THE Swindon Dragon Boat Race dragged on too long for two teams who anxiously waited until the final announcement of the day to discover who had won in a photo finish.

The Silverbacks and Corsair Pirates had posted similar times on the Coate Water course throughout the day’s races and in the grand final their tussle came down to the wire.

With just 16 hundredths of a second in it, Silverbacks, a 17-strong team made up of predominantly Nationwide employees, won.

Team captain Kevin Wingfield, a 54-year-old IT analyst of Springfield Road, Old Town, said his late mother’s favourite charity was Help for Heroes, which became the Silverbacks’ chosen charity.

“It’s just a good laugh. You get your mates together, have a bit of a picnic, a few drinks throughout the day. It’s a nice day out,” he said after lifting the trophy.

The team, which raised £350 for the military charity, finished third last year, two spots behind the Pirates, who were defending their crown in 2015.

“We didn’t know who won, it was that tight,” said Kevin.

“I am sure they (Corsair) will be back next year looking for revenge. We will be here again.”

Bill Handley, who has been running the dragon boat business for nearly 30 years, said it was one of the tightest finishes he had seen in his time with the boats.

He also said the slightly overcast weather boosted the mood among spectators on the banks of Coate Water.

“It felt like there was better vibe this year. Sometimes they say it’s because of the weather and others in spite of the weather. Today it was because of it,” he said.

“Instead of laying out in the sunshine they were watching the racing and getting involved.“There was a real buzz around the place about who would win, because it was so close.”

Bill, who had been in Leeds just one day earlier holding a similar competition, said there had been in excess of 1,000 people competing and spectating yesterday.

The event had been brought to Swindon for the third consecutive year with the organisation of Rotary Club of Swindon Phoenix.

President David Coe said: “It’s all about giving people fun and bringing charities together with the community.

“The whole idea of this event is to provide an event for the people of Swindon to enjoy whilst giving some exposure for the town’s charities.

"We want to see smiles on faces and generate a bit of competition.

“It’s the third year now and some of our regular teams are building some rivalries.

“Those competitive streaks add to the tension of the afternoon, but it’s all done in the right spirit.”