THE final Irish Pony Club competition of 2018, the international mounted games, was held at Punchestown racecourse last Saturday and Sunday, and what contrasting days they were for competitors, supporters, officials and volunteers alike.

The effects of Storm Callum were obvious as the going in the grass arenas cut up badly on a very wet Saturday but the weather on Sunday was just about perfect. Despite the very bad conditions in Wales, their team was able to travel over but without their ponies. They did very well on borrowed mounts – as did a couple of English representatives who also had to leave their own ponies at home.

The international competition consisted of the teams which played at the Royal Windsor horse show in May with Ireland being represented by Mollie Kinsella and Zac Furlong from the Shillelagh Branch, Jane O’Meara (Duhallow), Matt Sinnott (Island) and Ali McPhillips (Kildare). At Windsor, each team had a non-playing reserve who, last weekend, rode on the United Nations team with Ireland being represented by John Nolan (Laois).

It was a very tough competition over the two days and, after three sessions, the scores were tight. The fourth and final session took place on Sunday afternoon when double points were on offer. The result came down to the very last race, the Big Sack, in which England just pipped Scotland to take the overall honours by 232 points to 230. Ireland finished third on 194.

The British team, Devon & Somerset, won the Senior Branch A final ahead of Duhallow and Kildare while, in the B final, it was the Dublin Horse Show winners, Laois, who came out best. In second here was West Perthshire who are trained by Scottish mounted games legend Pat Brown. They had a long, rough journey to get to Punchestown, only arriving at the Co Kildare racecourse early on Saturday morning.

The Duhallows took the honours in the Junior Branch A final followed by the Shillelaghs and Wexford while a second B final went the way of Laois at Junior level where Carlow placed second. The Wexfords had to settle for second in the Under 10s Branch A final where they were sandwiched between their neighbours the Island, who won, and Tipperary who finished third. Meath claimed the B final ahead of the second Carlow team.

Despite the bad weather on Friday, as teams arrived, and again on Saturday, the weekend once again proved a great success. The Irish team which competed at Royal Windsor held a quiz on the Friday night and a very enjoyable party on Saturday following the first day’s action.

It’s been a long season for serious games players with trials beginning back in January in the sand arena at Punchestown before the first of many teams started travelling to Britain. And, it’s not over yet with an open meeting taking place in the Abbeyleix Manor Hotel on Thursday, November 8th.