Bentnall swipes three fencing titles

TALENTED Alex Bentnall has made a bit of history by becoming the first ever fencer to take all three titles at the Kent Junior championships in Maidstone. Bentnall, 17, from Shadoxhurst, near Ashford, who has already qualified for the British Youth championships, was in commanding form taking the epee, foil and sabre titles in fine style.

The delighted Kings School student said: "It was a very tiring day as I got no rest between the weapons and it was a bit of strain towards the end." Despite that, all his wins were fairly comfortable with the closest anyone got to upsetting his triumphant drive was 15-8 in the eliminators and then again in the finals.

Bentnall, who is fencing captain at Kings, met two fellow team-mates in the finals beating Christopher Uhde (in the epee final and Robert Jennings in the foil final.

In the sabre final he saw off the challenge of Dover College's Hayden McCarthy.

After his A-levels Alex aims to take a gap year before university, spending six months in Australia and then an intensive month in Hungary training with the superb Hungarian coaches that have made their country one of the top nations in fencing.