IRELAND'S former World Show Jumping Champion Dermott Lennon finished equal second in today's (Saturday) Six Bar competition at the four-star De Steeg show in the Netherlands.

Riding his wife Sandra's gelding 'Vampire', Lennon shared the runner-up prize money with three other riders when all faulted on their third jump-off attempt, leaving Holland's Tom Brinkman to take the trophy after going clear on all three rounds with 'Eurocommerce Sacramento'.

Lennon, who celebrates his 41st birthday today, has just received his first call-up by show jumping boss Robert Splaine for Ireland's Meydan Superleague squad when they compete at Rotterdam next week. There he will pilot Woods Rosbotham's in-form gelding 'Hallmark Elite', who took the Co. Down-born rider through to the final leg of the World Cup Final at Geneva in April.

Ireland is currently lying fourth of the world's best ten teams on the Meydan leaderboard.
 

Dermott Lennon