BRADFORD Fencing Club have received a grant of £2,200 from Sport England to upgrade their equipment.

Only eight years old, the club, which operates out of Thornton Recreation Centre, has focused primarily on foil – the lightest weapon in modern fencing.

The grant, however, has been put towards purchasing electric sabre kit, so that two sabre bouts can be held simultaneously.

The electric recording box costs about £700 and the mask, jacket, glove and sabre for electric sabre fencing about £370 per person, with the mask alone costing over £100.

Coach Tim Noble, who is himself a sabreur, said: "The grant is a major coup. I am excited that we now have the top-end electric gear to inspire more fencers – gear it would have taken years to accumulate.

"Now I can plan have-a-go sabre sessions to get more people to discover the fun of true cut and thrust!"

To celebrate the awarding of the grant, Bradford challenged Leeds Fencing Club to a friendly contest earlier this month at Thornton.

Bradford Fencing Club are fully affiliated to the British Fencing Association (BFA) and meets on Tuesdays (7.30pm-9.30pm).

Fencers of all abilities are welcome, and each of the three weapons – foil, epee and sabre – are available in a fun and friendly environment.

Tuition is provided by our BFA registered coaches, and the club provides all the necessary equipment.

Beginners' courses are held periodically, which run for ten sessions from 7.30pm-8.30pm, with the website www.bradfordfencingclub.co.uk showing the start date of the next course.

For more information on the club, there is a new Facebook page available at www.facebook.com/Bradfordfencingclub/.