2010 Dragon Boat Racing

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As in previous years, rain or shine, the 2010 Dragon Boat Racing was a great event. It had all the ingredients …
practising on dry land
The dry run as teams tried out their oars before boarding …
Vikings waiting to board Dragon Boats
The fancy dress teams waiting to board…
Banging the Drum
The team leader banging the drum…
People watching
The crowds watching and cheering the teams, with stalls and a funfair behind…
Pirates boat drives on
The teams powering down the course as hawaii-five-o played…
Abingdon School Team Hug
The Team Spirit…

And of course raising money for good causes… Each team raised money for charity through sponsorship. The target was £2000 per team, with one third of the money going to the Rotary Club of Abingdon Vesper’s charity fund and two thirds to the team’s nominated charity.

Saxton Rovers retain the double

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Confrontation with the Ref
The Saxton Rover captain makes peace with the referee after an altercation. Saxton Rovers were playing AFC Wallingford in the North Berks Cup Final, a game that Saxton Rovers dominated and won 1-0.
Saxton Rovers receive cup
Here he is again receiving the cup for the second year running. They have also dominated the league for the second year running – winning all but one game which they drew.

Cecil Sharp Centenary Day of Dance

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Mr Hemmings Abingdon Traditional Morris dancers
Mr Hemmings Abingdon Traditional Morris dancers, danced at many pubs round Abingdon, and even some ex-pubs like this one – which was once The Happy Dick Inn in Ock Street.

This annual day of dance was to celebrate Cecil Sharp who worked at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th ecntury, collecting dances, and keeping the old morris dancing tradition alive. He visited Abingdon one hundred years ago.
One of the Armaleggan Morris Morris dancers
The Mr Hemmings group were accompanied by 7 other groups. This colourful Oxfordshire group, called Armaleggan Morris, dance in the borders style with blacked faces and tattered clothes and energetic stick hitting. They are at the Kings Head and bell.

Belly dancing, by Hazzaz, in the Carpark of the Cross Keys pub.

Mayflower Morris clog dancing at the front of the Cross Keys.

Then at 2 pm all the groups got together to dance on the Market Place.

Les Badcock, the bagman of the Mr Hemmings group, led the dance.

Peace Seeds From Hiroshima

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Peace Seeds Presentation
On Wednesday there was a presentation of the peace seeds from Hiroshima, from the tree that grew after the atom bomb destroyed all around. They came with a letter from the Mayor of Hiroshima, and they were received by our own Mayor. Thanks to Anne and Peter for the pictures.