Thousands watch Dragon Boat race

7:42pm Sunday 11th May 2008

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Crowds gathered on the banks of the River Thames to watch Abingdon's annual charity Dragon Boat Race today.

Organisers were delighted by the sunshine, after wet weather hampered last year's event.

Fifteen teams battled it out on the River Thames throughout the day.

Darren Loxton, 32, captained the Feel Good Fitness crew, which won the first race of the day and triumphed in the final, clocking a time of 47 seconds over the 250m course.

He said: "This is the fourth year in a row we have competed and the nucleus of the team has remained pretty much the same.

"We don't have access to the boats, so it's literally a matter of rocking up each year.

"It's good fun - a great day out for everybody."

As well as the racing, there was plenty of other entertainment, including stalls, games and the Oxford Mail bouncy castle.

The annual event is organised by Abingdon Vesper Rotary Club and over the past nine years has raised more than £250,000 for local and international charities.

Vice-president Richard Benton said: "It was superb - really, really hot, which brought people along - there must have been a few thousand. People said they had a great day and the racing was very exciting."