17 June 2023

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

Reigning champion Tony Bouskill has once again proved too hard to beat, taking out the coveted Golden Pliers® by WIREMARK® Singles Championship trophy, as well as being awarded the Best Quality trophy, and the Nick Liefting First off the line trophy. Bernard Condon worked hard to take out the top spot in the Bill Schuler competition, named after legendary Waikato-born fencer Bill Schuler.

Mark Lambert and Jeff Joines took out the Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship, beating the regular winning father and son duo of Shane and Tony Bouskill. Lambert and Joines displayed excellent teamwork and dedication to the highly skilled task at hand on the day to take the title from the Bouskill’s. The competition this year drew overseas interest with a UK team taking part for the first time and placing 7th against their Kiwi counterparts.

Tony, a fencing contractor by trade, attributes his repeated success to his ability to keep a cool head, saying “anyone on the day has the ability to take out the title if they can trust in the process because they know what they are doing, and they know what is required, so if they can keep a calm, they can win.” Tony expressed his gratitude to Fieldays, faithful for their support, and those who turn up year after year to watch the competition.

The Fieldays Fencing Competitions, organised and run with the support of NZFC is a crowd favourite, especially for those wanting to get in on a piece of the action. Each year, the standard of competition increases as does the number of spectators lining the fences riverside at Mystery Creek.

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

Golden Pliers® Singles Championship by WIREMARK® 
1st Tony Bouskill
2nd Jeff Joines
3rd Tim Stafford
4th Tim Garrick
5th Shane Bouskill
6th Mark Lambert
7th Jared Nicholson
8th Shay Robertson
Best Quality – Tony Bouskill
Nick Liefting First off the line trophy – Tony Bouskill

Fieldays® Silver Spades™ Doubles Championship 
1st Mark Lambert & Jeff Joines 
2nd Shane Bouskill & Tony Bouskill 
3rd Tim Garrick & Cory Twigley 
4th Matt Jones & Tim Stafford 
5th Jared Nicholson & Bernard Condon 
6th Michael Trott & Kupu Lloyd 
7th Mark Evans & Nic Quan (UK Team)

Bill Schuler Competition
1st Bernard Condon 
2nd Troy Brooky 
3rd Cameron Hamerton 
4th Michael Trott 
5th Bradley Fountain 
6th Sander Visser 
Best first year – Cameron Hamerton 
Best second year – Sander Visser 

Each heat delivered high-quality performances, with fencers demonstrating their exceptional skills, techniques and attention to detail.

The organisers extend their gratitude to competitors for their tireless efforts and ongoing commitment to the event and for their involvement with Fieldays and the NZFC, and they look forward to doing it all again in June 2024.