THE Irish Pony Club’s representatives flew the flag high for Ireland at Breckenbrough in north Yorkshire last weekend, as they filled the first four placings in the team competition at the Minimus Home International run by the UK Pony Club.

Irish Gold (Lucy O’Connell, Molly Jean Clarke, Jamie Cronin, Alex Walch and Archie McCartan) were well named, as they topped the podium on a score of 17,670 points, ahead of Irish Green (Nancy Lyons Teehan, Georgina Purcell, Scott Doran, Ben Long and Luke Murphy) on 17,284.

Third place went to Irish White (Chloe O’Sullivan, Beau Bourke, Christopher Pugh, Jack O’Connor and Tadhg Murphy), who amassed 16,564 points, with Irish Harp (Aisling O’Driscoll, Gemma Walsh, Darcey Buitelaar, Adele Geoghegan and Benjamin Galligan) slotting into fourth on 16,379. The best UK team was the Welsh Red Dragons, who placed fifth on 16,132 points.

The four-phase competition began with the run at Breckenbrough, which started early on Saturday morning to beat the heat. Here, Co Limerick’s Archie McCartan topped the scores (1,141) in the individual boys’ competition. Traditionally, the UK teams fare better in the shoot, which took place in a large marquee on site as soon as the run concluded.

The afternoon’s swim phase was staged at Catterick Leisure Centre, after which it was back to Breckenbrough to first look after all the ponies and horses, before getting ready for the night’s party.

Thanks to the numerous course walks conducted by the IPC’s Jo Breheny, the Irish team were ready for Sunday’s ride phase over a very challenging track set by the resident course designer and builder, Judith Ellis.

“It was a big, tough track,” commented the IPC’s Head of Tetrathlon and Minimus John Flood who, as soon as the ride phase concluded, left quickly for his flight back to Ireland to take another with the IPC Tetrathlon squad heading to Australia. “Seven of our riders went clear, while the others got around without losing too many points. Riding is definitely the strength of the Irish teams.”

From 97 starters in the ride phase there were 13 clear rounds. The IPC members who each held on to their full 1,400 points were Nancy Lyons Teehan (North Kilkenny), Darcey Buitelaar (Carlow), Georgina Purcell (Scarteen), Jack O’Connor (Tipperary), Alex Walch (Galway Mid County) plus Island members and brothers, Luke and Tadhg Murphy, who are also noted for their hurling skills.

Walch won the boys’ individual competition with 4,501 points to his credit, just ahead of McCartan in second on 4,447. Also finishing in the top 10 were the Duhallows’ Jamie Cronin (4,391) fifth, Luke Murphy (4,385) sixth, Tadhg Murphy (4,376) seventh, Killinick member Scott Doran (4,365) eighth, Jack O’Connor (4,308) ninth and Tipperary’s Ben Long (4,235) 10th.

The girls’ individual competition was won by Britain’s Harriet Thomas, a member of the Polden Hills Branch, who amassed 4,427 points. Having gone clear on her much-admired rescue pony MLHR Benjamin, Darcey Buitelaar placed second on 4,418 points.

Other Irish in the top 10 were the North Kilkenny trio of Lucy O’Connell (4,331), Molly Jean Clarke (4,323) and Nancy Lyons Teehan (4,272), who finished fourth, fifth and seventh, plus Georgina Purcell (4,363), who placed eighth.

Parents and guardians were appreciative of the help and hot weather advice they received from Jack Hutchinson, who drove all the ponies/horses over in one of George Mullins’s large trucks and stayed on site for the weekend.