BRITISH OPEN FENCING COMPETITION PROVES A BIG HIT
This year’s inaugural British Open Fencing Competition was held in the new Fencing Village at the APF Forestry Show at Ragley Hall.
The new Fencing Village brought together leading suppliers of machinery, manufacturers and fencing suppliers. Central to the Fencing Village was the McVeigh Parkers-sponsored Fencing Arena.
McVeigh Parker ran open workshops on the first day demonstrating the Triple X all-steel fencing system. This stewardship grant-approved system was a hit with the visitors, watching it being erected up the slope of the arena. The demonstration allowed for open talks and enabled visitors to see the finite details the professional contractor’s work to, and the ease and speed with which this type of fencing could be erected.
On day two McVeigh Parker hosted and sponsored the inaugural British Open Fencing Championships
12 two-man teams competed head to head and against the clock to win the prestigious British Open Fencing Trophy and an XFENCE 200cc Drifta Kart. Sponsored by McVeigh Parker.
The fencing competition arena was on a slight slope which was welcomed by the contractors as it would provide a real test of their skill and experience.
The Teams had to erect 60m of stock fencing in 4 hours. The fence had to consist of one turn and have a diagonal strutted strainer one end and a box strainer the other.
Xfence stiffstay X knot wire netting was used to demonstrate its strength and versatility on slopes. Each fence line had to be cut centrally and joined by way of a fencer’s knot.
Strainrite XT1 ratchet insulators one end enabled controlled tensioning. An electric top line using Gallagher insulators was erected to complete the fence. Points were won and lost on the overall straightness of the fence, how vertical the posts were, how neatly the struts are fitted to strainers, wire tensioned to the manufacturer’s guidelines, strengthand neatness of the knots used on the wire and netting.
