Charlie Buckle was celebrating a sporting triumph on Saturday evening, but not the one that he might have imagined.

For Buckle, from Semer, near Hadleigh, had passed up the chance to ride at the inaugural running of the High Easter Racing Club point-to-point meeting, at High Easter, near Chelmsford, preferring to journey to Dublin to watch England play rugby.

And while Dylan Hartley’s mob came up short at the Aviva Stadium, Buckle’s gelding Nightscape, one of the outsiders for the Mens Open race, got up in the last few strides to beat the favourite, Burtredgipandgump, by a short head.

It was a thrilling contest as, after Nightscape’s substitute pilot, Dickie Collinson, had initially helped force the pace, he was shuffled back through the field as both Bertredgipandgump and Banksandditches made their bids for glory on the final

circuit. Collinson, from Sutton near Ely, kept his cool and came with a storming late burst to nose to the front.

Archie Wright, from Badlingham near Newmarket, was the day’s most unfortunate jockey as not only was he aboard Burtredgipandgump, he also partnered Mr Maclennane, the narrow runner-up in the previous race, the Restricted.

Master Ally, given another fine ride by this season’s top novice, Kate Gowing, fought off his rival to score by a head and land a popular success for trainer Nicky Cook and owner Adrian Gibbons, from Pharisee Green, Great Dunmow, just a couple of miles from High Easter.

Another well-received local triumph came in the Veteran Horses Race as Amigo, owned by the High Easter course owners, the Marriage family, in conjunction with the Signy family, from Wickham Market, came home eight lengths clear.

Tim Gredley, the 31-year-old former Great Britain International showjumper from Stetchworth, near Newmarket, survived a calamitous blunder at the fifth last to register his first pointing victory aboard the classy Silvergrove in the Novice Riders Race. The Maiden Race went to Toosey, trained near Thetford by David Kemp and owned and bred by Ian Low, from St Osyth, near Clacton, while the Ladies Open was won by Decade Player.