Lynch up to second in World Cup rankings

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

Lynch, who previously held sixth place in the rankings, was one of just eight riders to qualify for the jump-off, 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.

Ireland's other two contenders - 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.

The current World Cup series has 13 legs, with the final taking place in the Netherlands in April.

Ireland's next highest-placed rider in the rankings is Down's Dermott Lennon, who finished in third place in London earlier this month and currently holds joint 11th position.