THE Wexford Hunt Minstrels were crowned Auto Boland Jaguar and Land Rover/Irish Pony Club national minimus champions last Sunday having seen off the challenge of 60 other teams in Co Kilkenny. They also won the best mixed team award, bridging a gap of 30 years.

The successful quartet included one relative newcomer to the sport, Emma Hickey, who kept her full 1,400 points from the ride phase, as did Michael Bowe and Cillian Crosbie. The Minstrels, who also counted Lucy Minahan in their line-up, took the title on a total of 10,430 points ahead of the Wicklow Warriors (Charlotte Goor, Tianne Kelly, Ellen Medlycott and Joseph Morrissery) who were on 10,378 for second. The South Westmeath Superstars (Amelie Henson, Lucy O’Rourke, Harry Lowe and Christina Whittaker) had a completion score of 9,824 to place third.

“It was an excellent weekend,” said the IPC’s chairman of tetrathlon, John Flood. “Although some people would have liked to stay with the high-profile venues such as Millstreet and Punchestown, a huge effort resulted in a magnificent course at Nuenna Farm.

“This was a real championship course where those who were brave and competent were rewarded while we put in plenty of options for those not ready to jump a championship track. It was one of the best tracks I’ve ever seen for Under 12s. It walked quite difficult but many of the kids rose to the challenge which was great to see.

“We had to move the phases around to fit in with pool time on Saturday evening in the Watershed in Kilkenny City so, with the run having to take place on Sunday morning, we ended up finishing later than we had hoped. Because of the latest ease in restrictions, we were able to have a prize-giving, with members staying in Branch pods, etc.”

Michael Bowe’s father J.J., who has had a busy couple of weeks at the sales in Goresbridge, agreed that it was a good cross-country course and one which suited riders who had done some hunting.

Emma Hickey in action \ Mel Doyle

As well as her 1,400 points from the ride phase, the Wexford Hunt Minstrels’ Hickey won the run on 1,234 points which, added her to her joint-14th place in the swim for 1,064 points, saw her take the individual title on a total of 3,698. The Waterford Crusaders’ Emmet Walsh, who was one of 32 to go clear in the ride phase, was runner-up in the run (1,186) and second overall on 3,690 points with the Wicklow Warriors’ Tianne Kelly placing third on 3,642. The swim phase was won by the South Westmeath Superstars’ Amelie Henson (1,280).

As many riders didn’t get to compete in what should have been their final minimus championship last year, a special Class of 2020 was held at the weekend.

The winner here was the Leitrim Branch’s Grace Quinn who won the swim on 1,360 points, was one of 19 to retain all her ride points (1,400) and with 1,060 points from the run, landed this special class on a total of 3,820. The run phase winner on 1,186 points, Max O’Reilly finished second overall on 3,730 for the Tipperary Branch with Wexford’s Molly Hennessy Murphy placing third on 3,662.

There was an international element to the weekend as well with three IPC teams – Ireland A, B and C – taking on a team from Northern Ireland and one from Scotland.

The winners on a total of 13,348 points were Ireland B comprising the aforementioned Amelie Henson, Harry Lowe and Tianne Kelly with the Duhallows’ Caroline Roche making up their quartet.

Competitors in this class had a shooting phase on Saturday afternoon and there was a very rare result when Scotland’s Ailsa King recorded 1,000 points (Roche shot 980). This helped the Scottish team finish second on 12,906 but they had another secret weapon in Emma Hickey who was co-opted on to their squad for the day. The other visitors were Tara Kane and Jack Edgar.

Ireland A, comprising Charlotte Goor (who had done so well at the IPC’s national dressage day the previous weekend), Newcastle Lyons’s Charlie Cairns, Lucy O’Rourke and Isabelle Walsh of the Kildare Branch were third on 12,846.

Although with 840 points she was only joint-14th in the swim phase, Hickey was the leading international rider as well on a total of 4,538. Roche was second on 4,512 with Kelly third on 4,482.