Fencing - taking roots in Tuticorin:

One more sport has taken roots in Tuticorin. When highly enthusiastic boys and girls of Under 17 Category clad in a different outfits span the steel blades in air on Wednesday, the spectators, who hitherto saw the sport only on television sets, had a feel of fencing for the first time.

To promote and popularise this sport in Tuticorin district, the Superintendent of Police, J.Y. Nicholson, who actually introduced fencing in Tirunelveli also when he was the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli, decided to conduct the 4th State-level U-17 fencing competitions here.

And his invitation elicited tremendous response from students across the State, as 250 students from 21 districts participated in the three-day event.

The winners of this competition will represent Tamil Nadu in the national-level meet to be held at Guwahati, Assam, between August 24 and 27.

"Since Tamil Nadu won the championship in the last edition of the national-level meet held at Kozhikode, Kerala, we'll go all out to defend the title this time also," said the general secretary of Tamil Nadu Fencing Association, D. Nagappan.