Lent Bumps
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...
races held annually on the River Cam
River Cam
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. They began in 1887, after separating from 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...
, 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. The races are open to all college boat clubs from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, the University Medical and Veterinary Schools and Anglia Ruskin Boat Club
Anglia Ruskin Boat Club
Anglia Ruskin Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Anglia Ruskin University. It was known as CCAT Boat Club until 2008. The name CCAT derives from a former name for the University, the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, which is abbreviated to CCAT...
. The Lent Bumps takes place over five days (Tues-Sat) either at the end of February or start of March and is run as a bumps race
Bumps race
A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each boat attempting to catch and "bump" the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind....
.
The most recent in the series is the Lent Bumps 2011
Lent Bumps 2011
The Lent Bumps 2011 was a series of rowing races being held at Cambridge University from Tuesday 1 March 2011 until Saturday 5 March 2011. The event was run as a bumps race and is the 124th set of races in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in...
, which ran from 1st March 2011 to 5th March 2011.
Structure
The races are run in divisions, each containing 17 crews. The number of crews in each bottom division varies yearly depending on new entrants. Each crew contains eight rowers and one coxswain. Unlike the May BumpsMay 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...
, rowers trialling for spaces in university crews are not allowed to take part in the Lents. A total of 121 crews took part in 2005, totalling around 1000 participants. There are currently four divisions for men's crews (referred to as M1, M2 ... M4) and three divisions for women's crews (similarly W1–W3). The divisions represent a total race order with Division 1 at the top. The ultimate aim is to try to finish Head of the River (also said as gaining the 'Headship'), i.e. first position in division 1.
At the start, signalled by a cannon, each crew is separated by a distance of about 1½ boat lengths (approximately 30 m or 90 ft). Once the race has begun, a crew must attempt to catch up with the crew ahead of it and bump (physically touch or overtake it) before the crew behind does the same to them. A crew which bumps or is bumped must pull to the side of the river to allow other crews to continue racing. A crew which neither bumps the crew ahead nor is bumped by the crew behind before crossing the finishing post is said to have rowed over. Any crew which bumps then swaps places with the crew that it bumped in the following day's racing. A crew which rows over stays in the same position. Crews finishing at the top of a division, the sandwich boat, row at the bottom of the next division to try to move up a division. The process is repeated over four days, allowing crews to move up or down in the overall order of boats. The finish order of one year's Lent Bumps is then used as the starting order of the following year's races.
Men's 1st Division
Women's 1st Division
Men's Lent Bumps (1887 - 2011)
| 1887 | 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | |||||
| 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1896 | |||||
| 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | |||||
| 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | |||||
| 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | |||||
| 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | |||||
| 1913 | 1914 | 1919 | 1920 | | | ||||
| 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | | | ||||
| 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | | | ||||
| 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | | | ||||
| 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | | | ||||
| 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | | | ||||
| 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | | | ||||
| 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | | | ||||
| 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | | | ||||
| 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | | | ||||
| 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | | | ||||
| 1961 | 1962 | 1964 | 1965 | | | ||||
| 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | | | ||||
| 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | | | ||||
| 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | | | ||||
| 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | | | ||||
| 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | | | ||||
| 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | | | ||||
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | | | ||||
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | | | ||||
| 1998 Lent Bumps 1998 The Lent Bumps 1998 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday 24 until Saturday 28 February 1998. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of a series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the... |
1999 Lent Bumps 1999 The Lent Bumps 1999 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 23, 1999 until Saturday February 27, 1999. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of a series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent... |
2000 Lent Bumps 2000 The Lent Bumps 2000 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 29, 2000 until Saturday March 4, 2000. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of a series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps... |
