Germany did the double when winning both the last leg of the series, and the overall FEI Nations Cup™ 2011 title, at the thrilling finale in Rotterdam, The Netherlands this evening. Birthday boy, Ludger Beerbaum, was the hero of the day, but it was a desperate fight to the very end, with a strong challenge from the impressive British that was only settled by a third-round jump-off against the clock.
The Dutch hosts, who headed the leaderboard throughout the closing stages of the eight-leg tournament, had seemed likely to clinch the honours in front of their home crowd following a great run of form. But yesterday German Chef d’Equipe, Otto Becker, warned that his side would pounce if the opportunity arose, and today, when it did, they seized it and held on tight.
It was a sad day for the USA however. Despite their best efforts they could only manage sixth place, one spot behind the Belgians who were also lying in the relegation danger-zone. And although Belgium collected 17 faults in a high-scoring competition, the 18 collected by the Americans was simply too much, and they now join the long-resigned Danish side in the Promotional League for 2012.