THE Amateur Leinster League came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday at Mullingar Equestrian Centre, after 10 fiercely-contested legs, which commenced at the Ingrid Kane Show in April. The league, generously sponsored by Leinster Region Showjumping, carried €1,400 worth of prizes for the top six riders and a further €1,000 awarded on the day of the finale.

With standings tight at the top, it was Gemma Drennan who emerged as overall champion, securing the title with Cool Finesse. Drennan’s consistent performances proved decisive. She opened her campaign with a win at the Ingrid Kane Show, followed by a strong second place at Ballyfoyle and again finishing runner-up in the Mullingar finale. Her tally of 35 SJI points put her narrowly ahead of Linda Gillespie, who finished just two points behind.

Gillespie also enjoyed an excellent league, highlighted by victory at the Westmeath Agricultural Show, second at Tattersalls, and third in the final round with her horse Archibald (HSI). She concluded the series with 33 points.

In third place overall was Gary Flynn, who recorded wins at Ballyfoyle and Adamstown Show with Bahrain Prince, finishing on 31 points. Colm Fitzpatrick and Maretto Flight claimed fourth with 30 points, while Drennan featured again in fifth aboard Cavachino. Aoife Maguire completed the top six with Pharos Hazy Cove.

The league also played a key role in team selection for the Plusvital Interprovincial Championships to be held at the National Amateur Championships on September 20th and 21st. Leinster will be represented by the top two AA riders and the top two A riders: Gemma Drennan, Linda Gillespie, Aoife Maguire and Kate Fortune.

Final round

The final round of the Amateur Leinster League went down to the wire with 19 combinations battling it out. No stranger to success in the amateur arena, it was Leinster rider Colm Fitzpatrick (AA) and Maretto Flight that took the win when clear in 31.21. Hannah McNiven (AA) on Hey You was fractions behind with a clear in 31.39. A clear from Linda Gillespie (AA) aboard Archibald in 32.04 saw them secure third, ahead of Gemma Drennan (AA) and Cavachino, who also delivered a clear but in a slower time of 32.17. Drennan also accounted for fifth place with Cool Finesse, when she answered all the questions in 32.36, ahead of Aoife Maguire (A) and Pharos Hazy Cove in 33.22.