2002 Lent Bumps 2002 The Lent Bumps 2002 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Wednesday March 1, 2002 until Saturday March 4, 2002. The event was run as a bumps race and has been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races... |
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| 2003 Lent Bumps 2003 The Lent Bumps 2003 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 25, 2003 until Saturday March 1, 2003. The event was run as a bumps race and has been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races... |
2004 Lent Bumps 2004 The Lent Bumps 2004 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday, 24 February 2004 until Saturday 28 February 2004. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent... |
2005 Lent Bumps 2005 The Lent Bumps 2005 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday March 1, 2005 until Saturday March 5, 2005. The event was run as a bumps race and is the most recent in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See... |
2006 Lent Bumps 2006 The Lent Bumps 2006 was a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 28, 2006 until Saturday March 4, 2006. The event was run as a bumps race and has been held annually in late-February or early March in this format since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races... |
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| 2007 Lent Bumps 2007 The Lent Bumps 2007 was a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 27, 2007 until Saturday March 3, 2007. The event was run as a bumps race and was the last set in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in this form... |
2008 Lent Bumps 2008 The Lent Bumps 2008 were a series of rowing races at the University of Cambridge held on the River Cam from Tuesday February 26, 2008 until Saturday March 1, 2008. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 121st race in the series of Lent Bumps, which have been held annually in late February or... |
2009 Lent Bumps 2009 The Lent Bumps 2009 is a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 24, 2009 until Saturday February 28, 2009. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 122nd in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in this form... |
2010 Lent Bumps 2010 The Lent Bumps 2010 was a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday 23 February 2010 until Saturday 27 February 2010. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 123rd in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in this form... |
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| 2011 Lent Bumps 2011 The Lent Bumps 2011 was a series of rowing races being held at Cambridge University from Tuesday 1 March 2011 until Saturday 5 March 2011. The event was run as a bumps race and is the 124th set of races in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in... |
NB. Lent Bumps were cancelled between 1915 and 1918 due to war, and in 1895 and 1963 due to ice. The Lents in 1888 was not completed due to the death of an oarsman. When the races ceased, were in 1st position. The Lent Bumps 2001
Lent Bumps 2001
The Lent Bumps 2001 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 27, 2001 until Thursday March 1, 2001. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of a series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps...
were not completed due to an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease
2001 UK foot and mouth crisis
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms in most of the British countryside. Over 10 million sheep and cattle were killed in an eventually successful attempt to...
in the UK. The outbreak closed the tow-path along the river, where all of the umpiring for the bumps takes place. When the races were abandoned on Friday 2 March 2001, were in 1st position.
In 1919, college 1st VIIIs did not race as it was the first race after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The start order for the 1920 races was the finish order for the 1914 races. Prior to 1946 were two separate rowing clubs: 1st Trinity and 3rd Trinity, hence both separate and combined titles.
Women's Lent Bumps (1976 - 2011)
| 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | | | ||||
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | | | ||||
| 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | | | ||||
| 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | | | ||||
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | | | ||||
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 Lent Bumps 1998 The Lent Bumps 1998 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday 24 until Saturday 28 February 1998. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of a series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the... |
1999 Lent Bumps 1999 The Lent Bumps 1999 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 23, 1999 until Saturday February 27, 1999. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of a series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent... |
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| 2000 Lent Bumps 2000 The Lent Bumps 2000 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 29, 2000 until Saturday March 4, 2000. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of a series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps... |
2002 Lent Bumps 2002 The Lent Bumps 2002 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Wednesday March 1, 2002 until Saturday March 4, 2002. The event was run as a bumps race and has been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races... |
2003 Lent Bumps 2003 The Lent Bumps 2003 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 25, 2003 until Saturday March 1, 2003. The event was run as a bumps race and has been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races... |
2004 Lent Bumps 2004 The Lent Bumps 2004 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday, 24 February 2004 until Saturday 28 February 2004. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent... |
