ANDREW Hamilton travelled all the way from Glasgow to win the Blue Chip performance qualifier over Brian Chandler's excellent course at Stainsby Grange.

He rode Mark Ashe's six-year-old Dutch bred Silvano Van Texelbos to qualify for the Blue Chip finals at Solihull next April.

The Scotsman also filled the third place with the nine-year-old Hanoverian bred Delphus, while his protg Lynsey Cuthberston took the final eighth ticket with Red Heather.

Robert Shields from Crook was second on the ten-year-old Dutch bred mare Hamilton Poppet, which he will be aiming at Foxhunter/Grade C finals next year.

He also won a good Newcomers with Great Northern Otis, ahead of Amanda Cowan on Dovecote Ballivor.

The fourth ticket went to Aileen Craig on Highland Chablis, bred by Paul Schockemohle in Germany. She also qualified O'Reilly and was runner-up in the 1.39m open on Newcastle Brown behind Karl Fuller and The Cullinan.

Karl Bowman from Cumbria took the fifth ticket, while trainee solicitor Natalie Nunn from Hartlepool collected her ticket for the finals with the 11-year-old Delholme Little Earner. She had qualified for two finals this year, but was unable to contest them due to the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Thirsk rider Sarah Russell, 17, took the 1.15m open on Anne Bedford's eight-year-old Dutch bred Colando, ahead of Phillippa McKeever from Durham with Crown Alliance and local rider Julia Picken on her advanced eventer Broken Rule.

John Brannan from Toronto took the mini-grade C riding Winter Fair II.

Stokesley event rider Julie Robinson took the Discovery on Blue Beau, ahead of Caroline Dennis on Ragtrade, while the British Novice went to Lucy Key on Only A Sioux, ahead of Skelton's Equiline finalist Emma Wright with Westbourne Special E, bred by Alison Cana.

l Northallerton rider Paul Barker, who has been based for two months at Claire and John Whitaker's stables, won the Grand Prix at the BSJA Area 17 winter championships at Barton.

Riding the German bred Sunny Top, he took the £300 first prize and the Johnnie Walker memorial trophy.

Barker was also fifth and sixth with Nethertowns Kiss and Tom Collins respectively.

The BSJA Area 15 held two training courses this week at the home of Olympic rider William Barker, with lessons by international riders Di Lampard and Peter Murphy.