WILL Garrity (19) from Chipping Campden, became the British Junior Sabre champion last weekend when he defeated defending champion Peter Kirby 15-8 in the final.

Garrity had control of the fight all the way, using his greater size to advantage, and denying the 17-year-old Chipping Campden School pupil his usual tactics.

On the way to the final Garrity had defeated his London Thames clubmate Daniel Morgan-Blake from London, last year's silver medalist. Blake and Kirby, who lives in North Littleton, had met in both the youth finals last year sharing the honours.

Kirby's semi-final was against Bath's Neil Hutchison where the fight was much less dominated by one side. Kirby's greater weapon experience showed and he made the score up to 15-11 to put Hutchison into third position and give Kirby his second successive junior sabre final place.

Stratford's Mike Johnson (21) proved his star quality earlier this month by winning the Leicester Open Sabre Tournament at the Kettering Leisure Village, beating Scotland's Chris Jamieson convincingly in the final.

Before Johnson took his revenge at the last, Jamieson had overcome Stratford's Robin Allen (KES) in the last 32 and Garrity in the semi-finals.

Kirby had played a brilliant match in the last 16 round. He started as 15th seed and was opposed by second seed Ben Hanley from Scotland.

Hanley had already won a pool match against Kirby 5-4 earlier in the day and took to this one the clear favourite.

Kirby, though, stuck to his guns and used the earlier experience to great effect tactically outwitting the Scotsman to take the match 15-8.

Kirby then went on to meet his World Championship teammate, Garrity, in the quarter-finals when the greater experience of the Cotswolds man showed.

Kirby had played Garrity tight up to the break at 8-6, then Garrity opened out the fight and managed to get his remaining seven points to two of Kirby's, ending the fight 15-8.

David Brenda (KES), from Alcester, joined Allen in the last 32 while his brothers, Richard and Tom were tasting glory of their own in Hungary when they led the British cadet team to ninth place in the strong international event.