Great Britain's Team Audevard claim third place in the Longines EEF Nations Cup of Luxembourg
Monday 10 June 2024
.jpg "Great Britain's Team Audevard claim third place in the Longines EEF Nations Cup of Luxembourg")
Great Britain, riding as Team Audevard under the new Senior Nations Cup title sponsor and globally recognised pharmaceutical company, claimed a podium place in the CSIO3* Longines EEF Nations Cup in Roeser, Luxembourg.
“I’m delighted, it’s the first time Britain has qualified for the EEF semi-final in Deauville,” said Chef d’Equipe Di Lampard.
Thirteen nations faced German course-designer Peter Schumacher’s 12-fence 1.45m track in round one with Mark Edwards on Marlene Edwards’ Flying Tinker II immediately boosting the team’s chances with a foot-perfect clear round in the pathfinder role.
Second out Adrian Whiteway came home on five faults, Deborah Cox’s 11-year-old stallion Chacco Volo clipping the front rail of an early oxer and, just 0.17 seconds over the time allowed, added one time fault to their score. Olli Fletcher and Hello William tapped out two verticals. Although Olli tried hard to contain the exuberance of Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkwood’s 12-year-old after the open water, they got a little too deep to the following double of verticals to tap out the first element’s top pole and lowered the middle part of the penultimate combination.
But Robert Murphy justified his anchor role with Jos Lansink’s Kannan nine-year-old Kannem J.A. Z to storm home clear and keep Britain in the hunt.
Britain lay in fourth place at the halfway stage on a five-fault total, one fault behind France in third with Belgium and Ireland at the top of the leaderboard on a zero score. Columbia also touted five faults to stand in fifth, less than half a second behind Britain. There was no resting on laurels; it was tight at the top.
The big red oxer at number five caught Mark and Flying Tinker second time out but both Adrian with Chacco Volo and Olli aboard Hello William dug deep to produce two vital clear rounds to put Team Audevard in reach of a podium place. Robert set out well and looked to be on target with another clear, but the ‘bogey’ red oxer claimed another victim as Kannem caught the front rail and added another four to their total to finish as the discard score on eight faults.
But strong Belgian and Irish teams only added four faults apiece to their round one zero scores to force a two-way jump-off. The vastly experienced Cian O’Connor was selected for Ireland and, out to set a super-quick target on Fancy De Kergane, came home on eight faults to leave the door wide open. Belgium’s Jeroen Appelen proved more than four seconds slower on Monte Blue PS but supplied the vital clear to hand Belgium the win.
“I’m delighted, all four riders contributed with clear rounds and this squad is going to the four-star Nations Cup [Sopot, Poland] next week,” said Di. “I like the format for the EEF, all the teams get to compete in the second round – unless they are eliminated in round one – and get to put the wrongs right. It’s in the right spirit and they gain valuable experience, whereas the stand alone three-star teams only take the top eight [through to round two]. I’m looking forward to the Deauville semi-final and hopefully, the final in Warsaw [Poland].”
Longines EEF Nations Cup of Luxembourg – 7 June 2024
1st Belgium – 0/4/0
2nd Ireland – 0/4/8
3rd Great Britain 5/4
Mark Edwards & Flying Tinker II – 0/4
Adrian Whiteway & Chacco Volo – 5/0
Olli Fletcher & Hello William – (8)/0
Robert Murphy & Kannem J.A. Z – 0/(8)
Britain’s Team Audevard put up a good fight in the Longines EEF Nations Cup of Drammen
Great Britain’s Team Audevard fought to the end in a tight CSIO3* Longines EEF Nations Cup competition in Drammen, Norway, to take fifth place.
The squad, guided by Chef d’Equipe Matthew Lanni, contended a 12-fence 1.45m course in a 12-team competition and posted a four-fault score at the halfway stage.
Pathfinder Simon Crippen on Abbie Crippen’s 12-year-old Handsome and Leo Lamb aboard Carron Nicol’s talented Cornet Obolensky eight-year-old Gmail put the team in the reckoning with round one clears. Faye Sutton with Jacqueline Sutton and Carl Cartwright’s 11-year-old Spider made just one mistake, clipping the top plank in the penultimate Triple bar to planks double, and anchor Phillip Miller lowered one rail in the combination on Pennie Cornish and Brendon Stud’s Don VHP Z 11-year-old Don Royale.
Team Audevard was one of six teams on four faults at the halfway stage, standing in fifth with one of the faster times, while Norway and Poland sat at the top of the leaderboard, each on a zero score.
Simon and Handsome tapped out the vertical following the open water second time out, and then the competition took on a dramatic change. The weather turned suddenly from sunshine to a heavy storm with hailstones for the second rotation of riders and heavily influenced the results. Despite valiantly battling the elements, Leo and Gmail were one of the partnerships affected and came home on eight faults.
Faye dug deep with Spider to supply a much-needed clear, but it didn’t go according to plan for Phillip as Don Royale put a foot in the open water and tapped the front rail of the final fence for eight.
Team Audevard remained in fifth place on a total of 16 faults, one fence behind Sweden and Belgium, in third and fourth respectively on 12 faults. Poland and Norway – both on a four-fault total – battled it out in a head-to-head jump-off, Poland taking the win with a clear round over Norway’s eight faults.
Longines EEF Nations Cup of Drammen – 7 June 2024
1st Poland – 0/4/0
2nd Norway – 0/4/8
3rd Sweden – 4/8
4th Belgium – 4/8
5th Great Britain – 4/12
Simon Crippen & Handsome – 0/4
Leo Lamb & Gmail – 0/8
Faye Sutton & Spider 4/0
Phillip Miller & Don Royale – (4)/(8)
Image: Olli Fletcher and Hello William Credit: Tania Wirth-Lahr
