THE Tullymurry team earned all the plaudits they received last Saturday, having turned much of the cross-country course around in the preceding six days to provide a fresh challenge for those who converged on their Co Down venue.

An event secretary’s work is never done it seems with Dora Beacom’s huge list of jobs straying into the world of traffic management for the past two weeks. For Tullymurry (1), she had to advise competitors of the Twelfth of July parades while last Saturday she sent out an alert about possible delays in and around Castlewellan where the annual agricultural show was being held.

None of these would have affected the home-based David O’Connor who had four mounts both days, winning the EI110 last Saturday with the Irish Sport Horse mare Twice The Spice whose total of 30 included 1.2 show jumping time penalties.

In this 13-runner class, the only combination to complete on their first phase score was Lois Thompson with Jackie Harris’s Irish Sports Pony Moneyquid Velvet (32) while Sarah Ennis finished third with the dressage winner Nycarlos H (32.8) who lowered one of the coloured poles and picked up time penalties in both jumping phases.

In fourth, Orlagh Halliday also beat the clock across the country on Cold War who, unfortunately, spoiled his chance with eight show jumping penalties which left him on a total of 36.3. Halliday has the nine-year-old Declaration of War gelding entered in today’s thoroughbred class at The Clare.

Twice The Spice, who O’Connor partnered to victory at Hazeldene in May, is a 10-year-old mare by Lancelot who was bred in Co Down by Brian Smyth out of Carneyhaugh Dawn (by Don Juan de la Bouverie mare Carneyhaugh Dawn).

She is owned by Barry and Helen Fletcher whose daughter Rachel would ride normally ride the chesnut but is recovering from surgery.

Comfortable win

Suzanne Hagan comfortably won the duel for honours in the EI110 (Open) on her ISH gelding Loughview Commander, picking up 2.4 cross-country time penalties on the Cobra nine-year-old for a total of 34.4. This combination are among those set to contest the Barberstown Castle EI115 (Open) at Clonmahon tomorrow.

Maeve Deverell, who had two rides in the five-runner EI110 (J), made it four wins in-a-row, and seven for the season, on board the ISH gelding Annaharvey Dunowen, a 12-year-old Radolin dun who is owned by her father Sam and was bred by her grandfather Henry.

The Co Offaly combination led after dressage on 30.3 but lost their hold on the top spot when lowering one of the coloured poles and picking up 2.8 time penalties.

Maeve Deverell and Annagharvey Dunowen winning EI110 (J) at Tullymurry \ Anne Hughes

However, they beat the clock across the country to complete on 37.1. Close up in second, having also faulted in the show jumping ring, were the previous weekend’s winners, Caitlin Woods and Greygrove Delight (38.5).