BRITAIN's show jumpers successfully defended their Nations Cup in difficult conditions in a rain-soaked arena at Royal Windsor yesterday, but not without being pursued all the way to the post by a fighting Irish squad, who had the best second round score of the day, but could not make up the ground lost in the first circuit of Bob Ellis's 12-fence track.

The British squad of Nick Skelton (Virtual Village Showtime), Geoff Billington (It's Otto), Robert Smith (Senator Tees Hanauer) and Michael Whitaker (Virtual Village Ashley) claimed the Prince of Wales trophy for the third year in a row, with a two-round total of 12 and a half faults, their success largely due to the efforts of Billington, who turned in one of only two double clears, in what was a high scoring contest.

The slippy ground conditions, a consequence of heavy overnight rain, did not suit the Irish, who failed to chalk up any zero scores in the first round. A clear from anchorman Eddie Macken, last to go with Schalkhaar, could have given the Irish the lead at the half-way stage, following scores of four faults from Trevor Coyle (Cruising) and Tom Slattery (Coille Mor Hill) and a disappointing eight and a half from pathfinder Peter Charles (Dolly). But with two fences down and three-quarters of a time fault from Macken, the green jackets occupied equal second place at the break, seven and three-quarters of a fault behind Britain and on the same standing as Germany.

However as the sun continued to dry out the ground, the Irish rallied. Charles opened with just a half a time fault from the French-bred mare, Dolly. Slattery then gave a superb display with Coille Mor Hill to come home on zero, as did Coyle and Cruising.

This left team captain Macken, making his 76th Nations Cup team appearance, once again in the hot seat. A clear round from Macken would have left Britain's anchorman, Whitaker, also requiring a zero score to secure the honours. But Macken's mount, Schalkhaar, connected with the planks at fence three to bring the contest to a premature conclusion.

Granea Willis adds: America's Bruce Davidson maintained his advantage at the head of the Nissan international field in Punchestown, after a dramatic cross-country round.

Davidson, who celebrates his half century on the eve of the new millennium, survived a nasty moment at the second fence when his horse, Squelch, ended up on his knees on the landing side, and then displayed extraordinary agility when regaining the saddle on the downhill slide after an awkward jump at the viaduct wall. He went on to finish inside the optimum time for a 2.8 penalty lead over Britain's Pippa Funnell and Designer Tramp, with Mary King and King William a further 3.4 adrift.

The top seven placings are all occupied by visitors, but Kildare-based Jane O'Flynn, who rode the talented mare Ladakha into 15th at Blenheim last autumn, had a dream round to add a mere .4 that promoted her from 13th to eighth going into today's show jumping.

Lucy Thompson got the best of the going when first to run in the Irish Permanent national championship. The inexperienced eight-year-old Gold Dust II, tackling his first three-day event, made light of the solid fences to gallop round inside the time