Yorkshire fencing champ Reuben is heading for nationals

A TALENTED young RGS fencer is to compete on a national stage after being crowned Yorkshire champion.

Reuben Harford came first in the under 16s men’s saber competition at the Yorkshire qualifiers for the British Youth Championships, held in York.

He is now preparing to compete against the top young fencers from across the UK at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield in May.

He won the final 15-8 and says he found the semi-final much tougher: "The semi was against someone from my club, who knew how to fence me, and the final was against an opponent who I had fenced once, and had been watching that day."

The 15-year-old, from Markington, who has been fencing with Harrogate Fencing Club since he was 11 years old, also qualified for the national championships last year in the foil category, after coming third in the qualifiers.

The teenager trains for one-and-a-half hours every week and also helps coach younger age groups: "I wanted to do fencing because it looked cool originally, but I now really enjoy the sense of achievement and community."

He is also a keen Scout, ParkRun enthusiast and plays trombone in the Summerbridge and Dacre Silver Band.

The aspiring engineer says: “I definitely hope to continue my fencing at least through university, and hopefully beyond.”