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Samsung Super League Update

Media updates
02 August 2005 Author: webmaster
Next Stop is Dublin - and the Irish are Trailing the Field... 
 
As the 2005 Samsung Super League series moves to Dublin, Ireland next
Friday the home side lie last on the leaderboard despite a gallant
effort in Hickstead last week.

However the Dutch are only 0.5 points ahead of them while the Belgians
have just a single-point advantage, so much could change after this
sixth leg of the series which is drawing to an exciting climax.

Following last Friday's bruising encounter at the British fixture it is
the Germans who hold pole position, and they are likely to prove
formidable opponents once again this week as exactly the same squad has
been called into action. Ulrich Kirchhoff, Thomas Muhlbauer, Alois
Pollmann-Schweckhorst and Rene Tebbel showed great resolve when
refusing to be intimidated by the tough Hickstead track and should find
the Dublin arena to their liking.

In an unusual move, course-designer Bob Ellis lowered two fences in the
second round last Friday when the yielding ground conditions and big,
difficult obstacles created a competition that was a thrill-a-minute
for the spectators but a little too exciting for some of the
competitors. The French withdrew after the elimination of their first
runner Philippe Rozier and a cricket score for new recruit Nathalie
Paillot, but their fellow-countryman Frederic Cottier will be designing
the international tracks at this week's show so perhaps they will be
feeling more at home.

Cottier, 51 years old and from Neuilly sur Seine, has an interesting
curriculum vitae. French national show jumping champion in 1980 he
competed on 25 winning nations' cup teams and at both the Los Angeles
and Seoul Olympic Games. He is also a legal expert on equestrian
matters for the Versailles Appeal Court, the Vice Mayor of Poingy la
Foret - a town of about 1,000 inhabitants 50km south of Paris - an
author and the father of two children. Mons. Cottier's portfolio
suggests then that multi-tasking is not solely the prerogative of the
fairer sex.

Paillot and Rozier step bravely out again this week to fly the flag
along with Pierre Jarry, Stefan Lafouge and Jean-Marc Nicolas but
French Chef d'Equipe, Jean-Maurice Bonneau, will be expecting greater
things. Lying fifth going into this round, there is a deficit of 10.5
points between France and Germany at the top of the order.

The USA lies second, just 2.5 points behind the leaders, and they have
had to change their line-up after McLain Ward broke his collarbone last
Friday. The penultimate double of Hickstead ditches caused plenty of
heart-stopping moments and Wards crashing fall there gives Jeffrey
Welles an opportunity to show what he can do when he steps into the
breach this Friday alongside Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden and Kimberly
Prince. Defeated by only one fault last week, the Americans will be
giving the Germans plenty to think about again this time out.

Lying third on the leaderboard, five points adrift of the USA, Britain
fields an almost all-Whitaker line-up with brothers Michael and John
joined by John's son Robert while Nick Skelton and William Funnell have
also been selected. There is always great rivalry between the Irish
and British at Dublin Horse Show - the home team always likes to win
but, even if they don't, the Irish will want to finish ahead of the
British no matter what happens.

The Swiss send their Hickstead side out again. Lying fourth on the
league table, they are only 0.5 points behind the British, but Chef
d'Equipe Rolf Theiler will be looking for a better end-result than the
one he got last week when they finished with a colossal 52 faults on
the board after Sprunger fell victim to the dreaded ditches. Despite
the presence of plenty more ditches and water at Dublin, Sprunger has
been called up again alongside Beat Mandli, Niklaus Schurtenberger and
Pius Schwizer.

With Jos Lansink and Gregory Wathelet lining out this week the Belgian
side looks very strong indeed. Lansink and his lovely grey stallion
Cumano came close to an individual medal on the final day of the
European Championships in San Patrignano just two weeks ago while
Wathelet was in fine form at last weekend's big fixture in La Coruna,
Spain. Jean-Claude Vangeenberghe produced one of the rare clear rounds
at Hickstead last Friday and with Dirk Demeersman and Philippe Le Jeune
also on call Belgian Chef d'Equipe Lucien Somers is in a better
position than he has been in for a long time.

The Dutch send just four riders but they too are looking confident.
Bolstered by their superb team bronze in Italy they comfortably slotted
into third spot at the Samsung Super League clash last week and, armed
with Mathijs Van Asten who jumped a clear and eight-fault round at
Hickstead and Harrie Smolders who picked up just six faults, they
should be a force to be reckoned with as Gerco and Wim Schroder
reinforce the team effort.

The stronger the Dutch and Belgians look, the harder it is for the
Irish. They've only got three chances left to show that they deserve
their place amongst the best eight teams in the world. The absence of
Jessica Kurten has left a huge gap in the defences and although Cian
O'Connor and Waterford Crystal produced a first-round clear last week
the Irish know they cannot rely on them alone to keep their hopes
alive. Billy Twomey was the hero of the day when claiming the honours
on home soil last summer but his top horse, the stallion Luidam, is
only back after another long injury break and is a doubtful nations'
cup starter. Twomey may ride the mare Anastasia instead while Chef
d'Equipe Eamonn Rice has Harry Marshall, Clem McMahon and Capt Shane
Carey also available to him.

Failte is the Irish word for welcome and the Irish tourism board,
Failte Ireland, is sponsoring the Dublin fixture again this year but
while the welcome will be a big one over the first two days of the show
it will melt away at 15.00hrs on Friday afternoon when the gloves will
be off as the Irish battle to stay in the premier league of
international show jumping.

SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE LEADERBOARD (after Round 5 in Hickstead):
1. Germany - 31
2. USA - 28.5
3. Great Britain - 23.5
4. Switzerland - 23.0
5. France - 20.5
6. Belgium - 12.5
7. The Netherlands - 12.0
8. Ireland - 11.5.

SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE - NATIONAL PRIDE, INTERNATIONAL PASSION!

For further information on the fifth leg of the Samsung Super League at
HICKSTEAD contact Press Officer Peter Jeffery at
jeffery.communications@btopenworld.com, tel:             +441643 831011      , fax:
            +441643 831040       or check out the website www.hickstead.co.uk.

The sixth leg takes place in Dublin next Friday, August 5th. Show
President is Dr Austin Mescal, Show Director is Gerry McAuliffe, Show
Secretary is Neil Campbell and Press Officer is Fiona Sheridan - email
fiona.sheridan@rds.ie, website www.dublinhorseshow.com or telephone
Fiona on mobile ++353879901029, landline ++35312407392.

 

 

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