MALVERN’S Alexander Cupper was left disappointed despite finishing the highest-ranked West Midlands competitor by some margin at the British Fencing Championships.

The regional champion was widely expected to come home with silverware from the under 10s foil category in Much Wenlock, Shropshire.

But The Downs Malvern year four pupil finished in 12th position after being knocked out by rival Lim in the third eliminator round.

Cupper gave a strong, textbook performance throughout the poule stages to gain the number one ranking.

However, an uncharacteristic slip in his final poule match conceded four points, more than the total of his previous eight fights.

It caused his ranking to slip to seventh, resulting in a tougher path to the final.

Cupper still earned a bye for the first eliminator round and trounced his opponent 10-1 in the second in under two minutes.

The next stage saw Cupper face Lim, of London, who he had never beaten in any of their previous encounters.

A tough battle went the full six minutes and ended 4-3 to Lim, who went on to be crowned British champion.

Cupper trains with the Herefordshire and Redditch outfits as well as receiving lessons from The Downs coach at Malvern Hills.