THIRTEEN members of Branches in Area 17 of The Pony Club travelled over from Northern Ireland to Grantham in England on Friday last to compete in Sunday’s PCUK Winter Triathlon Championships.

In the team events, the best result for Area 17 came at Open level where the quartet of Harry Purdy (Iveagh), Sam Statts-Howard (Route), Una McClelland (Iveagh) and Emma Stewart (Killultagh, Old Rock & Chichester) finished fifth (8,491 points) behind the winners, Area 15 (8,900).

Fifth was also the finishing place of Statts-Howard (2,858) in the Senior Boys’ individual championship, where Purdy (2,673) placed 14th and the winner was the Cotley Hunt Branch’s Olly Morris (3,086). There were 28 starters in that competition while 51 members vied for the Senior Girls’ title, which was won by the West Hants’ Constance King (3,002). Here, Stewart finished sixth (2,960), the Iveaghs’ Rosie Strain finished 16th (2,809) and McClelland completed in 38th place (2,644).

At Junior level, there was a brilliant result for the Killultaghs’ Annabel McKeown, who amassed 3,199 points to place third behind the South and West Wilts’ Lily Nutland (3,208) and East Cheshire’s Zara Anne McNamara (3,205). Fermanagh’s Maeve Rolston-McAuliffe finished 29th (2,900) of the 56 starters. Seskinore members Henry Irwin and Henry Coote posted personal bests in the Junior Boys’ championships.

In the 46-strong Minimus Boys’ championship, won by the Tivertons’ Robert Melia (3,186), Killultagh’s James McKeown placed 14th (2,983), while Seskinore’s Joey Dickson finished 28th (2,850). In the 56-runner equivalent girls’ championship, where the title went to Hetty Martin, a member of the Vine Branch who amassed 3,162 points, Seskinore’s Jessica McCarroll finished 28th (2,929) with the East Antrim’s C.J. O’Brien completing in 44th spot (2,857).