Derek Ricketts’ squad have shared third place in this afternoons Meydan FEI Nations Cup held in the Piazza di Siena in Rome, Italy.

Two superb first round clears from Ben Maher (Robin Hood W Owned by Ben Maher & Quainton Stud) and anchorman John Whitaker (Peppermill Owned by Rebecca Stones) and solid four fault rounds from both Michael Whitaker (Wonami van den Aard Owned by Fabian Schreiber) and Nick Skelton (Nemo 119 Owned by Beverley Widdowson) left the British contingent in a very strong position at the end of the first round.

In the second round Nick and Michael both repeated their first round performances to finish with just a single pole on the floor, as did Ben. John Whitaker repeated his foot perfect first round to jump a superb clear in the second, one of just four combinations to achieve a double clear in the entire competition.

The United States of America led from the off, finishing the first round on a zero score and continuing their form into the second, to take the victory from France with a single fence in hand. Great Britain shared third spot with La Baule victor’s Switzerland, both teams finishing on a total of twelve penalties. Sweden and Belgium were the teams forced to watch the second round from the sidelines.

Speaking from Rome British Team Manager Derek Ricketts said:

“All four Team members put in solid performances today. John’s double clear yet again here in Rome is a fantastic achievement and Ben was extremely unlucky not to emulate it!! Both Nick and Michael rode superbly to chalk up four fault rounds. We now have some valuable points on the leaderboard and look forward with anticipation to the next round of the series in St Gallen next week”.