News: Group success nationally & internationally!

It's Mid-August and the 2009 Endurance season has been in full swing for some time now, so we thought now would be a good time to bring you up to speed with some of the notable successes of riders from Mid-Wales group so far this season.

First off, in the EGB Senior Championship, Gail Andrews & Vlacq Gilfae are currently lying in 6th place on a massive 2300 points! While this is 418 points off current leader Julia Harman on Cardinal Panache, Gail & Gilfae are second in a group of eleven riders seperated by less than 300 points, so its certainly close at the top of this year's championship.

Cast your eyes to ninth place in the standings, and you'll see Carol Jones & Ptolemaeus, who have racked up an impressive 2126 points, less than 100 points behind Mary Korn & Dinmor Dougall in 8th, but also only 12 points ahead of tenth placed combination Ruth Chadwick & Viche, and 13 points ahead of Elizabeth Whitely & Merlyn - a tight battle going into the final part of the season.

In the Young Rider's Championship, we find Amy Theodorou & Jamal in 15th position, doing well to represent her group with 777 points so far this season.

A mere 3 points ahead of Amy in 14th place are Beth Langley & HS Ametista (780 points), whose main focus this season has been on securing selection to represent team GB at the Under 21 Endurance World Championships in Hungary - a focus which has been rewarded with a place on the team, and Beth & Tissy are travelling to the East European state as I write - well done to them.

Finally, in the 2009 Junior Championship standings, Mid & North Wales group is currently represented by Holly Rawnsley & Amman Valley Poppet on 200 points, well placed in 18th to attack the riders immediately above her in the points - there are seven of them less than 100 points ahead of her! Meanwhile Ceri Davies & Cwmbont Sparky have amassed 111 points to sit in 25th place nationwide. The closeness of competition in the junior category can be seen in that Ceri & Sparky are only 14 points adrift of 20th placed Saffron Bishop on Scarlet.

Congratulations to all the combinations mentioned here, Gail Andrews & Vlacq Gilfae, Carol Jones & Ptolemaeus, Beth Langley & HS Ametista, Amy Theodorou & Jamal, Holly Rawnsley & Amman Valley Poppet, and Ceri Davies & Cwmbont Sparky.

If you are a Mid & North Wales group member placed in the national standings, and I have not mentioned you here, please accept my apologies as I did not have a comprehensive list available to me at the time of writing, and please contact me, letting me know who you are so I can update the page! Please do likewise if I have mistakenly identified you as a member of this group!

Martin Theodorou, 23rd August 2009.