THE North Derry Branch hosted Area 17’s home championships in eventing at Dirraw Farm on Bank Holiday Monday, just over a week after the Northern Region of Eventing Ireland had staged a one-day event at the Co Antrim venue.

Course-designer Adam Stevenson and course builder Alan Campbell of Dirraw Farm didn’t have to provide a track over 1m on this occasion. The host Branch struck twice with amateur photographer Megan Coxford landing in the 1m individual class where two of the six starters were eliminated. Coxford led after dressage on the ISH Carrickview Under Cover (23.5) and, despite picking up four show jumping penalties and 3.2 for time on the final leg, she had nearly 11 points to spare of the Iveaghs’ Zara Calvert riding Perceval du Veillon (41.4).

A Grade C mare who jumped at 1.30m level with Suzanne Posnett, Carrickview Under Cover is an eight-year-old by S Creevagh Ferro. She was bred in Co Armagh by Trish Rogers out of the Le Blanc mare Lougherne Let’s Go. Coxford and Carrickview Under Cover have competed four times in EI100 company since mid-July, with a best-placed finish of seventh at Castle Irvine, Necarne.

There were 25 starters in the 80cms (Open) where, despite 2.8 cross-country time penalties, East Down’s Sarah Gilchrist came out on top with the six-year-old skewbald gelding Hazeldene Mighty Max (26.2) on whom she had finished third in an EI80 (T) class at Dirraw Farm (aka Finvoy) nine days earlier. Here, the Killultaghs’ Emma Stewart filled the runner-up slot on her dressage score with the Connemara Beezies Minty, a 13-year-old gelding by Coral Misty’s Bobby.

The North Derry Stars trio of Chloe Duffy on Killybready Rosie, Jessica Dunlop riding High Flying Hughie and the Arena 3 winner, Kate Lusby-Johnston with the 12-year-old Builder’s Delight mare Rock Black And Blue (26.4), won the 14-strong 80cms team competition on a penalty total of 98.5.

Theirs was a comprehensive victory as the Tullylagan Tempest team of Sorcha Owens, Keeva McElhennon, Zoe Caskey and Laura Canavan were well adrift in second (104.8) while the East Antrim quartet of Chloe Stewart, Eve Lindsay, Holly Ross and Sophia Poppy Bingham finished third on 110. Freya Kennedy, representing Tullylagan Tyrants, won Arena 2 on board Roughan Balou (33.6).

Only four of the 13 teams in the 60cms competition managed to record a completion score but all members of the North Down Chiefs’ squad finished on their dressage marks for a total of 101 penalty points. They were Jennifer Thursfield on Scarletts Harry, Abbey Wallace on Ladybug, Toby Collins riding Willow Flying Colors and Evie McKeown on Skyhills Proud Flyer.

The Iveagh Sharks’ Jack Cowan, Lily Murphy, Isaac McCarthy and Ted Geary finished second on 112.9. As not every Branch can field a full team it’s good to see mixed teams being formed and it was that of Ciara Cormack, Laura Loughlin, Gracie Thompson-Logan and Samantha Talbot who finished third on 121.9.

The individual honours went to the Iveagh Sharks’ Lily Murphy on the 13-year-old skewbald gelding Milford Spectacular (21.7) in Arena 4 and to the Fermanagh Red Team’s Emily Bothwell riding Lily (34.3) in Arena 5.

While one member of the Tullylagan Turtles was eliminated on the cross-country phase, the other three completed on their dressage scores for a winning total of 93.5 penalties in the unassisted 40cms team competition. The quartet comprised Laoise Clancy on Burnview Royal Elegance, Martha McEvoy on Sally, Elen Irwin with Kung Fu Panda and Tegan Mulgrew on Ronnie.

Three points adrift came the East Down Courage quartet of Caoimhe Digney, Cara Hamill, Eilis Donnelly and Annabelle Girl who finished just ahead of the East Antrim Leopards squad of Harvey Ross, Islan McKinty, Paige Erwin and C.J. O’Brien (96.9).

On board Dapple (21.5), Ross shared the honours in Arena 3 with the Mid Antrim Elderberries’ Molly Clarke, as she too completed on her dressage score of 21.5 on board Midnight Bluebelle. There was a clear-cut victory in Arena 2 for the Tullylagan Terriers’ Mia McKay and Keenaught Sandy Gold (24.6).

Ten teams lined-out for the assisted 40cms competition where the fitness and jumping ability of the handlers was just as important as that of pony and rider. It would appear from the results that they keep themselves in good shape in the Killultagh Branch country as their two teams filled the top two spots.

Winning, on a penalty score of 104.4, were the Killultagh Green team of Ethan McCrea riding Riverwood Blazer, Saffron Irwin on Charlie, Ross Will with Tabitha Melody Maker and Bella Smith on Minnie. The Killultagh Gold squad did well to place second as they had no discard score as Ross Will, James Donnelly and Theodore Irwin completed on 105.8 with the East Antrim Bees (Amelia Logan, Dominic Mullen, Georgia Bingham and Jessica Simms) ending up on a three-phase total of 111.3. The individual winners were Logan on Bart (Arena 4) and Smith riding Minnie (Arena 5).