IT WAS a draw between the two teams who entered the Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic’s Dragon Boat Regatta.
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So Clancy Corporation challenged the Mount Isa Mines team to a beer-drinking contest to settle the score on Saturday.
Mount Isa Mines won the contest held in the licensed area by only a few mouthfuls of Carlton Mid.
Both teams were surprised by the addition of Le Mans ruling of the boat race, enforced by sponsors Commerce North West.
To the contestants’ displeasure the ruling meant they had to run down the bank into the boat, return from Duck Island, and then run up the bank to the finish line.
Clancy Corporation pushed off from the shore first but lost timing when one of their members fell into the water when trying to touch Duck Island as part of the rules.
They barely managed to return to the shore first and would have won the race if Le Mans ruling did not exist.
But Mount Isa Mines caught up to the last of Clancy Corporation’s members halfway up the hill.
Mount Isa Mines community relations advisor Lara Lavers said the race was tough and that Le Mans rules were “a bit of a curveball”.
Contestants studied dragon boat racing techniques on Youtube in preparation for the race.
“Clancy put up a good fight,” Ms Lavers said.
The boat was made of mill vent bags and built by a team of apprentice boiler makers.
It was a much heavier boat than Clancy Corporation and had been used to defeat them in a previous year, Ms Lavers said.
Director of Clancy Corporation Dave Clancy said “it was a good close race”.
“That’s exactly what we were after.
“We’ve got to keep them [MIM] on their toes.”
Some of the older members had difficulty racing up the hill at the end of the race, Mr Clancy observed.
Commerce North West chief executive Loretta Gladstone said the chamber promoted responsible drinking, and did not suggest the beer drinking competition as a rematch.
“We made sure the beers were mid strength,” she said.
Before the drinking contest began, a Clancy Corporation contestant taunted Mount Isa Mines by saying, “Welcome to the jungle boys.’”
Mount Isa Mines contestants in the initial dragon boat race were Lara Lavers, Simon Pope, Michelle Connolly, Jemma Schweikert, Paul Radulovic, Clint Donkin, Alastair Grubb, Mark O’Neill, Richard Harvey, and Graham Houldsworth.
Clancy Corporation’s contestants were Dave Clancy, Mick Scotney, Michael McKay, Tallon Buxton, Kane Christie, Dwayne Milton and Wayne Johnson.