The Harvard fencing team had to scramble to recover from a sloppy beginning to down an inspired Trinity squad, 16-11, yesterday. Saberman Bob Barnard and foil handler Cliff Ruderman contributed sweeps in their matches to pace the Crimson.

Harvard found itself trailing 6-3 by the end of the first round. Squeaking to victory in two of the saber matches, the Crimson unexpectedly lost two foil bouts and dropped all of the epee. The biggest upset of the day was strongman Sam Fout's no-touch loss in the foil.

In the second round of matches, Harvard settled down as Barnard and Preston Abbott won their second saber matches in a row. The turning point came in the foil contests when the Crimson swept all three duels by decisive margins.

The epee men continued the rally, as Captain Harry Jergensen and Bill Theodire handily avenged their earlier losses.

The Crimson roared away from Trinity in the last duels, taking two out of three matches in each class, mostly by impressive tallies. Junior Ron Winfield, who was unable to make the early matches because of an important class, suited up in time to win the final saber contest.

Harvard faces a well-balanced Princeton team at 2 p.m. Saturday in the IAB.