Isabella caps a superb year with success at the England Fencing Championships

The 13 year-old won the Under 15 title in dramatic style recording single point victories in both her semi-final and final.

Howser started slightly hesitantly, after feeling ill en route to the event, losing her first poule round bout, but got herself going to win her remaining 5 bouts to enter the direct elimination rounds as 7th seed.

After a bye through the last 64, she won matches 15-6, 15-12 and then 15-6 again to reach the medal matches. Howser defeated number one sees Katie Hawthorne from Manchester in her quarter-final.

The semi-final was a much closer affair, with Howser trading hits with London's Ffion Shute, with the lead switching throughout. The fight reached 14-14, with the next point deciding who made the final, and the local girl took that hit to reach the gold medal match.

It was a similar story in the final against Birmingham-based French fencer Salome Ambrosino, but again Howser prevailed 15-14.

Howser reached the final of virtually every event she entered in the season. She also won the British Under 14 fencing title, finished second at the British Modern Tetrathlon Championships (fencing, swimming, pistol Shooting & running), won her first events abroad and finished the year ranked 2nd on the European Under 14 Epee Fencing rankings, as well as winning a multitude of other golds and silvers through the period.

At 13 Howser will start next season as the 7th ranked British Under 17 fencer.

The cost of competing at this level is very expensive and if any businesses/individuals would be interested in offering some form of sponsorship to assist her progress, please contact [email protected].