ALCESTER fencer Richard Brenda is celebrating after striking gold at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in India.

The 20-year-old former pupil of both the town's high school and grammar school, returned from the event in Chennai with top prize in the sabre team competition.

Brenda (pictured right) took the honours in the first ever Commonwealth u21 competition, held over eight days.

In the Men's Individual competition, the Alcester fencer finished 11th, gold going to Alex O'Connell who is the current u21 world champion.

The team event saw England set the pattern with the three-man team easily beating one of the two Indian teams by 45 hits to 15, Brenda conceding just three hits in the entire match.

The team then came face-to-face with a Welsh trio including Brenda's Stratford teammate Dan Perry and they won through 45-16.

The England team then progressed to the final where they met the Scottish side. Once again they showed their class and ran out 45-31 to secure the gold.

Mike Garrity, coach at the Stratford club, was a referee at the Championships.

He said: "At the time I found my loyalties divided and had to show impartiality.

"But now I can say 'well done Stratford Fencing Club'."

England returned from the championships with 15 medals including five golds.

The event demonstrated the dominance in sabre fencing of the UK home countries and has marked several of the fencers, including Brenda, as potential medal winners in the 2012 London Olympics.