Blood, sweat and tears flowed in equal measure when a team of inexperienced oarsmen and women from the Watford Observer took part in the Rickmansworth Dragon Boat Regatta.

Reporters Joanne Davis, Jo Stephenson, Phil Sands, and Richard Evans; sports reporter Mark Dodd; subs Liz Ford and Paul Crowney; photographer Jane Parr and Limited Edition editor Charlie Harris, took to the water as the Press Gang to prove that they were not all words and no action.

Entering into the spirit of the event, the paddlers opted for a team strip suited to the occasion, donning white shirts, black ties and a liberal splashing of fake blood to transform themselves into Reservoir Dogs.

As the event on Bury Lake at Rickmansworth Aquadrome progressed, the shirts got bloodier, the blisters bigger and the boats wetter.

Team veteran Charlie Harris, (47), said: “It was very good fun but my arms were aching by the end of the day.”

After bobbing in the wake of their opponents in the first race, the Press Gang managed to ‘press gang’ some younger recruits, sisters Laura and Claire Hedderman, aged 13 and nine – and shaved more than quarter of a minute off their initial effort!

They went on to be beaten by a dragon’s snout in their second race and a dragon’s whisker in their third outing and so failed to qualify for semi-final glory.

The gang consoled themselves with the fact they had raised more than £200 for charity and would certainly have scooped the ‘best turned out’ rosette – if there had been one.

Press Gang captain Paul Crowney said: “What a fantastic day, enjoyed immensely by every Reservoir Dog. See you there next year!”

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