Alexander claims new sabre title

The main fencing event of the season, the St Paul Fencing Club Malta Open, was recently held over an action-packed weekend at the Mtarfa gymnasium. This competition gave fencers an ideal opportunity to gain international experience without having to leave our shores.

The first edition was held in 1998 and since then the Malta Open has been held each year without interruption.

A group of foreign fencers, led by Jim Pilkington, again took part.

Three weapon categories were held, foil, epee and, for the first time, sabre. In addition, the organisers also held a mixed epee team competition. The fencing bouts were presided by Sicilian referee Fabrizio Di Lauria, accredited to the Federazione Italiana Scherma (FIS). The allocation of Italian referees for competitions in Malta was made possible under the terms of a protocol signed between the two associations in 2004.

In men's foil, Andre Zahra won his first event claiming the gold with a 15-12 score against Matthew Camilleri Fava. Juan Formosa and Kurt Mifsud placed joint third.

In epee, Florian Crispin, of France, was the winner following a 15-3 victory over Marcus Muscat Baron, the 2007 category winner. Scott Willis, from the UK, along with Zahra, were joint third.

The sabre event was a welcome addition to the 2008 Malta Open.

Honours here went to Kevin Alexander, from the UK, following a close 15-14 win over Formosa who had to settle for second place. Mark Borg and Pilkington were joint third.

In women's foil, Susan Ronald placed first after beating Jessica Vella 15-7 in the decisive match. Third place went to Danika Formosa and Petra Kogelnig.

In epee, the tables were turned following a closely-fought final between Vella and Ronald. The former won 15-14. Formosa and Elaine Damato were the bronze medal winners.

A mixed team event took place after the individual events with six teams, each consisting of three members, participating. Here, the top side was that of Zahra, Mifsud and Kogelnig.

At the end of the tournament, Juan Formosa, St Paul Fencing Club president, thanked all participants and officials and volunteers for their assistance.

Special thanks went to St Thomas Institute, Wish to Read Ltd, Ivan Vassallo and Jim Pilkington who contributed to sponsoring the Malta Open.