KIDDERMINSTER fencer Matthew Rowland will put his rivals to the sword in a bid to break into the Great Britain under-20 squad in 2006.

The 16-year-old has been pleased with his progress in the sport this year but is desperate for further success next year.

Rowland has also set his sights on raising his Great Britain under-20s ranking from his current position of 28 to a place in the top 15.

He continued his run of form with a fine performance in the West Midlands Regional Qualifiers in Birmingham.

By coming first in the foil, Rowlands has booked his place at the British Youth Championships finals in Stoke on Trent in February.

He finished runner-up in the epee, narrowly losing to the British number seven.

He was also second in the epee when representing King Edwards College, Stourbridge, in the epee at the Birmingham Schools Championships.

In October he was 21st in the Great Britain Junior Champi-onships under-20s category and 10th in the England Youth under-18s Championships, where he beat Britain's number 14s and lost narrowly to the UK number three.

Last weekend he was in action for the West Midlands team at the Cadet Winton Championship in Somerset and played his part as they finished seventh from more than a dozen regional teams.

"I've been pleased with the way I've been developing this year,"said Rowland, who trains under the guidance of GB cadet coach Nick Chapman at Stourport Fencing Club.

"I've got a couple of ambitions for next year, to force my way into the under-20s squad and to improve my ranking."