EQUESTRIAN: The Ireland B team notched up its second Nations Cup victory of the season yesterday, scoring in the Belgian round at Lummen, just as Shane Breen was posting his second win at the Hickstead Derby meeting in England.
Clears from Marie Burke and Marion Hughes left Ireland well ahead at halfway, registering just four from Denis Lynch for a three-fence lead over four nations tied for second. Lynch returned a four again after the break and, when Burke and Hughes followed suit, Ireland's two-round tally of 16 left them one fence ahead of their Belgian hosts at the finish.
Like last month's win in Copenhagen, yesterday's result has no bearing on the Samsung Super League rankings, but it was a major boost for Irish morale, as was Breen's second Hickstead win in 24 hours.
The 31-year-old had brought out Royal Concorde on Thursday to win the first of the qualifiers for today's Speed Derby and got the leg-up on Mullaghdrin Gold Rain for yesterday's round to triumph, this time scoring by 3.7 seconds from the 2005 Hickstead Derby winner, Ben Maher.
There was little Irish joy in the feature Derby Trial, Peter Charles finishing ninth on Johnny Jumper as William Funnell won on Cortaflex Mondriaan.
