IRELAND'S four-strong team took third place of ten teams at today's (Friday) Belgian Nations' Cup at Lummen, making a determined comeback from eighth position at the halfway mark.

Clear rounds from Shane Breen with the Irish-bred 'Camblin' and Shane Carey on 'Lancero', together with a one-fault round from Jennifer Crooks and 'SF Uryadi', helped lift Ireland into the top three, finishing on a total of 13 penalties.

Germany took the Nations' Cup trophy on four faults, while halftime leaders Britain had a disastrous second round to finish in seventh place on 21 faults.

Team Ireland Equestrian Show Jumping Manager Robert Splaine said after today's result: " My main goal this year is of course Olympic qualification for Ireland, but the Lummen Nations' Cup traditionally gives me the opportunity to test new combinations at a very high level with a view to strengthening the number of options available for the FEI Superleague, which starts next month. I was very pleased with the result today. There were some very strong teams here, using Lummen as a testing ground for the Superleague and the competition was very tight, so for us to finish third was a good accomplishment."

Shane Carey - clear round helped Irish result