St Neots Charity Dragon Boat Race 2022 a roaring success

Thousands of spectators flocked to a jam-packed Regatta Meadow river bank to watch a record 23 teams of 11 competitors each furiously paddle it out over a 200-metre stretch on August 20.

The popular event had not been held since 2019 due to the Covid pandemic.

For the first time, the St Neots deputy mayor Cllr Richard Slade and town councillors took part in the event as 'Slade's Sailors'. (Image: i-d Image Development St Neots)

St Neots Town Council organised the event with support from the Rotary Club of St Neots St Mary and St Neots Dragon Boat Club, which all helped put on a thrilling day which was won by the Tribal Warriors.

One of the organisers and the Rotary Club secretary, Mike Truswell, said: "It has been a great day and appears to have been thoroughly enjoyed by both competitors and spectators alike.

Vast amounts of spectators cheered the Dragon Boat Race teams on from the river bank at Regatta Meadow (Image: Hunts Post)

"We have been well supported by sponsorship from a number of local companies both on and off the water, for which we are very grateful, and it is hoped a good sum of money will be raised for the Mayor’s Charity Fund, and the Rotary Club of St Neots St Marys nominated charity Shining Stars."

St Neots deputy town clerk, Karen Pollecutt, said: "We are still tallying the figures but estimate that funds raised by the event for charity will be in excess of £8,000 this year which is an amazing amount; we cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity and support.”

Cllr Richard Slade (L) and Steve McCallion, President of Rotary Club of St Neots St Marys (R), present the winning trophy (Image: i-d Image Development St Neots)

There were several food and drink, market and community stalls for the public to enjoy during the event (Image: Hunts Post)

Race the Dragon Ltd helped manage the racing side of the event, supplied the equipment, and ensured safety measures were in place for a day full of racing.

Racing commenced at 10.30am with heats of three to four boats continuously contending against one another on into the evening.

The Dragon Boat Race teams paddled furiously in each of the heats throughout event (Image: Hunts Post)

Each team of 11 paddlers had to sprint across a 200m distance as quickly as possible (Image: Hunts Post)

The top nine teams with the best average race times went through to the semi-finals, and the three finalists were chosen from the best three semi-final times.

There were several photo finishes and close ties, but it was Tribal Warriors who won the final with a time of 01:00.82, beating the Splash of the Titans and Blazing Paddles.

Thousands of spectators attended the St Neots Charity Dragon Boat Race (Image: Rotary Club of St Neots St Marys)

There were also several stalls selling food and drink and a fun fair, ensuring it was a fun, exciting and inclusive day out for all families and children.

There were plenty of stalls at the event including a pitch from the St Neots U3A group (Image: Trevor Parmenter)