The Malta Rowing Association will be holding the traditional Freedom Day Regatta next Friday at Grand Harbour. Rowers from seven clubs will be racing against each other with the coveted shield at stake.

Cospicua won the March 31 regatta last year as the Blue outfit from the Cottonera district won the last two races in the Open Class to overhaul early leaders Marsa in the standings.

Cospicua trailed Marsa by 12 points after the opening three races but victory in the Kajjiki and the crucial ‘Dgħajjes Tal-Pass’ races enabled them to leapfrog their rivals in the overall standings as they amassed 72 points.

Marsa were the runners-up with 56 points as Senglea settled for third place on 34 points.

It had been eight years since Cospicua had last won the Freedom Day Regatta. In the overall winners’ list, Marsa lead the way with 11 successes followed by Senglea and Cospicua, both winners of the March 31 races on ten occasions.

In the 2016 ‘B’ Category regatta, reserved for youth rowers, Birżebbuġa were the runaway winners with an overall score of 72 points.

Meanwhile, this year efforts have been made for the March 31 regatta to be more inclusive to members of the public.

In particular, a special invitation is being extended to persons with special needs for them to join the rowers in a special designated area where last-minute preparations are held before competition gets underway.

Those interested are urged to contact the registrar of the association on regatta.malta@gmail.com so that the necessary arrangements can be made.