11-year-old fencing star Oscar Crellin is celebrating being picked to represent Yorkshire at the prestigious national championships.
Harrogate fencing star to represent Yorkshire at national championships An 11-year-old fencing star from Harrogate has been picked to represent Yorkshire at the prestigious national championships. Oscar Crellin, who is in Year 7 at Ripon Grammar School, was selected for the British Youth Championships after claiming bronze in the Under-12 Men’s Foil at the Yorkshire Youth Championships. Oscar narrowly missed out on a place in the final after winning all his group matches to reach the semi-final, which ended in a tense, sudden-death 6-7 match. He said:
“It was really close. It was frustrating not to get a shot at the Yorkshire title, but I'm happy to be selected for the BYCs, which was my main focus of the competition.”[caption id="attachment_99797" align="aligncenter" width="1005"] Oscar Crellin finished 17th at his first English Youth Championships last year.[/caption] The 11-year-old has been fencing with Harrogate Fencing Club for the past five years, taking part in competitions all over the country from the age of six. He finished 17th at his first English Youth Championships last year, and currently sits just outside the top 20 in the England rankings. Oscar said:
"I'd like to see how far I can progress. The club is really supportive, with such a family atmosphere. It's the same at competitions - you make really good friends, although you still want to beat them on the day!"Oscar, who is from Harrogate, joined Ripon Grammar from Highfield Prep School where he was sports captain. He juggles his fencing success with lots of other sports, including football and tennis. He said:
"I play upfront for Pannal Sports Juniors. We've only lost one match this season, and I hope I can retain the golden boot this year. "It's a great team to play for and the coaches are brilliant - really calm and they try to get the best from everyone. "That's how you improve in any sport - have the best coaching and put the hours in."He spends around ten hours a week in training and matches across all sports, plus another five hours if there's a fencing competition. He added:
“It sounds a lot, but I enjoy it and it's really rewarding when you get a win, whether that's on a podium, with your team or just improving your performance.”*British Fencing’s 2024 British Youth Championships will be held in Sheffield on May 4 and 5 Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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