A GLITTERING rowing legacy wasn’t enough to stop Ann Redgrave slipping to defeat in the annual Dragon Boat competition at the Marlow Town Regatta on Sunday.

As well as being the wife of five-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve, Lady Ann has also tasted competition at the highest level during the 1984 Los Angeles games.

But her team Marlow Roses were beaten into second place in the women’s competition by Team Great Birds, who flew into an early lead to take the crown.

The light-hearted Sunday tradition once again brought out the eccentric side of Marlow’s proud watersports tradition, with the Ageing (Arabian) Dads picking up their oars for a record 14th consecutive entry as 18 teams took to the choppy waters.

Bright coloured fancy dress was on show once again, with Impractical Parrots, Higgs Bosun and the Supoar Herows(sic) bringing waves of dizzying colour to the Thames banks.

But it was junior team Wokingham Dragons who triumphed overall, with many of the young squad taking time out of their GCSE revision schedule to take this year’s title.

Lauren Kirkham, or race organisers Dragon's Alive, said: "We at dragons alive had a great day with the teams old and new.

"Walking through the enclosure you could feel a good atmosphere as teams recovered from their previous races and the results board was keenly watched throughout the day.

"Conditions did get a bit harder in the afternoon as the wind picked up but the teams still battled hard to improve their times from the previous rounds."