PC Area 17 Tetrathlon

THE Route Branch of The Pony Club hosted Area 17’s Tetrathlon last weekend in Co Antrim where local members faced their counterparts in the Irish Pony Club for the annual Causeway Challenge and some are doing so again this weekend at the Senior International Tetrathlon in England.

The Carlow Branch struck twice through the efforts of the Hargaden brothers, Jamie (Open Boys) and Jack (Tadpoles) and, while IPC members proved dominant, Area 17 produced two outright winners in Seskinore’s Sophia Williams (Open Girls) and the Iveagh Branch’s Jessica Clarke (Beanies).

En route to his success over six rivals on a total of 4,109 points, the elder Hargaden, Jamie, won the swim, was third in the run and fourth in both the shoot and cross-country phases. Only one competitor held on to the full 1,400 points in the ride phase and that was Wicklow’s Robert Cherry who finished second overall on 4,041.

In the 15-strong Tadpoles class for Under 10s, Jack Hargaden was one of five riders to go clear across the country as he won on a total of 4,027. Here, Seskinore’s Catherine Beattie, another to hold on to her full ride points, finished second on 3,850.

In the match for honours in the International Boys’ competition, there wasn’t a lot between the winner, Co Clare’s Jack Hanrahan (3,691) and Lorne Walsh (3,670) of the Iveaghs. In the equivalent Girls’ competition, where there were 10 starters, Ellie Dillon of Kildare topped the final leaderboard on 4,077 just ahead of North Down’s Lauren Taylor (4,048).

Only two of the 13 competitors in the Open Girls’ section managed to hold on to their full 1,400 cross-country points, one being the winner, Seskinore’s Sophia Williams who did so on her Irish Sport Horse mare Mongorry Cruise Molly, a Ringfort Cruise 10-year-old on whom she competes at 1.10m level with Show Jumping Ireland. Williams claimed the honours on 4,147 points with Cavan’s Lucy Hogan close up in second on 4,136.

None of the competitive starters in the Junior Girls’ competition recorded a clear across the country. Here Leitrim’s Grace Quinn won the class on 4,384 points while Wexford’s Molly Hennessy Murphy placed second on 4,266. Both topped the swim scores on 1,192 and were second in the shoot on 940.

The Wicklow Branch notched up a double through Peter Galligan who, on 4,308 points, saw off Wexford’s Michael Bowe to win the Junior Boys’ class, while Ellen Medlycott, on 4,400 points, narrowly brought up the double in the 32-strong Minimus class where Waterford’s Emmet Walsh finished second on 4,362.

The Iveaghs’ Jessica Clarke amassed 4,258 points on her way to winning the Beanies’ section where Ruby Healy of the East Antrim Branch was second on 4,131.

The Irish Pony Club’s Tetrathlon Championships take place next weekend when Saturday will be devoted to first shooting and then swimming while the run and ride phases take place at Punchestown racecourse on Sunday.