High follows a low as Britain's equestrian team is awarded silver in Athens (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

High follows a low as Britain's equestrian team is awarded silver in Athens

THEY have actually done it! After an Olympic games of incredible highs and lows, claims and counter-claims, our event team was eventually awarded the silver medal with Leslie Law netting the individual gold.

When this result was finally announced, too late for Leslie to hear the British national anthem played as he stood in poll position in Athens, it must have seemed an eternity since he, Pippa Funnell, William Fox-Pitt, Jeanette Brakewell and Sarah Cutteridge, accompanied by Mary King, set off for Athens with such high hopes.

The first disaster was the withdrawal of Sarah's horse, the talented Wexford Lady, then triumph as the British team were in gold position after the dressage.

Dropping to third place after the cross country (in which Mary rode a blinder, Pippa had problems with the big striding Prinmore's Pride and after which William Fox-Pitt had to withdraw after an injury to his horse), hopes of gold began to diminish fast.

The remaining members of the team show jumped well enough to maintain their bronze position and Leslie Law and the talented Shear L'Eau secured the silver - a tremendous effort after all than befallen them.

Then came the drama of Bettina Hoy crossing the start line twice in the show jumping and dropping out of the medals, then being reinstated after a German appeal and finally being demoted following appeals by Britain, France and the US.

In the opinion of a fellow equestrian journalist who was at the Games, this should never have happened.

Bettina clearly, albeit inadvertently, infringed the rules, and should have instantly dropped down the leader board and the Brits should have been given their medals on the spot.

I understand that they will now be presented with them at a special ceremony in this country.

None of this detracts, however, from a marvellous effort under very adverse circumstances.