MANY congratulations to the Irish Pony Club’s senior tetrathlon squad who competed in The Pony Club’s senior international tetrathlon in central Scotland last weekend.
The IPC’s international quintet of Alex Stewart (Limerick), Leah O’Neill (Clare), Ellie Holohan (North Kilkenny), Lucy Hogan (Cavan) and Rebecca Lowe (Westmeath) won the international girls’ competition on a total of 16,333 points. Scotland Blue, who had two competitors home clear within the time across the country, finished second on 15,760 ahead of Wales (14,839).
Lowe, who recorded the top swim score (1,156) was the individual winner on 4,187 with O’Neill placing second (4,142) and Hogan finishing fifth (4,091).
O’Neill and Lowe, who previously won the individual competition when she was just 13 years old, both jumped clear but picked up some time penalties.
Welsh win
In the boys’ international, Wales took the honours on a score of 16,388 points with England finishing second on 15,462. The IPC team of Ben Toole (Ward Union), Uiseann Cooke (Galway Mid County), Daragh Phelan (Laois), Max Merren (Bray) and Simon Barrett (Ward Union) were third on 15,341. Toole, who was one of four riders home clear within the time across the country, finished fifth individually.
The IPC’s international girls’ team also won the Regional girls’ competition with Ireland Leinster Girls finishing second on the excellent score of 16,068 ahead of Scotland Blue. The Leinster team comprised Holly Micklem (Bray), Eabha Toole (Ward Union), Ruth Sargent (Kildare), Holly Hutchinson (Warrington) and Erika Lowe (Westmeath) who was fourth individually on 4,090.
This result marked the first time in approximately 30 years of the competition that teams from the same region placed first and second.
In the Boys’ Regionals, the IPC’s international team was third behind Wales and The Scythians, a mixed region team who posted a total of 15,375.
The Ward Union’s Ellen Collins, who was on the Ireland Connaught Girls team, was one of just 3.6% of the 80 girls entered who recorded clear rounds within the time over what was described as an up-to-height and technical cross-country course.
Overall, only 7% of the competitors were awarded the full 1,400 points for this phase.
Members of Area 17 of The Pony Club (Northern Ireland) recorded some good individual scores with Connie Crothers being second in the run, Conor Findlay placing sixth in shooting and Archie Wilding being one of the 7% who were clear in the cross-country phase.
Entries closed on Thursday just gone for the Joe Duffy Volvo national tetrathlon championships which take place between Trinity Sport and Leisure Club, Donaghmede and Tattersalls Ireland over the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, August 24th and 25th.