St. Clare's team of 16 students, of nine different nationalities, took part in the annual Abingdon Rotary Dragon Boat race.

In the first heat they recorded a time of 52 seconds on the 250-metre course improving it to 49 seconds in the second heat. There can be no individuals in a Dragon Boat. The boat moves at speed when the team works in unison. They qualified for the grand final, and made a great start moving clear of the other three boats. The team could not hear the cheers from the bank, everyone shouting the strokes in the water, one two, one two, one two. We crossed the line in second place in 46 seconds. The winning team (Fitness First Personal Trainers, Abingdon) beat us by one second. The team were magnificent. Following river tradition, they all jumped into the Thames to celebrate.

Local paper review of the event.

More photos of the event can be found in our picture gallery.