Eventing team keep their cool to claim the bronze

Daisy Dick, Sharon Hunt, William Fox-Pitt, Tina Cook and Mary King were left delighted after adding another medal to the silver which Britain won in Athens four years ago.

Yet although they held on to their overnight third position in the showjumping phase following the previous three days' dressage and cross country sections, there was never any chance of them challenging for the major medals as their traditional rivals from Germany and Australia secured gold and silver respectively.

Delight was tinged with frustration for the 47-year-old King, riding Call Again Cavalier in her fifth Games at the Sha Tin venue, as she sealed the bronze but at the same time knocked down a couple of fences which may well have cost the veteran her chance of individual glory later in the evening.

King appeared to be en route to a clear round, but as she approached the final three fences, starting with a two-fence combination, the pair stuttered and the chance of pressuring Germany's individual leader Hinrich Romeike was lost.

King said: "It's disappointing. Cavalier hasn't had a fence down for two years.

"He was jumping beautifully but he went a little bit quiet down the last line which was really uncharacteristic. But, never mind, we've still got a medal and that's great."

She had praised Cook, whose clear round on Miners Frolic had earlier given the team a comfort blanket as they came under pressure from Sweden and New Zealand.

Fox-Pitt reckoned the team had "done fantastically well".

He felt there was no way they could have caught the leaders today after they had held a comfortable advantage following the cross country stage but added: "We've gone out on a high".

The atmosphere in Hong Kong had made Fox-Pitt long to have a crack at the 2012 Games in London where the cross country will be held in Greenwich Park.

"We won't be resting on our laurels after this," he said. "In a way, it may have worked in our favour that we didn't win the gold because it gives us something to aim for in London 2012."

Hunt, riding Tankers Town, was still left in contention for an individual medal after the team event had concluded, finishing in sixth place overall, but King's chances seemed to have disappeared after she slumped to 13th.