Ledingham to chair new jumping committee :The Equestrian Federation of Ireland has announced that former Army rider Commandant John Ledingham is to chair the new EFI jumping committee. The function of the new body will be to select all show jumping teams and individuals for international events.
The announcement was made after a three-hour meeting of the EFI executive at Goffs, Co Kildare, yesterday, when the structure of the committee was ratified by the federation directors.
John Ledingham was put in as chairman of the new committee, which will be made up of two so far unnamed advisers and the as yet unappointed show jumping team manager.
"I'm delighted to accept the challenge and hope that show jumping will now do its talking in the ring," John Ledingham told The Irish Times yesterday.
Interviews for the post of team manager will be held next Monday. The five applications for the post so far are former Show Jumpers Club chairman Jack Doyle, former Irish internationals Tommy Brennan and Tom Slattery, former British team member Malcolm Pyrah and the ante-post favourite for the job, Robert Splaine.
The new EFI committee will replace the Show Jumping Association of Ireland international affairs committee, which has traditionally been in charge of the selection process.
The federation committee has been put in place only on a temporary basis, however, and selection will be handed back to the SJAI at a later date.
Jahrling names squad
Ten senior heavyweight men, including Atlantic oarsman Ciarán Lewis, have been invited to the first national camp of the season by Ireland coach Harald Jahrling for the weekend after next in Cork, writes Liam Gorman.
Lewis's team-mate in the ill-fated Atlantic race, Gearóid Towey, performed well at the weekend trials, and is also invited to the camp. Sam Lynch missed the trials, and Sinead Jennings is unavailable for the camp.
Invitees to National Senior and Under-23 Camp: (Inniscarra Lake, March 10th-12th): Men, Heavyweight - Senior: A Martin, C Folan, S Jacob, S Casey, K McCarthy, J Forde, C Collis, C Lewis, P Giblin, J Wholley. cox: B Farrell. Under-23: N Kenny, D Barry, J Wall, S Keyes, P O'Brien, P Murray. Lightweight - Senior: R Archibald, P Griffin, E Coakley, T Harnedy, R Coakley, G Towey, J Devitt, D O'Dowd. Under-23: L Molloy, G Ward.
Women, Heavyweight: C Ryan, H Walshe. Lightweight: N ni Cheilleachair, O Duddy, H Boyle, O Hayes.
