ADONIS TRIUNPH AT DRAGON BOAT CHALLENGE 2008

19.05.08

The eagerly anticipated Dragon Boat Challenge 2008 at Himley Hall was held this weekend, and the day certainly lived up to the hype.

The Adonis team, made up of a mixture of employees, friends and family, put on a fantastic show finishing 2nd in a controversial and closely contested final.

Despite a slow start in heat 1, Adonis were happy to take second place in what proved to be a warm up exercise for the 16 strong team and drummer.

Following a re-group and some bold tactical decisions by Captain Richard Fellows, which included sacrificing himself for the next race, the team was well prepared and feeling confident going into race 2. However, no amount of self confidence could have predicted what was to happen next. The Adonis team, with Ian Cotterill and Steve Cruchley setting the pace of each stroke, went on to smash 9 seconds off their previous time and set a new course record, completing the fastest time on the day out of all 26 teams who took part.

The time of 1 minute 21 seconds elevated Adonis from complete rank outsiders to the team to watch, with the other competitors copying both style and tactics of the Adonis crew in a vain attempt to match their speed across the water.

The team, again, rowed to victory in their final heat with a much slower time of 1 minute 30 seconds. But with a place in the Grand Final already secured, there was little motivation for Adonis to break their existing record with what proved to be a grueling finale to the days proceeding looming.

As the day drew to a close, there were a few tired faces in the Adonis camp as the previous 3 heats began to take there toll. But the team, cheered on by some fantastic support, rallied themselves once more for one last final test. Or so we thought!

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