On Saturday 6th October, Enniskillen Royal Grammar Showjumping team once again headed to The Meadows to jump against schools from across the province.
In week one, the team of Sophia Williams, Natalie Somerville, Hannah Jones and Patrick Williams were placed in the top 6 – in 4th position, winning Rosettes and valuable points (27 out of a possible 30) for their League standing. Tiana Grace Abbott rode as an individual on this occasion as our other riders had commitments which meant a 2nd team couldn’t be fielded.
Whereas in the 1st week (22nd September), there were 23 Teams in the Novice section, this week there were 29. The course had changed as had our team. This week, Patrick stayed at home to play Rugby for the school and Tiana-Grace stepped in to jump in the team event.
The Team jumped very well, with Sophia getting a double clear in a speedy time, Natalie and Tiana-Grace picked up 4 faults apiece, but also in good time and Hannah had 8 faults, again in a good time. By the end of the show, we had a combined time of 91 seconds which would have been fast enough for 5th place, however due to not having 3 team members getting double clears, we were edged out of the top 6 this week.
Well done to the team who put in a sterling effort again this week – having to wait until the very end to jump, as we were the 29th team! Nerves were not helped as just before we were called into the arena, another rider came off her pony. The pony was so spooked that it ran out of the arena, through the rope and plastic fence and into the carpark! The pony narrowly missed colliding with Hannah as she awaited her turn in the arena! Eventful – but not the calmest start for our team!
The next event will be on Saturday 20th October,
Team week 1: – Natalie Somerville, Hannah Jones, Sophia Williams, Patrick Williams
Team week 2:- Natalie Somerville, Hannah Jones, Sophia Williams, Tiana-Grace Abbott
