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Fencing=20 =96 national championships: Norman Martinez and Susan = Ronald=20 triumph in top events=20

The=20 association recently organised=20 the eighth edition of the national championships = held=20 over an action packed weekend at the Mtarfa gymnasium. =

This year=20 the events also featured the youngest three = groups of=20 fencers hailing from the Engarde and St. Paul = Fencing clubs.=20

The norm in previous seasons was that = fencers=20 under 12 years of age would participate solely = in club=20 level competitions in preparation for the = national=20 ranking tournaments.

The Council of the = N.F.A.M.=20 this year took the decision to hold the = nationals across=20 the whole range of age categories which favoured the introduction = of a=20 ranking classification for the younger fencers.=20

Ranking points obtained would be carried = forward=20 even when the cadets cross over to an older age = category=20 and are subject to the same rules of national = team=20 selection as are the senior fencers.

The = fencing=20 cadets are mainly concentrating on the foil = while the=20 seniors participate in foil as well as=20 epee.

There are three fencing = =91weapons=92 =96 the=20 foil, epee and sabre. This=20 last weapon is not practised=20 locally in order to allow the clubs and national = association to concentrate resources on the = other two=20 weapons.

During the national = championships the=20 fencing bouts were all presided=20 by two Sicilian referees accredited to the Federazione Italiana Scherma (F.I.S.). The = allocation of=20 Italian referees for national ranking = competitions in=20 Malta was=20 made possible under the terms of the protocol = signed=20 between the two associations in 2004. =

This year=20 the F.I.S. also loaned scoring equipment which = had been=20 adjusted to the new rules for foil fencing = introduced by=20 the Federation Internationale=20 D=92Escrime (F.I.E. = =96 the world=20 governing body).

In the cadet events Cain = Arpa, Danika Formosa, Paul=20 Borg and Kurt Mifsud = took Gold=20 in the U10, U13 (Girls), U13 (Boys) and U16 = categories=20 respectively.

In the senior events = Norman=20 Martinez made it a double once again by winning = both the=20 Men=92s Epee and Men=92s Foil events. Young = Pierre Bianchi,=20 fresh out of a successful participation at the = World=20 Championships (Austria 2005) lost 15-9 to = Martinez in = the finals=20 and claimed a very valid silver placing. Antoine = Bonello and Kurt Galea shared a joint third = placing.=20 In Men=92s Epee Marcus Muscat Baron eliminated = Juan=20 Formosa to proceed to a top quality final = against=20 Martinez. = Muscat Baron=20 succumbed 15-11 to Martinez who = claimed=20 his second gold and national champion title for = the=20 weekend. Juan Formosa and Kenneth Spiteri had to content = themselves=20 with a bronze placing.

In the Ladies = Foil, Susan=20 Ronald claimed the national title after beating = Mary-Jo=20 Scicluna 15-9 in the = final.=20 Bronze placings went = to Mary=20 Abela and Rebecca = Thomas.=20

The tables were turned in the ladies = epee events=20 with Rebecca Thomas taking gold in a hard fought = final=20 against Ronald (15-14). Maria Abela and Jessica-Ann = Spiteri were joint third.=20

Owing to the rules of the N.F.A.M. which = permit=20 expatriates permanently resident in = Malta to=20 participate in national championships the Epee = Champion=20 title went to Ronald in lieu of = Thomas.

The=20 President of the N.F.A.M,=20 thanked all the participants, the Sicilian = referees,=20 Kenneth Spiteri = (General=20 Secretary), Nicky Bianchi (Sports Director) and = Alex=20 Micallef (Treasurer) = for the=20 ample help which they provided to make the = nationals a=20 success.

A = special=20 thanks was given to Danika=20 Formosa who=20 dedicated Friday evening in helping to set out = the=20 scoring equipment prior to the = weekend.

The local=20 fencing community is now looking forward to the = =91Malta=20 Open=92 fencing tournament to be held at the end = of this=20 month. This event, organised=20 by the St Paul Fencing Club, has again attracted = foreign=20 = participation.

Results

Category=20 under 10 (mixed Boys/Girls): 1st Cain Arpa (SPFC), 2nd Martina = Formosa=20 (SPFC), 3rd Maria Paola Micallef (EGFC), David Trapnell = (SPFC).

Category=20 under 13 (Boys): 1st Paul Borg (SPFC), 2nd Anton = Saliba (SPFC), 3rd Sami = Chenbout (SPFC), Daryl Pisani = (EGFC).

Category under=20 13 (Girls): 1st Danika=20 Formosa, 2nd=20 Sarah Grech (EGFC), = 3rd Ruth=20 Micallef, J.A. Vella = (EGFC).

Category under=20 16 (Mixed Boys/Girls): 1st Kurt Mifsud (SPFC), 2nd Andre = Zahra=20 (SPFC), 3rd James Grech=20 (EGFC), Mathew Saliba=20 (SPFC).

Category Senior Mens Foil: 1st Norman = Martinez=20 (SPFC), 2nd Pierre Bianchi (SPFC), 3rd Antoine = Bonello, Kurt Galea = (EGFC).

Category Senior=20 Men=92s Epee: 1st Norman Martinez (SPFC), 2nd = Marcus=20 Muscat Baron (SPFC), 3rd Juan Formosa (SPFC), = Kenneth=20 Spiteri=20 (EGFC).

Category Senior Ladies Foil: 1st = Susan=20 Ronald (SPFC), Marie-Jo Scicluna (EGFC), 3rd Mary = Abela (EGFC), Thomas Rebecca=20 (SPFC).

Category Senior Ladies Epee: 1st = Rebecca=20 Thomas (SPFC), 2nd Susan Ronald (SPFC), 3rd Mary = Abela (EGFC), Jessica-Ann = Vella (EGFC). National = Champion:=20 Susan = Ronald