AS the curtain came down on the 2015 northern region eventing season at Scarvagh House last Saturday, both Gillian Castles and Wini McFarlane bid adieu to their roles as scorers.

“There used to be three of us and we said that we would retire as one,” explained Gillian who, under her maiden name Irwin, competed through the junior and young rider ranks up to senior level with her best mounts being Goosey Lucy and Sportsfield Seconds Out.

“Sadly, we lost Doreen Beggs in March but Wini and I decided to stay on until the end of the season. I’ve been doing this for 14, going on 15 years and want to spend more time with my boys Harry (seven) and Freddie (four) and, before I get much older, play more hockey for my local team Portadown. I also need to concentrate on the family business of Hungry House Sandwiches and Holmes Bakery.”

Wini, who got involved in scoring through her children’s days in The Pony Club, shares more in common with Gillian than her ability with figures, as they both can be seen knitting furiously during quiet periods at events. Gillian plans to attend the regional ball in the La Mon Hotel & Country Club on Saturday, November 21st with husband Jonny and, hopefully, Wini too will be persuaded to attend.

While the two ladies are seen here in matching attire, this is not uniform wear for scorers. In fact, the jackets were just kindly provided for the photograph on Saturday by Victoria Cunningham whose Horseworld NI stand attended the majority of one-day events in the region this year.