Fitzwilliam College Boat Club
Encyclopedia
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
club for members of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Fitzwilliam College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge in England.The college traces its origins back to 1869 and the foundation of the Non-Collegiate Students Board, a venture intended to offer students from less financially privileged backgrounds a chance to study...
. Prior to the 1960s, Fitzwilliam House (as it was then called) occupied a position near the bottom of the 2nd division or top half of the 3rd division of the Lent
Lent Bumps
The Lent Bumps are a set of rowing races held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887, after separating from the May Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held in mid-June. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from its inception in 1827...
and May Bumps
May Bumps
The May Bumps are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of March. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from...
, even finding itself in the 4th division of the Lent Bumps
Lent Bumps
The Lent Bumps are a set of rowing races held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887, after separating from the May Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held in mid-June. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from its inception in 1827...
briefly. Between 1959 and 1969, the 1st men's VIII were not bumped in the Lent Bumps
Lent Bumps
The Lent Bumps are a set of rowing races held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887, after separating from the May Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held in mid-June. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from its inception in 1827...
, rising to take the headship in 1969. Between 1960 and 1971, the 1st men's VIII were bumped only once in the May Bumps
May Bumps
The May Bumps are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of March. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from...
, taking the headship for three years between 1969 and 1971. From then until the mid-1980s, the 1st VIII held a position in the top-half of the 1st division and won both the Fairbairn Cup and the Emmanuel Sprints Regatta in the Michaelmas Term of 1982. The 1982 crew completed the traditional (1929–1989) Fairbairn course in 14.34, becoming the second (and last!) crew ever to post a winning time of under 15 minutes over the original race distance.
The First VIII now occupies a place near the top of the 2nd division in both events. The women's 1st VIII held a position in the top-half of the 1st division briefly in the 1980s, but fell from 6th to 39th position when the May Bumps
May Bumps
The May Bumps are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of March. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from...
were re-organised in 1990. Between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, the women fell 20 places in the Lent Bumps
Lent Bumps
The Lent Bumps are a set of rowing races held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887, after separating from the May Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held in mid-June. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from its inception in 1827...
. Currently, the 1st women's VIII occupy a position near the top of the 2nd division.
The 1st men won blades in Lent bumps 2006 and are now 15th in the 1st division. The 1st Women rose 2 in Lents 2006 and are now 16th in the 1st division. In the 2011 May Bumps, the Women's 1st VIII won blades.
In 2006 1st Novice Men Won the Fairbairns Cup Novice Division. Donald Evans, Angelo Costello,Liam Price, David Gloucester, Robert Hoff,Jason Barrington-Hines,Arjun Dayal,Elliot Bishton, Cox Claire Noyes. The club repeated this victory in the Novice Division race in 2007 and again in 2009.
The Boat Club is supported by an active dedicated society, The Billygoats, whose membership is open to all who have rowed for Fitz. The Billygoats, often affectionately referred to as the 'Billyguts' after the typical shape of middle-aged former oarsmen, organises social events at the May Bumps and Henley as well as raising funds to support the Boat Club.