Neal Mallett won the epee national veterans’ championship for the third time in four years in Gloucester.

The 51-year-old Oxford fencer qualified as No 2 seed from the group stages of the event for competitors aged 40 and above, which had 43 entries.

Two relatively easy fights took Mallett into the quarter-finals where he narrowly overcame the difficult Jonathan Dawkins 8-7.

The final against Jonathan Stanbury was clear cut, Mallett finishing with a devastating fleche attack to win 10-3.

He has now qualified for the veterans’ world championships in Moscow in October.

Graham Paul, 61, of Banbury won a bronze medal.

Paul, the reigning world over-60 champion, lost in the semi-final to his younger clubmate, John Troiano, who went on to win the championship.

But, having won his age group event earlier in the year, Paul automatically qualifies for Moscow.