Rounding Off 2024…

The year of 2024 is coming to a close and I am very pleased with what we have accomplished this year. 

For the first time ever, CMFG was able to field a Buhurt team of 3. Our debut at Loxwood joust was a wonderful event and it’s nice to hear people cheering for the underdog, ie me. With the team starting to enter tournaments and with us receiving gracious invitations from other clubs to train, we can leave 2024 behind with thanks and good memories. In 2025, we will make yet more friends in other clubs and expand our own capacities. 

Richard (Foreground), Kiran of ACG mercing for us (middle-ground), James (Background)

So, what do we have planned?
Well the first is a whole guild upgrade in the form of Floor mats. For a while now, we have needed these mats to safely train grapples, rips, reaps and throws. They will hopefully be in place for February 2025 so that in tournament season, we will have had the ability to practice throwing.
We will also start debuting more fighters in armor next year. 3 is good, but 5 is better! With more fighters, we expand our capacity to enter yet more categories of tournament and competition.
In addition to this, it is my intention to invite Sensei Daniel Witts, 6th Dan Iwamaryu Kenjitsu to our little club to refine our longsword and “spear” capacity, Along with Sensei Ashcroft, 4th Dan Judo, 1st Dan Jujitsu to instruct us how to throw and reap better than we can do. In short, the captain is bringing in the experts if he can. 

Richard (left) facing off against an opponent in a sword & shield duel.

In the summer, we are hoping to host a small, friendly, game based tournament.  This is to further expand the knowledge and the sport representation the public consciousness. 

Here’s to a successful 2025. I’m proud of the membership of the guild this year for all their accomplishments and all that they have achieved. We’ve shown our faces, we’ve said “Hello world”, we’ve been the gracious guest, now it’s time to come home with a few medals! - Richard Player

Gauntlet & sword on the list.

Ely Eel Day Parade

This year was the 20th anniversary of the Ely Eel Day parade, commemorating the declaration of Ely as a city. Ely is a small city, just a few miles North of Cambridge, famous for its cathedral (“The Ship of the Fens”) and eel trade (hence the name “Ely”, named after “eel”; sort of. The truth of the matter is a bit more complicated than that!). This year, however, the parade would also include a contigent of the Cambridge Medieval Fighters Guild.

Club attendees stood in front of the Ely Eel and Ely Cathedral. Photograph courtesy of Bill Shalcross

In various states of armour and armament (it was a very sunny day so going in full armour proved to be A Choice) we joined the parade marching through the city, from teh Cathedral down to the waterfront. It was our first time joining the parade and it included all sorts of groups such as a Samba band and six Morris & Molly dancing groups, as well as the Eel itself (the tail end can be seen in the background of the picture above).

Upon completing the parade we naturally picked a fight with the dread wyrm, in an ill-fated attempt to rid the city of a scourge it didn’t particularly mind, actually. Naturally we lost, and the treasurer was slain in the effort. The rest of the club, quickly stepped in to help finish the job.

The treasurer is cruelly slain through the joint efforts of the Ely Eel and the rest of the club.

Wasting no time after this terrible defeat we retreated to a local tavern to regroup and recuperate. After which, we all went home. It was a grand day out in all and now we’ve had a bit of experience we hope to get involved again next year and make an even bigger showing.

The club members pose for the camera at the start of the parade. Photograph courtesy of Bill Shalcross

CMFG in the News

We made an appearance on BBC Cambridgeshire in 2023. Check it out by the links below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0fxkvr9

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fxkvr9