January 18 -  British show jumping squad performance manager Derek Ricketts (pictured) has been sacked following the team's "disappointing" results last year and his job has been advertised with the sport looking for a candidate to lead the team through to the London 2012 Olympics.



Ricketts, who has been team manager since 2002, had been warned that his position was under review last September following Britain's joint eighth place in the Nations Cup super league and sixth at the European Championships.

The decision to advertise his job was taken in December and the advert appears in the latest edition of Horse & Hound and the closing date for applications is on Wednesday (January 20).

Ricketts said: "We have had a disappointing time results wise.

"But we can achieve nothing without horse power and last year was bad from that point of view."

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and British Show Jumping Association (BSJA) are inviting applications for a new performance manager and may split the job from that of team coach.

Ricketts, a former international show jumper who was a member of the British team that won the 1978 World Championships, performed both roles.

Will Connell, the BEF world class performance manager said: "We looked at the four Olympic disciplines and show jumping has room for improvement.

"What we need is someone to lead show jumping forward to [London] 2012."

Ricketts was welcome to reapply for the job, said Connell.