Feisty fencers cross swords with Newcastle ‘bell-ends’

Today, DU Fencing take on Newcastle for the second derby of the year, which promises to be an epic clash of wits, blades and chat.

The boys

There’s a long and controversial history behind this fixture, with Newcastle’s top fencer having been thrown out of Durham’s training setup for ‘being a bell-end’, as one leading Durham fencer put it.

DU Fencing have been smashing it this season

The last time Durham faced their rivals, just a few weeks ago, the Palatinates were dominating on points going into the final round. After some controversial tactics from Newcastle, technically described as ‘dicking about with the rules’, things heated up.

Having just lost a point and seeing a member of the opposition ready to launch into a display of appalling chat, the DU fencing president lost his cool and snapped a blade across his bare hands.

It got messy.

The broken blade

And now it’s happening again, today at 1pm.

If Durham win, then the Men’s Firsts will have won the BUCS Northern Premiership, with Newcastle being the only team that could feasibly stop the Palatinate swordsmen.

They’re ready.

They might even celebrate like they did at their last social, after which a fresher woke up to this lovely surprise in his pocket.

Will they be popping more bottles?

Follow the action and support the boys on Twitter – @DUFencing