Mercia Novice Open

6/4/26: The only categories still accepting entries are women's epee and sabre. All categories will be single gender through both poule and DE stage, as we have sufficient entries.

14/3/26: we are having a bit of a nightmare with Sport80 at the moment - a support ticket has gone in. You should be able to attach yourself to the event but not choose a weapon/pay, please email mercianoviceopen@foiledagain.co.uk so we can kick the system from our side (does not apply to categories which are at capacity).

This competition is open to fencers aged 13 and over as of 1st January 2026 with Starter, Recreational or Compete membership who are not in the British Fencing senior rankings as follows: men, not in the top 100 for that weapon; women, not in the top 50. Fencers who are new to competition are particularly welcome.

Fencers who have previously won a senior Open or who have been selected to fence that weapon for their country at any level (including cadet, junior or veteran) are unlikely to meet the criteria for being a ‘novice’ fencer and are asked to consider if this event is appropriate for them. Feel free to email us if you’re unsure. Previous winners are welcome to enter again, if they do a different weapon (e.g. the previous winner of our epee competition may fence foil or sabre, but not epee), assuming they still meet our criteria for being a novice.

The competition will be 1 round of poules (fencing to 5 hits), after which all fencers go through to the Direct Elimination (DE) round. Poules may be mixed gender, depending on numbers, but DE bouts will be single gender. It is not possible to compete in more than one weapon on the day.

Check in for each weapon will close as follows: 9am foil, 11am sabre, 1pm epee

EQUIPMENT:

All weapons: minimum 350N jacket and breeches, 800N plastron only, size 5 blades. Fencers can take part with a blue Leon Paul jacket but must have an 800N plastron underneath. Referees will check plastron, glove and mask on piste - masks do not require secondary straps but must be secure.

Foil: Foil lame, mask with a conductive bib, mask wire. Fencers wearing a chest protector don’t need the padded covering for that item for this competition.

Sabre: Sabre lame, sabre mask, mask wire. All fencers must have an 800N sabre glove.

Please note: fencers should be coming to the piste with a minimum of 2 weapons, a spare body wire and a spare mask wire (foil/sabre). This is a requirement for competitions of all levels – no spare kit or equipment will be available to borrow at the venue. We will have an armorer present on the day, who will be able to do minor repairs. We will also have Excalibur Sports on site.

Any questions about the event, please email mercianoviceopen@foiledagain.co.uk