Spectators are invited to one of Europe's biggest fencing competitions taking place in Newcastle this weekend.

The Cole Cup Sabre Fencing Tournament is being held at Northumbria University's Sports Development Centre at Coach Lane, Benton tomorrow and Sunday.

The Cole Cup is the Grand Finale of the Coupe du Nord Nine Nation Satellite circuit, which starts in Holland and moves through Belgium, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Scotland, Denmark and Iceland before reaching England.

Fencers representing Ireland, Singapore, Australia, The Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, France and Luxemburg will compete against some of the UK's best fencers.

The action starts with the men's individual rounds tomorrow morning at 10:30am with the final taking place at 4:30pm.

The women's individual and men's team events start at 10:30am on Sunday with the women's final at 3:30pm, followed by the men's final at 4:30pm.

Entry to all events is free of charge.

Points are awarded to each fencer according to the position in which they finished and the scores accumulated throughout the tournament. The overall winners of the Coupe du Nord series in both the Men and Women's events are awarded their trophies at the Cole Cup.

The Men's Individual event carries World Cup Points awarded by the Federation International d'Escrime (FIE), the world governing body for fencing, and this is the only men's sabre event in England that carries the points which go towards the World rankings.

* Northumbria University is running Saturday morning starter classes for 12-15 year olds interested in fencing at the Coach Lane Sports Development Centre. Anyone interested in taking part or wanting further details should contact Bela Kopetka on 0191 215 6688.