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| 2005 Lent Bumps 2005 The Lent Bumps 2005 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday March 1, 2005 until Saturday March 5, 2005. The event was run as a bumps race and is the most recent in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See... |
2006 Lent Bumps 2006 The Lent Bumps 2006 was a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 28, 2006 until Saturday March 4, 2006. The event was run as a bumps race and has been held annually in late-February or early March in this format since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races... |
2007 Lent Bumps 2007 The Lent Bumps 2007 was a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 27, 2007 until Saturday March 3, 2007. The event was run as a bumps race and was the last set in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in this form... |
2008 Lent Bumps 2008 The Lent Bumps 2008 were a series of rowing races at the University of Cambridge held on the River Cam from Tuesday February 26, 2008 until Saturday March 1, 2008. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 121st race in the series of Lent Bumps, which have been held annually in late February or... |
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| 2009 Lent Bumps 2009 The Lent Bumps 2009 is a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 24, 2009 until Saturday February 28, 2009. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 122nd in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in this form... |
2010 Lent Bumps 2010 The Lent Bumps 2010 was a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday 23 February 2010 until Saturday 27 February 2010. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 123rd in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in this form... |
2011 Lent Bumps 2011 The Lent Bumps 2011 was a series of rowing races being held at Cambridge University from Tuesday 1 March 2011 until Saturday 5 March 2011. The event was run as a bumps race and is the 124th set of races in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March in... |
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NB. The Women's Lent Bumps were not completed in 2001
Lent Bumps 2001
The Lent Bumps 2001 were a series of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Tuesday February 27, 2001 until Thursday March 1, 2001. The event was run as a bumps race and is one of a series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late-February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps...
due to an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease
2001 UK foot and mouth crisis
The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease in farms in most of the British countryside. Over 10 million sheep and cattle were killed in an eventually successful attempt to...
in the UK. When the races were abandoned on Friday 2 March 2001, were in 1st position.
Table of Winning Boats (1887-2010)
Eighteen boats have been head of the river.| Blade | Boat | Head of the River : Men | Head of the River : Women | Head of the River : Total | Winning Years : Men | Winning Years : Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Jesus Jesus College Boat Club (Cambridge) Jesus College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Jesus College, Cambridge. Over the years, it has been consistently successful, with the 1st Men's VIII never having dropped below 12th place in the May Bumps and 11th position in the Lent Bumps... |
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1905–12, 1914, 1922–24, 1926–27, 1929, 1932, 1934–38, 1940–41, 1944–47, 1952–53, 1955, 1957, 1959–64, 1970, 1972, 1974 | 1985–87 |
| Trinity (Combined) First and Third Trinity Boat Club The First and Third Trinity Boat Club is the rowing club of Trinity College in Cambridge, England. The club formally came into existence in 1946 when the First Trinity Boat Club and the Third Trinity Boat Club merged, although the 2 clubs had been rowing together for several years before that date... |
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1892–96, 1898–1902, 1904, 1913, 1919*, 1921, 1925, 1951, 1958, 1967, 1971, 1998, 2000, 2007–10 | 2007–08, 2010 | |
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Lady Margaret Lady Margaret Boat Club The Lady Margaret Boat Club , is the rowing club for members of St John's College, Cambridge, England. The club is named after Lady Margaret Beaufort, foundress of the College.- History :... |
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1889, 1897, 1903, 1920, 1943, 1949–50, 1954, 1965–66, 1975–81, 1990 | 1992–93 |
| 1st Trinity | |
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1892–96, 1898–1902, 1904, 1913, 1919*, 1921, 1925 | n/a | |
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1st & 3rd Trinity First and Third Trinity Boat Club The First and Third Trinity Boat Club is the rowing club of Trinity College in Cambridge, England. The club formally came into existence in 1946 when the First Trinity Boat Club and the Third Trinity Boat Club merged, although the 2 clubs had been rowing together for several years before that date... |
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1951, 1958, 1967, 1971, 1998, 2000, 2007–10 | 2007–08, 2010 |
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Emmanuel Emmanuel Boat Club Emmanuel Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. The men's 1st VIII has stayed largely in the first division of the Lent and May Bumps for the last half-century, but fell as low as 21st in the May Bumps in the 1930s, and has been as low as 28th in the Lent Bumps... |
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1930 | 1988–91, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2000, 2002, 2009 |
