CLEOBURY Mortimer-based Mar-tin Brown finished in the money at the affiliated Sapey one-day event at Alan and Audrey Thacker's Cockshutts Farm.

He finished third in a pre-novice section on the big 17.2hh bay May Striker, who jumped his first clear show jumping round from 10 previous outings at this level.

"I'm 6ft 4ins so have to have a big horse and it has taken time for May Striker to develop and become stronger in the back," said Brown.

"I bought him from Ireland two years ago and in the past he has tended to see a show jump and just go for it but this time he jumped a good round."

The pair finished on their dressage score of 30.5, jumping clear inside the time cross-country.

"The Sapey course was lovely, and the organisers had done all they could to the going," Brown added.

Bromsgrove-based Adrian Little, also a successful show jumper, was fifth in a novice section on Little Ted. The pair added 3.6 cross-county time penalties to a good dressage score and also finished third at a Weston Park one-day event in Shropshire a week earlier.

The winners at this level included triple Olympic gold medallist Matt Ryan, on Staying Cool, and top British international Marie Louise Thomas on Dawn Cat-cher.

Little was also third on his pre-novice ride L G Harper, owned by Mike Harper and at only his third outing with his new jockey.

Bayton 17-year-old Amy Blount, a recent winner at the National Winter Dressage Championships, was fifth in her pre-novice section where one fence down cost her second place.

Her partner was the nine-year-old bay Indepen-dent Missile.

Bewdley's Susan Webb also picked up a fifth on her pre-novice ride Circus Boy, who finished on his dressage score at only his second event this season.

Kidderminster's Natasha Wheeler and Jessica Viney, from Droitwich, were third and fourth in an Intro section on Neils Rondo and Mister Patrick.

It was Wheeler's first event with the horse, more usually ridden by owner Louise Jolliffe.