Irish supremacy on the Nations Cup circuit was emphatically underlined at Hickstead yesterday afternoon when the quartet of Cameron Hanley, Cian O'Connor, Dermott Lennon and Kevin Babington scooped the Prince of Wales trophy from under the noses of the British Olympic team for the first time since the Army team win at White City back in 1937.

The triumphant march through the Samsung Nations Cup series - with six wins this year and the seventh in the current series - puts Ireland 22.5 clear in the points table, out of sight of their rivals and hot favourites to win at the final in Rome in a year when the Irish selectors pulled the team out of the Olympics for "lacking strength in depth".

The British hosts, winners in Aachen two weeks ago, were quoted at 2 to 1 at the head of the seven-nation field, but the Irish were already ahead at the break and, with a superb double clear from Dermott Lennon and Liscalgot, they held on to win.

"It's getting a bit boring this winning," Irish chef d'equipe Tommy Wade joked. "But it's easy to win in Europe because there's no one to beat. It's completely different at the Olympics."

There was no real cushion yesterday, with just a fence at the halfway stage holding the British down in second. And Irish eyes weren't doing too much smiling when pathfinder Cameron Hanley hit three fences after only one mistake with Ballaseyr Twilight in the first round.

Britain's number one Geoff Billington had faulted just once first time round, but came back with a brilliant clear at the second attempt with It's Otto to put the pressure fairly and squarely on the shoulders of Ireland's three remaining riders.

Aged just 20, Cian O'Connor had already got three Nations Cup wins under his belt, but he was determined to make it four and, even though Waterford Crystal faulted going into the double, it was enough to get Irish adrenaline surging again. And, when Dermott Lennon returned with another faultless round on the Touchdown mare Liscalgot, Irish tails were up.

But the British hadn't given up and team captain John Whitaker was determined to clear all the fences and so he did, but the flag went up for a foot in the water and it gave last man in, Kevin Babington, an ounce of breathing space.

Having made his team debut a fortnight ago at Aachen, Babington, the 31-year-old American-based Tipperaryman looked like an old hand, holding Carling King together and the Irish were celebrating yet another victory.