STRATFORD celebrated at the double after the British National Fencing Championships last weekend when Mike Johnson, 23 from Bridgetown, Stratford (Portsmouth University) and Louise Bond-Williams, 21, from Ebrington (Ohio State University) triumphed at the National Sabre Championships.

The newly crowned champions started at King Edward VI School in Stratford where Johnson was a pupil at King Edward VI School, where he learnt his swordsmanship alongside Bond-Williams.

The young Cotswolds girl showed her talent early. At the age of 12 she won the West Midlands Girls Sabre Championships, while Johnson has held every British title except the senior championship.

This year he completed his set and is the only man to have achieved it.

Both finals produced their share of drama. Johnson fought neck and neck with his opponent, Chris Jamieson from Scotland, until they reached the last points of the championships.

Johnson trailed 14-13 with Jamieson needing only one hit for his first championship victory. However, Johnson showed his class to move up yet another gear to produce two stunning hits.

Bond-Williams found herself 11-8 down against her domestic rival, Crystall Nicoll, 17, from Blandford.

She was the one person that could have taken the title from Bond-Williams and at that stage it looked like she would do it.

But, Bond-Williams isn't the British No 1 for nothing, and she focused hard to regain the tactical advantage and swept through the remaining hits with deceptive ease to take the title for a sixth time.

The new champion is hoping to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Will Garrity, 20 (Stratford College) from Chipping Campden won the bronze medal. He had been one of Johnson's victims in the semi-final and was fencing well.

Again he had a tough fight with the eventual champion taking him all the way to the last point and only conceding the match 15-14.

Peter Kirby, 18 (Chipping Campden School) from North Littleton was another Johnson victim.

The two met in the last 16 and Kirby had the upper hand at halfway but Johnson pulled his championship standard out of the hat and took the fight 15-14 denying Kirby his first championship quarter-final place.

The other Stratford fencers also produced some outstanding results from their younger rising stars.

On top form were brothers Tom and Richard Brenda, 17 (both Alcester Grammar) who finished 23rd and 25th with their elder brother, David, 18 (KES) in 37th place. Fellow KES student Aaron Fox was 42nd

Stratford-trained teenager Lauren Sewell from Coventry also fenced in the championships and recorded a personal best when she took out her last 32 opponent.

The fencers train in Stratford at the KES Centre of Excellence and the Stratford Fencing Club on Tuesday and Wednesdays. Both clubs offer introductory training for beginners and excellent facilities.