Tony Bouskill takes out top fencing title at Fieldays

Tony Bouskill wins the coveted Golden Pliers by Wiremark Singles Championship trophy for the fourth year running. Photo / Stephen Barker, Barker Photography

The winners of the New Zealand Fencing Competition (NZFC) held annually at Fieldays have been announced after a fierce battle between competitors from across the country.

Reigning champion Tony Bouskill was announced as this year’s winner of the coveted Golden Pliers by Wiremark Singles Championship trophy for the fourth year running, while Sander Visser worked hard to take out the top spot in the Bill Schuler competition, named after legendary Waikato-born fencer Bill Schuler, who passed away in 2018.

Tony was the one to beat this year as he and his father Shane Bouskill took out the Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles Championship, showing great teamwork and dedication to the job at hand. This is not the first time they have won the Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles Championship, the duo having competed and won the same championship and award in 2017, 2019 and 2021.

Fencers competing in the Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles Championship. Photo / Kate Durie.

The Fieldays competition is organised and run by NZFC and is thoroughly enjoyed by an enthusiastic crowd - both old and young - wanting to get in on a piece of the action. Each year, the standard of competition increases, as does the number of visitors eager to watch competitors hash it out for the top fencing spots - this time in the December sun.

The winners and finalists for this year’s competitions are:

Golden Pliers Singles Championship by Wiremark

1st Tony Bouskill

2nd Jeff Joines

3rd Cory Twigley

4th Tim Garrick

5th Matt Jones

6th Wilton Weeks

7th Shay Robertson

8th Martin Leveridge

Best Quality - Tony Bouskill, Nick Liefting

First off the line trophy - Tim Garrick

Fieldays Silver Spades Doubles Championship

1st Shane Bouskill & Tony Bouskill

2nd Tim Garrick & Cory Twigley

3rd Matt Jones & Jeff Joines

4th Jared Nicholson & Wilton Weeks

5th Jayden Hart & Michael Trott

6th Sander Visser & Bernard Condon-Orr

7th Sean OHalloran & Nathaniel Hoskin

Bill Schuler Competition

1st Sander Visser

2nd Sean OHalloran

3rd Michael Trott

4th Jayden Hart

5th Troy Brooky

6th Bernard Condon-Orr

7th Nathaniel Hoskin

8th Rawhitiroa Paikea

9th Cameron Phillips

Best first-year - Sander Visser

Best second-year - Bernard Condon-Or

The fencing competition demands a high level of physical strength, fitness and an eye for detail, as shown in the high quality of finished products at the end of each heat. Each competitor worked incredibly hard in this competition, and we thank them all for their involvement with both Fieldays and the NZFC. We hope to see all competitors back at Fieldays again in June 2023.