GREAT BRITAIN HOLDS SEVENTH PLACE

The first show jumping competition of the 2009 Alltech FEI European Dressage and Jumping Championships took place at Windsor Castle last night, and the British squad are currently lying in seventh position.

 

A drizzly, damp evening didn’t hamper the Brit’s fighting spirits with all four Team members chalking up solid performances. Course Designer Bob Ellis built a big track for the first leg of the 2009 Championships, a speed competition where fences down means seconds are added to the final time. Time is then converted into penalties in order to determine the final result.

 

The first Brit to go, Tim Stockdale riding John Bosher’s Fresh Direct Corlato landed with a foot in the water and a pole on the floor, to finish in a total time of 78.71 seconds. Geoff Billington and Patricia Fraser’s Rosinus came next, and with Geoff’s gritty determination pulled out a superb round to lower just a single fence to finish with a total time of 77.96 seconds. Peter Charles riding Olga White’s Murka’s Pom d’Ami, produced a breathtaking round and was so unlucky to roll the top pole on the penultimate fence to finish with a total time of 78.60 seconds. Ben Maher with his own and Quainton Stud’s Robin Hood W was the last of the British contingent and made the up to height 1.50m fences look easy, producing a fantastic foot perfect clear to finish in 70.92 seconds.

 

Finishing on a combined score of 11.26 the British squad currently hold seventh place going into Friday’s Team Competition. The Swiss Team currently top the table, with The Netherlands in second and France in third. The Team medals will be decided on Friday.

 

1^st           Switzerland                        3.66

2^nd          The Netherlands                  3.96

3^rd           France                                 4.71

4^th           Ireland                                  4.86

5^th           Italy                                       7.00

6^th           Germany                             7.75

8^th           Sweden                               11.62

9^th           Belgium                                14.32

10^th         Finland                                 15.07

11^th         Austria                                  15.25

12^th         Norway                                 15.66

13^th         Spain                                     15.92

14^th         Portual                                 19.98

15^th         Russia                                   26.92

16^th         Hungary                               28.16

17^th         Poland                                  29.39

 

Individually, last nights performances leave the British contingent in the following places:

 

9^th Ben Maher/Robin Hood W

37^th Geoff Billington/Rosinus

41^st Peter Charles/Murka’s Pom d’Ami

42^nd Tim Stockdale/Fresh Direct Corlato

 

Full results can be viewed at www.alltechfeiwindsoreuropeans.com.

 

Tickets for the Alltech FEI European Jumping and Dressage Championships 2009 are priced between £7 and £49 (£7, £10, £16, £22, £25, £28, £35, £45, £49). The box office telephone numbers are 0871 230 1087 (UK) and + 44 115 993 4409 (International). For online ticket bookings and further information of the confirmed programme of events please visit www.alltechwindsoreuropeans.com