NICOLA Wilson endured a difficult afternoon of show-jumping as New Zealand debutant Jonathan Paget claimed a thrilling victory at the Badminton Horse Trials.

Wilson, who is based at Morton-on-Swale, near Northallerton, finished 30th after four jumping errors saw her accumulate 16 penalty points in the final show-jumping discipline.

Partnering Opposition Buzz, the same horse she rode as part of the Great Britain squad that claimed a team silver medal at last year's London Olympics, Wilson was on the fringe of the top 20 after a decent dressage display.

She moved up to 16th after picking up just 0.4 time faults on Sunday's cross-country stage, and would have recorded a clear round had she not misread her watch over the final few fences.

However, she fell back down the pecking order this afternoon and will now turn her attention to the Bramham Horse Trials which take place in North Yorkshire at the start of next month.

While Wilson was unable to reproduce her fantastic performances from the Olympics, the fight for the Badminton title at the head of the field could hardly have been more thrilling.

Paget, who was lying second overnight, rode an immaculate clear on board Clifton Promise to pile the pressure on reigning Olympic, World and European champion Michael Jung.

Jung and La Biosthetique Sam needed a clear show-jumping round to triumph, but there was a dramatic conclusion as they clipped the final fence to drop to second.

“I used to watch videos of Badminton, thinking it would be cool to be there one day, and now I am,” said 29-year-old Paget, who is the rising star of the equestrian world. “(Clifton Promise) is quite tricky – it's like riding two different horses – but I've asked him a lot of questions over the past week and he's answered every one.”

New Zealander Andrew Nicholson finished third after going clear on Nereo, while William Fox-Pitt was the highest-ranked Briton in fifth after having one fence down on Parklane Hawk.

Fox-Pitt's failure to claim the title means Pippa Funnell remains the only rider ever to have won the Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley crowns consecutively.

Of Britain's other Olympians, Mary King finished 13th, Tina Cook came in 18th and Zara Phillips was forced to retire on the cross-country stage.