The Ridley Martin Cupis a long running fencing competition - formally it is the “National Junior Championships” - Junior as in the sense of “Intermediate” rather than “young” - there is no upper age limit and other than the entry criteria it is a normal fencing Open. The Shield is a more recent extension of the Cup.

Alfred Ridley-Martin (1881-1970) first burst on to the fencing scene when he won the British sabre championship in 1910, a feat he repeated in 1913. In 1911 he came third in the international Ostend sabre tournament and in 1913 he won the inaugural Magrini Memorial Cup, when it was an individual sabre competition.

During World War I, he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and was awarded the OBE.

He twice captained the British sabre team at the Olympic Games, 1912 and 1920, fenced for GB in the first British-American match of 1921 and, at the age of 50, represented GB for the last time in the European (World) Championships of 1931. He was Hon. Treaasurer of the AFA from 1946 to 1948. (Malcolm Fare)