ALCESTER fencer Richard Brenda clinched the West Midlands Men's Sabre title at the Regional Championships which were held in King's Norton.

The former Alcester High and Grammar School pupil was favourite to lift the title and he duly delivered.

Brenda claimed a gold medal with the England team in the Commonwealth Youth Championships in India.

And he used his experience to win all his fights in the first round on his way to reach the final with convincing wins against all his remaining opponents, including two sabre coaches and two previous winners of the title.

In the final he met Sheffield's Dominic Kinsella. Brenda began with a series of fast charges with flying lunges as he established a commanding lead. Kinsella recovered his confidence but Brenda struck to win the title by 15 hits to 6.

The win in King's Nortron was the second time Brenda has clinched the title, the first was in 2003 when he was just 16-years-old.

Younger brother Christopher, a 17-year-old pupil at Alcester Grammar School, finished in eighth position but Richard's twin brother Thomas was absent from the competition as he was representing Bristol University at the British Universities Team Championships in Nottingham. He came away with a medal for third place.

Next weekend sees the largest of the National Team Championships (The Winton Cup) to be held in Stoke.

The West Midlands Men's Sabre Team will include Richard and Thomas Brenda.

Another Alcester fencer, St Benedict's School pupil Tessa Smallbone, fenced in a variety of styles to reach the final of the u15 league competition in Coventry.

The 13-year-old, who has only been fencing sabre for a year, was edged out by Laura Hunter-Thomas, of Shakespeare's Swords.

Heather Brandon, also a pupil at St Benedict's, finished a very creditable sixth in the u13s event.