Fencing is in a fairly healthy state in the West Midlands. Both Warwickshire and Hereford & Worcester County Unions have a number of healthy and successful clubs. Staffordshire has less activity, as has Shropshire due to its rural nature. However, the clubs it has are very active and have recently produced some of the most successful competitors in the country. Stratford has the most successful junior Sabre club in the country and, in the 1998 British Youth Championships, took all but a few of the medal positions with other members filling many of the remaining finals places and Louise Bond-Williams won both indicidual and team gold medals in the Women's Sabre at the recent Commonwealth Fencing Championships in Kuala Lumpur.

SHE HAS FOLLOWED THAT BY WINNING BRONZE MEDAL AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN LA CHAUX DE FONDS, SWITZERLAND, OCTOBER 1998. This is Britain's first World Championships/ Olympic Fencing medal for the best part 40 years.

Another local fencer, still in the under 20's category was recently ranked 18th in the Senior World Sabre Championships - this is the highest position reached by any British fencer for aeons.

At the other end of the scale Peter Baron was 11th in the World Veterans Championships in August '99.