THERE was a brilliant atmosphere around last weekend’s Overlander/Irish Pony Club National Minimus Championships, particularly if you were a member of the Co Limerick Branch, whose Lions quartet retained their title as team champions.

Two of last year’s squad, Grace Power and Martha Buckley, were still on the team, being joined by fellow 11-year-olds Lucy Ryan and Isabelle Kennedy. So, not only were they presented with the John Flood Cup as the winning team on 10,922 points, but also with the Sisk Cup for the best girls’ team.

The Branch’s Stars foursome of 10-year-olds Freya Barry, Ruth Cregan and Ethan Murphy, plus nine-year-old Archie McCartan, were the recipients of the Sisk Cup for best mixed team, having finished sixth with 10,024 points to their credit.

Adding to the Co Limericks’ haul of prizes, Grace Power headed home with the Sisk Cup as individual girls’ champion (3,746) and the Keira-Eva Mooney Trophy for the best girls’ run (1,234). Lucy Ryan was sixth in the individual girls’ championship on 3,626 points, while Archie McCartan was presented with the Warrington Cup having recorded the best boys’ swim (1,136).

Grace Power was on the winning Co Limerick Branch team and was named individual girls’ champion at the Overlander/ Irish Pony Club National Minimus Championships \ Mel Doyle

The prize-giving ceremony took place on Sunday afternoon at the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown, where the swimming and running phases took place. One of the most sought-after individual prizes, the Laura Breheny Memorial Trophy for the best girls’ swim, was presented to Kilkenny’s Caroline Hughes (1,200), who finished fifth overall on 3,630.

Best boy

Representing Killinick Green, Max Doran was the recipient of the Sisk Cup as winning individual boy on a total of 3,716 points. The 11-year-old was clear in Saturday’s ride phase (1,400), joint-second in Sunday’s swim (1,112) and then won the run phase (1,204), for which he was presented with the Port of Cork Trophy.

Max Doran, representing Killinick Green, won the individual boys’ title at the Overlander/ Irish Pony Club National Minimus Championships \ Mel Doyle

Returning to the team results, the Waterford Starlets quartet of Sofia Delfino, Aerin Tabb, Hannah Walshe and Breffni Walsh finished second on 10,766 with another all-girls team, the Duhallow Diamonds (Hannah Goold, Aoife Walsh, Ciara Howard and Olivia Roche) slotting into third on 10,548.

The Kildare Tigers team of Georgia Queally, Nia Webbon, Gloria Queally and Olivia Condon, who finished fourth (10,462), were presented with the Co Clare Team Riding Trophy, as three of the four were clear across the country and the other only lost 60 points.

Three of the successful Limerick Lions team held on to their full 1,400 ride points on Saturday at Killossery Lodge Stud, where clear rounds over the cross-country course designed and built by Graham Boyd and John Flood were at a premium. There was an option at every main fence and, from standing there for some time, I feel more riders should have taken the option at the angled hedges.

There was great camaraderie between all the riders and it was good to see some of those who had been competing in the RDS working hunter qualifier at Mullingar during the week, very much an individual venture, having fun with their fellow Branch members over the two days of these championships.

While most competitors went their separate ways on Sunday evening, for some it was just a brief parting, as many were heading into Pony Club camp, while 15 of the top-placed individuals – and their support teams – were getting ready to head over to England for this weekend’s Mini International and Regional Tetrathlon competition in Gloucestershire.