Early Rounds
The race format for the day was three rounds of two-boat racing with a four boat final made up with the four teams with the single fastest time of the day. With a mixture of new and returning teams, you would expect the teams who had done dragon boating before to put in convincing wins over their 'newbie' rivals, yet as we discovered it was not always the case.
Race 6, Round 1.
First timer's The Photons in Boat 4 supporting the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology just managing to take the more experienced Watkinson Black team supporting Claire House Children's Hospice as they crossed the finish line in their very first race.
The Photons: 1.54.51
Watkinson Black: 1.55.11
Round 1, Race 10.
Avox Tigers vs Connahs Quay d4e
Round 2, Race 13
Avox Tigers in Boat 3 supporting Help for Heroes were up against Connahs Quay d4e in Boat 4 supporting The Anthony Nolan Appeal. For both teams this was their first race - although from the way they battled each other all the way down the course, you would never have believed it. As they crossed the line it was Connahs Quay d4e who took the finish, just 0.39 of a second ahead of the young Tigers. Connahs Quay d4e: 1.47.53 Avox Tigers: 1.47.92
Mother Goose vs Posh & Decks
Race 13 saw a thrilling battle between Mother Goose in the red boat who were supporting the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Posh & Decks in the yellow boat supporting The Anthony Nolan Appeal. With almost ten seconds splitting these team in the first round (1.46.78 for Mother Goose against Posh & Deck's 1.56.57), it should have been a foregone conclusion. However, as we have seen so many times before, once a team gets past their first race, they start to improve!
Having grasped how dragon boat racing works, Posh & Decks powered together as a team and edged themselves into a lead as they came up to the half way point.
However Mother Goose were not giving up quite so easily and soon snatched the lead back, making it Posh & Decks’s turn to play catch up. As they crossed the finish line it was neck and neck with Posh & Decks just taking the line with a much improved 1.43.50, half a second ahead of Mother Goose’s also improved 1.44.02.
