Tetrathlon training squads

THE Irish Pony Club recently published the names of those selected for the longlist Junior Girls’ and Junior Boys’ Tetrathlon training squads for this year.

As there are less of them, members do not have to be selected for Senior squad training, but the IPC Tetrathlon chairman, John Flood, will have some re-building to do at this level this year, following the departure from the IPC ranks into racing of William Verling.

Representing the West Waterford Branch, William was twice Irish champion while, representing the IPC, he was never beaten in England. Although he did a brief amount of training with Pentathlon Ireland, the 19-year-old is now committed to racing and, from four rides in point-to-points, he has partnered two winners - both of whom are owned by his mother Catherine and trained by his uncle Pat Verling. Happily his siblings, Peter and Margaret, will continue in Tetrathlon.

Those selected for training for the Junior Boys’ squad are Alex Barry (Limerick), Max Doran (Killinick), Jack Hargaden (Carlow), Tom Hickey (Wexford), Lucca Kinsella (Wexford), John Kirby (Limerick), Jack Landy (Tipperary), Darragh O’Brien (Carlow), Patrick O’Callaghan (Tipperary), J.J. Power (Limerick) and Cillian Tobin (Carlow).

The considerably larger Girls’ squad comprises Zoe Boydell (Wicklow), Martha Buckley (Limerick), Elisabeth Cook (North Kilkenny), Pippa Dunne (Kildare), Sarah Finn (Wexford), Isabelle Galligan (Wicklow), Catlin Griffiths (Killinick), Hannah Hennessy Murphy (Wexford), Ali Hughes (Carlow), Anna Rose Hughes (Kilkenny), Caroline Hughes (Kilkenny), Hannah Hussey (Galway Mid County), Orla Kelly (Carlow), Julia McDonald (Waterford), Kate Murphy (Limerick), Evelyn Murray (Longford), Robin O’Reilly (Tipperary), Matilda Ormond (Waterford), Mia Perry (North Kilkenny), Grace Power (Limerick), Clodagh Reilly (Ward Union), Aaran Tabb (Waterford), Aoibheen Turner (Duhallow) and Aoife Walsh (Duhallow).