A MASTERFUL display from the Irish mounted games team saw them crowned the new World Champions at the 2017 World Team Championships in South Africa last weekend.

The competition was hosted by the South African Mounted Games Association and took place in the Royal Agricultural Show Grounds in Pietermarizburg, KwaZulu-Natal.

The Irish team only rode their ponies, who were borrowed mounts and drawn at random, for the first time two days previous.

The Irish team of Graham Beirne, Tony Whooley, Mark Devitt, Craig O’Connor and Ben O’Connor, who were trained by Jerome O’Connor, used the first session as a test run with all the nations getting used to their ponies and the home team took an early lead, which they maintained throughout the following three sessions, and went into the final in pole position.

The first part of the finals were played on Friday with Ireland taking an early lead, winning the first three races. South Africa drew level at one stage before Ireland once again pulled ahead.

In the second half of the final Ireland came into the ring with a four-point lead and they went 11 points ahead at one stage before Wales pulled back to within four points going into the last race.

But a flawless performance from Ireland saw them take the title by six points at the finish, ahead of Wales in second and hosts South Africa in third, New Zealand fourth, Austrailia fifth, England sixth and the USA in seventh.