title: 1919 Netherlands women's fencing championship
text: The 1919 Netherlands women's fencing championship was the first official women's foil fencing championship in the Netherlands. It was organized by the Dutch fencing federation. It was held at Salle Van Humbeek in Amsterdam on 25 March 2019. Esther Bekkers-Lopes Cardozo became the first official champion without losing a match. C. Crena de Jongh finished second and Ina Santhagens-Waller finished third.
  
  Background
  The championship was one of the earliest women's official national sport championship in the Netherlands. For instance, the first Netherlands women’s athletics championships were held in 1921.
  
  In 1911 women fencers of Salle De Vos competed internationally at the 1911 England–Holland women's fencing competitions. A first Dutch national competition was held between fencers of Breda against The Hague at the 1913 Breda–The Hague women's fencing competition. Before the excistance of the national fencing federation the organization of fencing competitions by the fencing houses. Salle Giandomenici organised even an international fencing competition in 1914. Untill 1919 unofficial national championships were held, but which were more like mutual competitions. In 1919, the Dutch fencing federation had taken the lead to organize an annual official women's national fancing championship.
  
  Entrants
  Of the entrants, ten participated at this championship. The number of participants was low compared to the previous unofficial national championships when there were nineteen participants. The participants were from Salle De Vos from The Hague and Salle Giandomenici from Amsterdam. The only entrant from Salle Humbeek, M. J. J. van Heukelom, withdrawn.
  
  Many of the participants were known fencer of that era like: Esther Bekkers-Lopes Cardozo, Ina Santhagens-Waller and Julia Beelaerts van Blokland. A newcomer was a very young fencer, the 16 years old A. C. Fruin from Rotterdam.
  
  The name in italic entered for the competition, but didn't compete.
  
  Results
  The fencers competed in one group in the competition format, meaning each fencer competed once against every other fencer. So each fencer competed against each of the other nine fencers.
  
  Several women with fencing experience disappointed. Julia Beelaerts van Blokland is mentioned in particular who disappointed. While already fenced for years, no progress was visible according to De Telegraaf. She lost against the Fruin with 3–1. Despite the young age of Fruin, it was described she fenced very “creditably”. The match with the best fencing quality was the match of Esther Bekkers-Lopes Cardozo against Ina Santhagens-Waller. Bekkers won the match in a “beautiful” way with 3–0. 
  
  Like the year before, Bekkers won the championship. She won all her nine matches. C. Crena de Jongh finished second. Santhagens-Waller, who finished second the previous year, had after all matches the same score as Fruin. A decisive match took place. It was won by Santhagens-Waller with 3–1 and so finished third with Fruin ending in fourth place.
  
  References
  
  Fencing
  Women's sports
  Sport in the Netherlands‎
  1919 in Europe
  1910s in sports
  History of Amsterdam