Kelsey Dame wins Herne's Cup 2026 longsword bracket in Oxford
Kelsey Dame won Herne’s Cup 2026’s 80-fencer intermediate steel longsword bracket in Oxford, beating Matthias De Oliveira while London Historical Fencing Club took gold.
Kelsey Dame won Herne’s Cup 2026’s intermediate open steel longsword bracket in Oxford, a field that drew 80 fighters and gave the division the feel of a genuine proving ground. Dame of London Historical Fencing Club finished first over Matthias De Oliveira of Ausardia HEMA Club, with Robbie MacKenzie-Clarke of Exeter Sparring Group third and David Christie of Caledonian Sword Guild fourth.
The top end stayed crowded all the way through the bracket. Sam Newton of University of Chester HEMA, Timothy Noyce of SMART HEMA Clubs, Ben Luxa of Exeter Sparring Group and Charles Django of SMART HEMA Clubs all shared the fifth-place line, showing that the pressure did not stop at the medal matches. With four clubs represented in the top four and more names from different schools packed into fifth, the bracket rewarded fighters who could adjust across a wide range of opponents and styles.
The result marks a sharp step forward for Dame. At Herne’s Cup in March 2025, Dame finished fourth in the intermediate open steel longsword bracket, which had 60 fighters and was topped by Nathan Shallcross of Red Dragon, Oliver Denton of SMART HEMA Clubs and Alex Gilbank of SMART HEMA Clubs. One year later, Dame turned that same event into a title run, moving from the edge of the podium to the top of the field.
That progression matters because intermediate steel longsword is often where competitive reputations are made before fencers move into deeper open-level attention. Dame’s win over an 80-fighter bracket is a stronger indicator than a small-field result, and the final four underlined that the title was not built on a soft path. Ausardia HEMA Club, Exeter Sparring Group and Caledonian Sword Guild all left Oxford with a clear medal or near-medal result, while London Historical Fencing Club walked away with the champion.
The depth of the bracket also gave a useful read on the competitive middle tier. Ben Luxa reappeared in the upper places after also taking fifth in 2025, and Robbie MacKenzie-Clarke’s third-place finish added another strong result for Exeter Sparring Group. For Herne’s Cup, the numbers point to a bracket that is producing more than a winner: it is sorting out which clubs are building fighters ready for the next level.
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