Fencers Bow to Salle-Elde, 15-12, In Practice for Weekend Matches

The best group of non-collegiate fencers in Boston proved again last night what has come to be a maxim in the sport--any one fencer, or team, can have at any time either a good day or a bad one. The Salle-Elde club, led by B.U.'s coach, coasted to a 15-12 victory over the Crimson last night in a practice match at the I.A.B.

The contest was scheduled by Coach Edo Marion in an effort to sharpen the varsity for this weekend's two-game road trip to Penn and Princeton.

The outcome of the match may have been the anticipation of a long weekend. Nevertheless, both the varsity foil and sabre "A" squads fenced poorly. Salle-Elde, with but one substitution, fenced both teams in foil, winning the first 7 to 2 and dropping the second 4 to 5.

Captain Hubert Hocutt was again unable to win a bout, as he dropped all three. The top varsity foil fencer, Peter Boyce, showed well in winning two of three, while Mike Klapper lost three in a row.

Friday's match with Penn, however, should be a different story. The Quakers have lost three Ivy League matches--to Yale, Princeton, and Columbia. On the basis of comparative scores, Penn should be on the same level as Cornell, which the Crimson defeated Saturday 14 to 13.

The Quakers are especially weak in epee, traditionally the varsity's question mark. Joe Trimble should offer Peter Boyce his best competition of the year in foil, where Penn is somewhat stronger.

Dick Johnson and Eliot Morrison each won one of three for the "B" team, while Bill Bassetti, fencing his very best, won all three.