Clean sweep for Ireland

EQUESTRIAN:Ireland's show jumpers ran riot through the international ranks in Drammen yesterday, winning both the Nations Cup and the Grand Prix and claiming the top two slots in the morning speed class just for good measure.

Saturday's action at the Norwegian fixture had been abandoned, washed out by torrential rain, and the Nations Cup had to be switched to yesterday's programme.

Continuing extreme weather meant the jumping was moved indoors yesterday, but it made no difference to the Irish riders, who took the competition by storm.

Captain Shane Carey opened the day's embarrassment of riches by romping home in the Autolink speed championship.

Carey's time of 51 seconds on Cashla Bay ensured an Irish win and, just to emphasise the point, Conor Swail galloped Nepomuk into the runner-up spot in 52.67.

But those were merely the hors-d'oeuvres. The main course was a double serving of top-class jumping, with the Nations Cup and Grand Prix boiled down into one competition.

In the team standings, Ireland shared the lead at the halfway stage, level with Norway and Germany on a clean sheet.

The German challenge evaporated in the second round, but the Irish and Norwegians were still inseparable after two rounds of jumping and the clock was called in to make the final decision.

With the chance of a double in his hand, team manager Robert Splaine played his cards with the skill of a high-class poker player, calling Swail in to jump off for the Nations Cup honours and reserving Commandant Gerry Flynn for the Grand Prix title.

It was a brilliant tactical move. Swail duly obliged with a third-round clear to leave Ireland out in front when Norway's Geir Gulliksen faulted.

And Flynn then made it an Irish clean sweep with a flying round from Mo Chroi to claim the Grand Prix by almost half a second from the home side's Stein Endresen.

The Nations Cup success, the third in six outings, now gives Team Ireland 54 points and a 10-point cushion over Denmark in the league standings.

Italy are on 39.5, with Norway moving closer on 29.

And, on a day that must have left the Minister for Defence pretty chuffed with his boys in green, the Army Equitation School's Lieutenant Geoff Curran steered Luggala into sixth place in the Dutch two-star class at Ede.

Drammen, Norway, Nations Cup - 1 (after jump-off), Ireland (Paul O'Shea, 12/-; Captain Shane Carey, 0/4; Conor Swail, 0/4/0 and Commandant Gerry Flynn, 0/0), 8 faults; 2, Norway, 8; 3, Denmark, 16; 4, Netherlands, 17; equal 5, Germany and Sweden, 20; 7, Italy, 30; 8, USA, 44.

Nations Cup league standings - 1, Ireland, 54 points; 2, Denmark, 44; 3, Italy, 39.5; 4, Norway, 29.