Nordelph in pictures: Raft Race 2010 -- Results
"The Treatment"
Alan Savin and Pete O'Sullivan, overall winners yet again (like last year and the year before) in a time of 4m 18s. Every team is entitled to its own choice of name, but we must confess that we rather preferred the name on the stern, which was all that their opponents saw of them:
"All the Gear and No Idea"
Dale Parson, James Packman, Jamie Fitzpatrick and Bailey Yearn (12 years old) from Little Downham near Ely. Second in a time of 5m 14s, during which they founmd ample time to employ their water cannon to soak opponents and spectators (pictures of this elsewhere)!
"C-O-M-P"
Oli Marshall, Paul Warren, Michelle Warren and Craig Forsdyke -- their team name assembled from their initials. Village connections, but hailing from Ipswich. A respectable time of 5m 42s.
"Fatties and the Stick"
Barrie Carter, Scott Allen, Adam Secker and Alex Neal, from Nordelph. 7m 55s.
"Rubber Duck"
Our only one-man
craft, Mark Adams hailing from Daventry. We've noted in the past that the fewer people aboard, the fewer different directions you can paddle in, and generally the faster the time. Nonetheless, Mark could only manage 5th place with a time of 8m 04s.
"Motion in the Ocean"
A second,
military-themed entry from Little Downham, propelled by Dan Webb, Sam Packman, Charlotte Webb and 14-year old Lizzy Webb. A confusing one this -- as the photograph below clearly shows, the craft was also labelled 'The A Team' -- which wouldn't have mattered except that we had another A Team in the 2010 contest! We suspect that they weren't especiall;y disappointed with their time of 11m 14s, which was largely down to stopping along the way for an impromptu water fight!
"The (real) A Team"
Amalia Ford
from Nordelph was forced by circumstances to paddle alone last year, and cruised in to a comfortable second place in the Youth Race 2009. This year, together with Abigail -- and for the first time paddling the full adult course (previously, young competitors have started down range!) -- the A Team managed a creditable 12m 23s and, as the first craft past the post with no adults on board, took the Youth Race 2010 title.
"Sinking Bed"
Callum and Jack Donger
from Nordelph had a better year in 2009, when they won the Youth event. This year they were beaten into second place, with a nonetheless creditable time of 15m 50s.
"Rah Rah Rafters"
The simplest of all the craft in the 2010 event (and could there ever be a simpler?), Rah Rah Rafters was originally conceived as a three-person raft crewed by Sophia Free and Hannah and Amy Pollock (totalling but 29 years between them). By the time they reached our cameraman, there were only a pair left (could someone tell us which two?) and they were being strongly advised by the onlookers that nowhere in the rules did it say that you had to paddle your craft home. Nonetheless, the above manoeuvre seems needlessly complicated to us -- the more convenient positioning below got them home in 16m 06s.
"Nordelph Nasty Nannies"
Slowest team to finish the course (two craft listed below did not finish) was the confusingly-branded 'Nordelph Nasty Nannies (dressed to suit) -- confusingly because the side of the craft was clearly labelled 'Rose & Crown' (Hilgay). But Andrew Marshall, Kelvin Rayner, Andy Cawston and Matthew Miller managed to keep going for the full 16m 39s it took to get to the finishing line.
The Casualties
Two rafts failed to complete the course, in each case as the result of enemy action (see below).
"The Vikings"
This entry featured Steve Beaton, Ed Gass, Monique Beaton and Karen Beaton from Nordelph in an attractively kitted out craft. Their only mistake was in not carrying water cannon!
"Porky's Love Shack"
We're sorry
not to have a better photograph of this craft, especially one showing the dragon that undulated along the length of the boat. This was crewed by Darren Pindar, Fran Flack, Gav Fuller (who attempted to qualify in the Youth Event by declaring a mental age of 6) and Cheryl Cross and hailed from Littleport. They too fell prey to enemy action.
And finally ...
our thanks are due to the safety boat -- rumours that they were not above giving a helping tow to velocity-challenged competitors just shows what a fine and friendly set of folks there are in Nordelph.