EQUESTRIAN: Dermott Lennon, one of the 12 nominees for the RTÉ/ Hibernian sports personality of the year award after becoming Ireland's first world show jumping champion in Jerez back in September, made his first appearance in the Olympia winner's enclosure in London yesterday, scorching to victory in the Christmas Cake Accumulator to thwart long-time leader and World Cup-winner Robert Smith. Grania Willis reports

Lennon, whose popularity amongst the usually parochial Olympia crowds has been hugely boosted by his new world title, was drawn second last to go and had the horsepower to stifle the opposition oLisa Rosbotham's Ginger Watt.

The 10-year-old, which posted back-to-back speed wins at the close of Hickstead and the start of Kerrygold Dublin, is - like his jockey - a relative newcomer to the international stage, but it makes no difference to the gelding's strike rate and yesterday's win was another notch on an already crowded stable-post.

Scoring the maximum 65 points, Lennon and Ginger Watt sliced off almost two-tenths of a second from the target set by Smith, who was bidding for a show hat-trick after lifting Friday's feature and Saturday's World Cup qualifier.

Lennon's first World Cup outing of the new season had fallen just short of expectations when a fence off against the clock left him fourth, but it was good enough to open his points tally on 13, which leaves him 23rd going into the Christmas break.

He was one of just six to find the key to Bob Ellis' technically demanding first-round track, with no fewer than 12 faulting only once. Included in that number was last year's winner, Peter Charles, who had finished 10th in Friday's pre-qualifier but missed the cut for Saturday's decider when Corrada connected with the first part of the double.

Charles, still seriously hampered by his injured right elbow, added a stride to the double and paid the penalty when his dual Hickstead Derby winner got too deep to the oxer in and rolled the front rail. That was the only mistake, however, to leave Charles in equal seventh. He was rewarded with just five points and, added to the one picked up in Berlin in the middle of last month, he is now in 46th but a long way off the pace for a qualifying slot at the Las Vegas final next April.

It was no surprise that Charles then made the decision to head for home, knowing he was unlikely to sufficiently improve in time for tonight's show closing Grand Prix.

The arm, which has been troubling him since mid-September and made worse in a second fall six weeks ago, needs rest and Charles will now get the break he so badly needs to recuperate from the injury before he resumes his World Cup campaign in the New Year.

Charles's single error meant he was out of the picture, but Lennon was still there, flying the flag in his bid for top points in Saturday's qualifier against three British and two German riders. The home side's Andrew Davies opened the batting, but the first element of the now two-parter combination fell and Germany's Markus Merschformann fared little better, although his time of 41.75 put him temporarily out in front, even with one on the floor.

With two out of the running, Lennon knew he still had to go for the time with three hot-shots to follow him. As always, the Touchdown-mare Liscalgot answered her rider brilliantly as he asked for a handbrake turn back to the upright at four, but she just trailed a toe coming out of the double for an expensive rail and her time of 43.10 wasn't enough to topple the German.

British hope Richard Davenport hit the second with Luc and, with only Smith waiting in the wings, second last in, Germany's Lars Nieberg, opted for a safe clear with the nine-year-old stallion Adlantus. His tactics paid off and, even though the clock read 53.55, time was irrelevant as, with the first faultless round, he shot to the head of the pile.

But he too was due for demotion as Smith, winner of Friday's big class with the Irish-bred Mr Springfield, was determined to clinch the double and clinch it he did, slicing off over three seconds with the year younger Marius Claudius for his first Olympia World Cup win since 1996.

The 20 points earned put Smith into 16th in the overall standings, with Nieberg's second place boosting him well up the order to sixth. Best of the Irish at the halfway stage is Trevor Coyle, whose third place in Geneva leaves him in 12th.

Coyle has another chance to climb the rankings at the post-Christmas show in Mechelen, Belgium, where he will be joined by Jessica Kurten and Denis Lynch, but both Lennon and Charles have hung up their boots for the season, with Lennon due back in action at Leipzig at the end of January.

Also keeping the Irish in the limelight was Conor Swail, who scooped last month's Zuidlaren Grand Prix and was back in the winner's enclosure at the Italian fixture in Genova.

Swail topped the line-up in a speed class with Parlando at the expense of compatriot Robert Splaine on Springfield Ohio and, along with Splaine, went on to feature throughout the weekend.

Olympia, Christmas Cake Accumulator - 1, Ireland's Ginger Watt (Dermott Lennon), 65 points, 50.43 seconds; 2, Britain's Kalusha (Robert Smith), 56, 50.59; 3, Germany's Adolf D (Franke Sloothaak), 65, 51.24.

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