WORCESTER once again attracted the biggest turnout of crews for the eighth round of the national dragon boat league.

Twenty two crews, including a welcome return to racing by Coventry Dragons, descended on the city centre course to bring the dragons alive.

The popularity of the event is best illustrated by those crews travelling from Durham, Teesside, Dorset, London and Cambridgeshire.

The city was represented by premier crew Worcester Dragons, standard crew MiLo and a first event of the season for many new WDBRC members withWorcester Dragonflies.

The Dragonflies came close to making the minor final of the plate competition, but finished the day on a high, beating the Cardiff Power Blades.

The pattern for the day was established with a final between Worcester Dragons, Batchworth from London and Amathus from Liverpool.

Batchworth showed their usual consistency of the season and set the scene for the day with a win by a nose from Worcester.

A close decision in the ladies invitation race placed Severn Sisters, the combined crew of Worcester ladies, in third place.

The 500m races were as dramatic as ever, creating the usual photo finishes.

League points were decided in a head to head with Batchworth who tried, but failed, to squeeze Worcester off their best line.

The drag caused by resisting Batchworth's tactics was enough to ensure that they held the advantage gained off the start line, and that proved to be the finishing margin to place Worcester second but the points gained re-establish Worcester as second in the UK.

Batchworth won the 1000m WDBRC chairman's trophy by less than a second from from Worcester Dragons.