RIVINGTON Park Fencing Club are celebrating a brilliant bronze medal success at the British Sabre Team Championships.

The women’s sabre team of Great Britain fencer Emily Ruaux, Ella Nightingale and Rachel Lasance beat Bath 45-35 on their way to the semi-finals before narrowly losing out to eventual runners-up Truro 45-40.

Rivington bounced back from that disappointment to beat Camden 45-40 in the bronze medal match.

Scottish team Salle Ossian won the title with a 45-42 victory over Truro in the final.

Rivington also entered two men’s teams of varying experience. The more experienced team of Patrick Jennings, John Simmons and Tom Mottershead finished fifth after an unfortunate injury to Mottershead.

The club also entered an inexperienced male team who finished 10th.

Rivington are a club on the up in terms of quality and now boast two fencers in the top 10 in the women’s sabre national rankings.

Lasance has joined Ruaux, the former ranked ninth and the latter eighth.

It is a remarkable achievement for Lasance who, at 43 years old, is the only veteran in the top 10, with all the rest aged 26 or under.

Rivington Park members are now preparing for the Merseyside Open Tournament at Liverpool’s Greenbank Sports Academy on February 13-14.

Anyone interested in trying fencing and would like to learn more about the club can email rivingtonparkfencingclub@outlook.com.