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Downing Downing College Boat Club Downing College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Downing College, Cambridge. Despite the college admitting undergraduates in 1821, Downing's boat club did not form until 1863, with their first race being in the spring of 1864... |
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1984–88, 1994–97 | 2004–05, 2011 |
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Trinity Hall Trinity Hall Boat Club Trinity Hall Boat Club is the rowing club of Trinity Hall, a college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1827 it is amongst the oldest college boat clubs in Cambridge, England.... |
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1890, 1948, 1982–83, 1991–93 | 1996, 1999 |
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Caius Caius Boat Club Caius Boat Club is the boat club for members of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.The Club rows on the river Cam, and like the other college boat clubs its prime constitutional aim is to gain and hold the headship of the Lent Bumps and May Bumps, now held in eight-oared boats, separately for... |
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1999, 2002–06, 2011 | 2003 |
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Pembroke Pembroke College Boat Club (Cambridge) Pembroke College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Over the last century, crews from Pembroke have held the headship of the men's Lent Bumps on four occasions, and the headship of the men's May Bumps ten times... |
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1931, 1933, 1942, 1989 | |
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Clare Clare Boat Club Clare Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Clare College, Cambridge. Prior to about 1930, the Clare 1st VIII spent most of its time near the boundary of the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Lent and May Bumps. It rose to take the headship of the Lent Bumps in 1939... |
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1939, 1973 | 2006 |
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New Hall New Hall Boat Club Murray Edwards College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, up to 2008 known as New Hall. Murray Edwards is a college for women only. New Hall's early progress was good, taking the headship of the Lent Bumps in 1976, 1978 and 1980... |
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n/a | 1976, 1978, 1980 |
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Newnham Newnham College Boat Club Newnham College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Newnham College, Cambridge. Newnham is a college for women only. Members of Newnham have been rowing for a considerable time before the first women's bumps races. The first bumps for women started in 1974... |
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n/a | 1977, 1982–83 |
| Corpus Christi Corpus Christi College Boat Club (Cambridge) Corpus Christi College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. It represents one of the smallest colleges in Cambridge, meaning that as crews are selected from a small pool ability often varies from year to year... |
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1887, 1891 | |
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| Girton Girton College Boat Club Girton College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Girton College, Cambridge. Girton was originally a college for women only, but first allowed men in 1977. A men's crew first appeared in 1980 in both the Lent and May Bumps, rising to the 1st division in the Lent Bumps by 1995. Since then,... |
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1979, 1981 | |
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Churchill Churchill College Boat Club Churchill College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Churchill College, Cambridge.The club colours are pink and brown, chosen as they are Sir Winston Churchill's racing colours. In recent years, the club has become famous for its lurid pink shells. The men's 1st VIII started the trend in... |
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1984 |
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Fitzwilliam Fitzwilliam College Boat Club Fitzwilliam College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Prior to the 1960s, Fitzwilliam House occupied a position near the bottom of the 2nd division or top half of the 3rd division of the Lent and May Bumps, even finding itself in the 4th division of the... |
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1969 | |
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Peterhouse Peterhouse Boat Club Peterhouse Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Peterhouse, Cambridge. It was founded on 29 April 1828 as St Peter's College Boat Club, but was renamed in 1873 to its present name... |
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1956 | |
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Queens’ | |
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1968 | |
* The head of the river in 1919 was, unusually, 1st Trinity’s second boat. It was the first race after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and 1st eights did not race. The start order for the 1920 races was the finish order for the 1914 races.
NB. Prior to 1946 were two separate rowing clubs: 1st Trinity and 3rd Trinity, hence both separate and combined titles.
CCAT, Christ's, Clare Hall, Darwin, Homerton, Hughes Hall, King's, Lucy Cavendish, Magdalene, Robinson, St. Catharine's, Selwyn, Sidney Sussex, St Edmund's, Wolfson, Addenbrooke's and the Veterinary School are the regular entrants never to have finished Head of the River for either the men's or women's events.
External links
- CUR1350 - live commentary, instant results, downloadable MP3s of race commentary
- Cambridge bumps charts — archive of results 1992-2005