YOUNG riders from the Sinnington Hunt Pony Club junior games team are celebrating after winning their zone finals in the Pony Club Championships.

The team travelled down to Moreton Morrell in Warwickshire on July 8 and 9 for the central zone finals of mounted games.

The Sinnington Hunt Pony Club team of Joe Lumley on Pebbles, Harriet du Boulay on Azzy, Alex Cordingley on Mopsy, Ruby Thompson on Crispin and Bronwen Davies on Bella, came in first with 44 points.

This set them far in front of second place Rockwood Harriers on 35 points and third place Cheshire Hunt South on 34 points.

Nicky Lumley, from the hunt, said: “They were hoping to come in the top six out of 14 teams taking part in the competition, which would see them qualify for the Pony Club Championships in Cheshire in August.

“All five ponies and children performed incredibly well to win the competition by a good margin.

“Astonishingly, three out of the top four places went to teams from Yorkshire, as second place was taken by Rockwood Harriers, with the Badsworth team coming in fourth.

“Months of practice by the children, patiently trained by Nikki Otterburn, paid off in full.”

The central zone final was one of four zone finals that are taking place in June and July.

Each team competed against each other in 10 events.

The junior zone games included Bending, Quoits and Cone, Tennis Ball Shuffle, Rope, Pyramid, Five Flag and Tack Shop.

In the junior games, the top six teams from each zone have been invited to the Berkeley Group Pony Club Championships to be held at Cholmondeley Castle, Malpas, Cheshire.

It will take place from Friday, August 18 to Tuesday, August 22.

The event is set to host some of the most talented Pony Club Members in the UK competing against each other for the 2017 national titles in several disciplines in addition to the mounted games, including eventing, showjumping and polocrosse.