DESPITE winning the Ashes, England's batsmen have scored several ducks in the recent series - but not nearly as many as will be competing in the Great Yarmouth Annual Duck Races at the Waterways, North Drive, on Sunday.

DESPITE winning the Ashes, England's batsmen have scored several ducks in the recent series - but not nearly as many as will be competing in the Great Yarmouth Annual Duck Races at the Waterways, North Drive, on Sunday.

Duck Race Chairman Richard Delf of the Burlington Hotel said: “Great Yarmouth Rotary Club have been organising this annual event for 10 years and in the course of this time have raised over �40,000 for charity. We know of no other ducks or duck races that have done so much for charity in East Anglia, and indeed the British Isles. This is a quacking good effort by all concerned.”

The Mayor will be in attendance to start the first race, which will be paddling off at 2pm. Over 3,000 turbo-powered ducks will be competing in three races. As usual a Corporate race will be staged to identify the quack racing stable amongst the borough's business community.

The event is sponsored by PKF Accountants, Digital Print by Screenprint Plus and Selwood Pumps. Members of Great Yarmouth Haven Rotary Club attend to the race layout and organisation and perhaps most importantly sell many race cards well in advance of the event to underpin the financial success.

If you want to place an early bet on the winner, just ask any Haven Rotarian and he will be pleased to help you. A restricted number of tickets will be available on Race Day.

Admission to the event is, as always, free to the public and there will also be an operational display of model boats before the racing commences - so you are encouraged come early to enjoy all the fun and select your numbered duck for a top prize of �200 in each race.