Victoria Hide’s final ranking in the under 11 Leon Paul Junior Epee fencing series was joint first with Amelia Wightwick after the girls picked up 100 points during the course of the competition.

Her twin sister Amelia also fared well, finishing sixth ranked nationally with 89 points.

The Leon Paul Junior Series has been sponsored and co-ordinated by Leon Paul fencing equipment since 1986.

The series runs from January to December and involves monthly competitions which are hosted nationally.

Points are awarded for each event, then for each individual their series total will be calculated by taking their four best results from the series, adding them together to give their total points.

Virtually all of the successful young fencers in the country, started their careers in Leon Paul competitions.

The girls are active members of the Yorkshire Modern Pentathlon and represented Yorkshire at the National Championships in 2009.

Mum Sheila Hide said: “It was through pentathlon they acquired their passion for fencing.

“They have been unable to find a coach locally so have to travel to Boston Spa, Easingwold or Bishop Burton for their lessons.

“This is very time-consuming but certainly worth the effort when you consider their rankings.

“The year 2010 will be a challenging time for the girls as they move up an age category to the under 13s, with the first competition of the series being in Manchester.”

Both girls enjoy all aspects of sport – they are members of Glaisdale Pony Club, New Marske Harriers, Loftus Dolphins and when they are not training, have to fit in homework as they recently moved up from Danby School to Eskdale School.

To see the girls’ full results, visit www.leonpauljuniorseries.com