Downshire Double at NIRC Team Championships
Downshire A / Team Black: Alan Martin, Suzie Davis, Kerri Magill, Katie King (L to R as pictured)
Portmore Equestrian Centre was the venue on Sunday 2 March for the annual NIRC Indoor Show Jumping Mixed Team Championships. 23 teams from all over Northern Ireland gathered for a great days craic and sport and proceedings got under way at 10 am. First Downshire rider in and pathfinder for the two Downshire teams competing was Suzie Davis riding Hayden’s Star competing for Downshire A and Suzie showed the rest how it should be done by jumping a great double clear. Jade Herron on her super pony Buckeroo followed suit for Downshire B. Second riders then went for each team with Kerri Magill and Another Chance putting up a great performance in jumping another double clear for Downshire A. Lucy McGuiness was having an excellent couple of rounds for Downshire B but just dislodged a pole at the penultimate fence for 4 faults.
So the fences were now raised for the last two riders on each team with both Downshire teams having started very well. Katie King and Colonel Gun were third to go on the Downshire A team and were unfortunate to clip a pole in the first round but jumped a lovely clear second round. Nikki Cullen and Tango Lad jumped in third slot for the Downshire B team and did themselves proud by completing a superb double clear. It was all down to the last two riders on each of the Downshire teams to go clear in at least one of their rounds in order for their respective teams to make the all important jump off and both Alan Martin riding his lovely grey mare Inishcara and Sarah McLean riding her super chestnut mare Diamond Obelix both duly delivered with double clear rounds.
Downshire B / Team Red: Sarah McLean, Nikki Cullen, Jade Herron, Lucy McGuinness (L to R as pictured)
Only four teams made it through faultless to the jump off and two of these were from Downshire Riding Club-a great achievement by all riders and their mounts as the course proved quite technical and needed very accurate jumping. Once again Suzie Davis was first to go and jumped a very fast clear to get the A team rolling. However it was to be Downshire B team’s day with the four riders Jade,Lucy,Nikki and Sarah all jumping fantastic clear rounds under pressure so making them unbeatable but second place was still up for grabs with Alan needing to go clear in his speed round to enable the A team to finish on 4 faults. He did so to great cheers from the Downshire supporters and so ended a truly superb jumping Championships for the club.
Thank you to NIRC for organising this super Championship event and also all those Downshire members and members from other riding clubs who helped out on the day and without whose help these events cannot run. A special well done to Sarah McLean who not only competed and finished on the winning team but managed to conduct her duties as Chef D’Equipe as well !!
1st – Downshire B- Jade Herron-Buckeroo, Lucy McGuinness-Duchess, Nikki Cullen- Tango Lad and Sarah McLean- Diamond Obelix.
2nd-Downshire A- Suzie Davis-Hayden’s Star, Kerri Magill-Another Chance, Katie KIng- Colonel Gun and Alan Martin-Inishcara.
Category: News, Results, Show Jumping
