MARLBOROUGH-BASED international Andrew Nicholson scored a double at the Barbury Castle Horse Trials – but just failed to pick up the title he was really after.

The New Zealand Olympian led the top CIC*** (three star one-day international) section coming into the final cross country phase, which ran in reverse order of standing to create a memorable climax.

Nicholson was last out on the then leader Avebury, the grey gelding he rode into second place in the step lower CIC** at Barbury two years earlier.

The pair started their challenge well but then an unexpected run out at the Quarry, one of the most influential fences on the course, put paid to his chances.

It was a repeat of his appearance at the first-ever Barbury event back in 2005, when he’d also led coming into the cross country phase only to drop into sixth when Lord Killinghurst had one stop.

He did however fill third place on his earlier ride, the Spanish-bred chestnut Armada, behind North Yorkshire’s Nicola Wilson on Opposition Buzz and Young Rider European gold medallist Emily Llewellyn. The three-star course caught out several top names with Olympians Mark Todd, Bettina Hoy and William Fox-Pitt all having stops.

Nicholson gained some compensation earlier at Barbury when he topped one of two CIC** sections on another Spanish bred horse, Libby Sellar’s black gelding Quimbo.

He was again last out cross country in the strong 99 starter competition and knew he had six seconds in hand over his nearest rival.

He needed nearly all of that time however when he had to make a circle between fence five and a tricky narrow angled rail at fence six but, keeping a cool head, he came home with one second in hand.

“Quimbo is not a full thoroughbred and not a naturally fast horse, but he’s great fun to ride and a super jumper,” said Nicholson, who turns 49 on August 1.

“He’s a proper horse who really wants to do the job. The plan is to take him to the Young Horse Championships in France this autumn.”

Pewsey’s Fiona Hobby was sixth in this section on the 10-year-old Fun Time Frankie, who was having only his third full outing of 2010.

The pair lay just outside the top 30 after dressage but moved right up the order thanks to one of the fastest cross rounds in the section, coming home just one second over the optimum time.

Nicholson's second win was in a Novice section, where he completed on his dressage score with Captain Mark Phillips’ eight-year-old mare Lantana, a new ride this season.

They just got the better of dressage leaders, Little Cheverell-based Clayton Fredericks and Mr Big Cat, when Fredericks came home just four seconds over the time cross country.

Foxham’s Georgie Spence was third on new ride KBIS Starlet, with whom she is proving highly consistent.

Tytherton Lucas-based Chris King, winner of the Barbury three-star title in 2007, was runner-up in the second CIC** section this time.

He finished less than three marks behind Cumbrian winner Ruth Edge on the Dutch-bred mare Miss Caruso, who he owns jointly with Chippenham’s Jane James.

King, who was highly complimentary about the efforts organisers had put in on the Barbury ground, was riding the 10 year old for the first time at this level.

“I was very pleased with Miss Caruso’s first dressage test at this level - you never know how it will go when you move up but I was pleased with the mark,” he said.

“We took all the direct routes cross country where the ground was brilliant – all credit to the ground staff.

"It was a little frustrating to be second by such a close mark but this was a brilliant first two-star performance and I’m cracking to get on.”

He also scored a great win in the Burghley Dubarry Young Event Horse qualifiers, topping the five year old section on Billy Bounce.

The horse, by Cevin Z and owned jointly by Selina Langlands, Jo Jones and Esther Lewis, was bred at the Funnell’s renowned Billy Stud.

King, who has already won three pre novice sections with Billy Bounce, describes him as "so talented in all three phases and an exciting prospect for the future.''

Membury’s Laura Collett appears to have once more booked her ticket to the Young Riders European Championships, after a great win in the Under 21 Final Trial at Barbury. The 19 year old, who is the reigning Young Rider European champion, led from start to finish on Sarah Walker’s Belgian bred eight year old Fernhill Cristal.

“He’s an amazing horse – really cool,” said Collett, who only started riding Fernhill Cristal at the end of 2009.

“We went to the two star international at Tattersalls in Ireland at the end of May but had an unfortunate fall at the water, when we were leading by 10 marks. I’ve just had to put it out of my mind as one of those things and get on with the job.”

Collett has certainly done that and this win, following up an Open Intermediate Under 21 victory at Belton Park in the spring, look to have booked her ticket to the European Championships in the Czech Republic next month.

Tetbury’s Jayne Wilson led throughout her Novice section on The Libertine to win by three marks, capitalizing on an excellent dressage test.

Pewsey's Greg Kinsella was runner-up on Outside Chance after scooting home cross country nine seconds inside the optimum time.

New Zealand’s Jonelle Richards, who competes from a Marlborough yard, won the Burghley Young Event Horse four year old qualifier.

Her partner was Banjo, who originally came through Gorsebridge Sales in Ireland and who was broken by Richards and her partner Tim Price.

It was a first ever competitive outing for the horse, who gained top marks in both the dressage and jumping sections.

LACOCK 17 year old David Doel clinched third place in the British Under 18 Championships, held this year at a brand new event at Glanusk in Wales.

The competition, a major pointer to GB selectors looking to pick the 2010 Junior European squad, was a close-run affair with just over a mark separating the top three riders at the end.

Doel finished third on the little 15.2hh skewbald horse Pick and Mix II, who completed on his dressage score after great clears in the cross country and show jumping phases.

“We were 7th after dressage – Pick and Mix produced a fair test but one of the judges didn’t take to him,” Doel said.

“It was brand new cross country course with two waters – one with a jump in the middle and the other over a fence into the water – and these were really influential.

"It was a real championship course and felt like it, technical and up to height with lots of questions asked.”

Pick and Mix answered all the questions to come home clear instead the time, giving Doel a great ride.

“It was a close competition and I was lucky in one way, as the leader Daniel Scott didn’t trot up before the final phase and another well placed rider had a show jump down,” he added.

“Now I hope to be asked to take part in Junior team training sessions and see how we get on.”

NICHOLSON and the highly-promising Lantana were also among the winners at the Shipton Moyne BE event, held just three days before Barbury in a busy week for Wiltshire equestrian sport.

They topped a Novice section by just over five marks, with Highworth’s Hannah Mace in second on the seven year old Caicos, who was enjoying his best result of the 2010 BE season.

Mace was also fourth in the four year old Lycetts Young Horse qualifier, which leads to the national BE finals in the autumn, on BE debutante Bang on Time II.

Wiltshire had two more winners in the BE90 sections, the first rung on the BE (British Eventing) ladder.

Philip Tuckwell, who with wife Jane is the event organiser, scored a popular home win on the six year old mare Concordia, after coming home bang on the optimum time cross country. Holt’s Mandy Collins topped her BE90 section by more than four marks on the five year old Scooby Sioux, also a winner at the Broadway BE event earlier in the season.

Chris King was runner-up in a BE100 section on Billy Bounce and also finished fourth in the five year old Lycetts Young Horse qualifier on Diana Fitzroy’s House of Tudor.

Other local riders to finish in the money included Lucie McNichol, second on her BE100 ride Springtime Orla after one show jump down cost the pair victory, and Charlotte Adderley, runner-up at the same level on Rocky Rockstar, who she was riding for the first time in a competitive BE event.

BARBURY CASTLE TRIALS PICTURE SPECIAL AND MORE EQUESTRIAN NEWS IN THURSDAY'S GAZETTE & ERALD