Early on, friar will do great in 1v1 melee pvp - simply because no one will have buffs and you will have full buffs with high ABS and evade/parry.

Now, don't expect to kill a kiting caster, just run from them and try to LOS to get them in melee range. You have a little endurance regen, and most people early on won't have endu pots or anything.

Just realize that several months down the road, after people farm up, your buffs won't play as huge as a factor in 1v1 melee fights.