their own set of rules and regulations, but, to simplify it, hit your opponent with the tip of your sword in the right places and you gain a point. Roses is formatted as a team-relay: 3-9 players rotate in short periods of play called ‘bouts’ to be the first to reach 45 points before time is called. At the end of all three relays, the team with the most points out of 135 wins the match. Roses is also refereed to a much higher standard than BUCS games, according to a Lancaster alumnus, with professional referees such as Michael Thornton, the Gold Medal Olympic Referee, instead of other players.
The most heated of the battles came from the Open 1s foil (one of the three swords). York dominated the opening games and the scores were 12:25 to York after the first five bouts, needing 45 points to win. Celebration of points were immense after each point, and the rivalry between the two universities was certainly brought to light as York’s opening fencer refused to shake his Lancaster opponent’s hand before intervention from the umpire. Despite its image as a respectful, civilised sport, some celebrations wouldn’t have seemed out of place in a louder game like football. After York Open 1s first built up a lead, there was a scream from the York player and some hint of aggression in the match. Both teams delighted and revelled in each point, and there was a flicker of hope for Lancaster as it seemed they were making a comeback with some impressive lunges and sneaky feints to deceive their opponents. However, York’s fencers remained in top form and took home the victory in the foil, and tensions reduced as the players shook hands at the end.
The Women’s 1s sabre entailed fierce bouts between two impressive sides. Lancaster took a strong start with a very fast-paced weapon. Attacks were strong from both sides, but Lancaster began to creep in front of York. At the end of the bout, York’s fencer appeared to have thrown her helmet down, a response that is not tolerated in this very dignified sport. However, York’s fencer apologised quickly to the referee, stating an accident and the good sportsmanship resumed. Lancaster women were fierce in their lunges, pulling ahead to a 25:6 lead after only a few bouts. The energy was incredible from both sides, especially from York despite trailing behind at 40:14. Nevertheless, Lancaster’s efforts paid off as they completed a landslide 45:17 victory over York in the sabre.
But Lancaster’s Women’s 1s hadn’t won yet as they still had to compete in épée. This proved to be a much closer battle than expected. After some quick points from Lancaster, York settled into their rhythm and pulled ahead to lead 10:13 and spirits were looking high – could they change the tide and be on the only White win of the fencing? It was a neck-and-neck crawl to the very end, as it became clear that Lancaster only needed a few more points to win the overall due to their lead in the sabre. The arena fell silent as the last points were played as time was slipping away. Scores were 44:44 as the final 30 seconds played out. As time was called, it was decided that in the true spirit of Roses, the final point would be played. It was tense as all spectators stood to see the final battle. Ultimately, Lancaster took the final point to complete their red-wash of the fencing.
The matches were concluded by a heart-warming show of sportsmanship and respect as both teams came together to congratulate one another and announce their new presidents for the 2024-25 season. Congratulations to all fencers on a truly entertaining and emotive series of matches.