Lynch moves to second in rankings

Denis Lynch moved up to second position in the Rolex FEI World Cup rankings this evening after a fifth place finish in the World Cup competition at Mechelen, Belgium with Thomas Straumann's 11-year-old bay gelding Abbervail van Het Dingeshof.

Tipperary-born Lynch, who previously held sixth place in the rankings, was one of just eight riders to qualify for the jump-off today, but his second clear round was not fast enough to catch local hero Gregory Wathelet and Copin van de Broy, who set an early lead that ultimately proved unbeatable.

Wathelet won a Land Rover, a Rolex watch and 13,000 euro, while Lynch settled for the €10,000 that went with his place in the eighth leg of the series.

Ireland's other two contenders today - Jessica Kurten with Vincente and Trevor Coyle with Jubilee d'Ouilly - both failed to make the cut for the final round, Kurten faulting once and Coyle dislodging two poles.