EQUESTRIAN: Ireland's bid to claim the British Nations Cup honours for the third year in a row at Hickstead were thwarted by the slimmest of margins, pipped on the clock by the Germans yesterday afternoon with a mere 1.24 seconds separating the top two teams in a high-scoring contest.
Irish team manager Tommy Wade, who had his sights set on a Hickstead win as a tune-up for the RDS next month, declared himself "sick" at the result, although Kerrygold Dublin next month is still his main goal en route to the world equestrian games in September.
Cian O'Connor, youngest in the field at 22, proved himself the star in the Irish constellation when producing the only double clear of the day with the talented Waterford Crystal to move back to the head of the Samsung leading-rider rankings. Already named to make his Aga Khan team debut at Dublin in a fortnight's time, O'Connor has also strengthened his claim to a place on the team for the world games in Spain.
Irish fortunes had wavered in the first round, when a pathfinding four at the last fence from Peter Charles and O'Connor's initial clear were followed by a disastrous 26-faulter from Kevin Babington, winner of the British Grand Prix here 12 months ago, which heaped the pressure on Dermott Lennon.
Normally ice-cool under fire, Lennon was in severe pain from a broken bone in his right hand. The usually certain zero score from the mare Liscalgot didn't materialise and Lennon completed the round with an uncharacteristic eight faults on the scoreboard to leave the Irish in third at the break.
The Germans had already stamped their superiority on the class, leading at the halfway stage on four faults, with the Dutch one fence adrift in second.
The Irish were a further fence off the pace, but the home side's chances had evaporated and they were languishing in fifth place. But the British made a superb comeback with three clears in the second round and, like the Irish, were denied a better finish by the clock, pinned back in fourth by the French.
With Tommy Wade's gun to their heads the Irish were under pressure to improve in the second half. Peter Charles and Corrada once again faulted at the final fence before O'Connor maintained his fault-free tally. But two fences down from Babington left Lennon in the firing line once again.
This time he produced the goods in superb style, clear and fast, to switch the pressure on to the Dutch and Germans.
Dutch number four Roelof Bril faulted once to allow the Irish up a slot and then it was all down to German ace Ludger Beerbaum. A clear would guarantee an outright win, but Beerbaum's Gladdys S kicked out the first part of the final treble and the scores were level.
Only the clock could split Germany and Ireland, but the frantic calculations up in the judges' box finally handed victory to the Germans by the slim margin.
At least there was one Irish win to celebrate yesterday, when Corkman Robert Splaine claimed the midday speed class with the former John Whitaker-ride Diamond Cliff.
