Cambridge University is well known for its rich rowing culture. A large proportion of undergraduates will be coerced into spending at least a term struggling out of bed before six and making their way down to the murky waters of the Cam, to spend the first hours of the day training hard on the cold river.
The highlight of the University sporting calendar is the Bumps. Approximately 15% of undergraduates catch the rowing bug and take part in this illustrious event. There are two Bumps leagues per year, the Lent Bumps which take place during March, and the May Bumps, the main event, taking place after examinations in June. The Bumps represent a unique way to race large numbers of boats on a river which in many places is not wide enough for side by side racing.
How the Bumps were conceived
In the early 19th century the banks of the river Cam were lined with reeds. Students of the time developed a game involving hiding in the reeds in a simple rowing boat until another boat passed. A hunting horn would then be blown by way of a challenge, and the concealed boat would attempt to catch the challenged craft before reaching the next bend. These student antics were eventually formalised and the Bumps were devised in 1827. In the early days, crews were groups of friends and the race was open to four, six or eight oared boats.
The format of the Bumps
Currently there are several divisions of boats racing each day, with 17 or 18 boats in each division. The competition takes place over four days, the results from the first day determining the starting order for the second day and so on.
The competitors for one division paddle up the river together to the start area underneath the “Motorway Bridge”. Each boat is positioned by means of a ball on a long chain, held by the cox and attached to the bank at intervals of 90 feet (one and a half boat lengths). The start of the race is signalled by the sounding of a cannon, with warnings being sounded four minutes and one minute prior to the start time.
The aim of the event is to catch up with the boat in front before the boat behind catches up with you. In order to “bump” the boat in front, contact should be made between the boats, although coxes are instructed to concede by raising an arm if a bump is inevitable to avoid causing disruption to crews racing behind. After a bump, crews should evacuate to the banks of the river as quickly as possible to allow boats behind who may still be racing to pass through.
Bumping and rowing over
The prize for bumping is that your boat is elevated above the crew that you bumped for the next day’s racing. League positions are also carried over from year to year. There are several possible outcomes for a boat from a day’s Bumps racing. If you bump the boat in front, you will move up one position. If you are bumped by the boat behind, you will move down one position. Several boats may “row over”: this means they reach the end of the course without being involved in a bump, in this event they will start the next day in the same league position.
Occasionally there will be an “overbump”: this is where the two boats in front of you stop racing, having been involved in a bump; and you go on to bump the boat three places ahead. This results in both boats swapping positions, so the successful boat will move up three places in the league, and the defeated boat will move down three places.
Blades, flags and foliage
Victorious crews decorate themselves and their boats with foliage from the banks before rowing back to their boathouse after a bump. Crews successfully bumping on all four days are awarded blades, and the cox will carry a large college flag on the last day by way of letting spectators know of their success. This system allows boats of all standards throughout the divisions the opportunity to be successful and win a trophy: blades will be painted up in college colours with the names of the victorious crew.
Legendary incident leads to new equipment regulations
All boats are required to have an India rubber “bow ball” attached to the front of their boat. This rule was first instigated in 1888 following a racing incident in which a Trinity Hall boat hit and killed the cox of a boat from Clare College. Legend would have it that this incident involved a crew from St John’s college strapping a sword to the front of their boat, and ever since, so the story goes, St John’s crews have worn red and raced under the name of Lady Margaret Boat Club, as they were allegedly banned from racing under their own college name. Sadly, this story is not true: Lady Margaret Boat Club was actually formed in 1825, well before the fateful incident.
Enjoying the Bumps
The Bumps are an exciting and unique sporting event and every year many people grace the banks of the Cam to cheer on their College, or to enjoy the entertaining spectacle. The best place to watch the Bumps is on the non-towpath side of the river. This is because each boat will have a small army of supporters accompanying them as they race up the river, some on bicycles. These supporters are not renowned for looking where they are going, and it is not uncommon for some of them to take an accidental dip in the Cam.
The Plough Inn in Fen Ditton does a roaring trade during Bumps week. Crews are allowed to practice their racing starts outside The Plough as they row down to the start line, so this is a perfect location to check out the form. It has the added advantage of being about half way through the course, so there is a good chance of witnessing a bump occurring.
There are footpaths running alongside the Cam both sides of Fen Ditton, so you can watch the start if you wish, or better still watch from the meadows between Fen Ditton and the Railway Bridge. Many crews will have finished racing by this point, but you may well see a hard fought battle between tiring crews as they approach the finish line, and you will be able to cheer the victorious boats past as they head back to their boathouse.
In 2011, the Lent Bumps will take place between 1st and 5th March, and the May Bumps will be from 15th-18th June.
Sources
Cambridge University Combined Boat Clubs “How the Bumps Work”
Lady Margaret Boat Club “Boat Club History”
A Dudhia “A History of Oxford College Rowing” 2000
The Camtoo Project “Short History of Cambridge Rowing”
Veronica Mitchell - Veronica studied veterinary medicine at Cambridge University before becoming a secondary school science teacher. She enjoys writing about ...
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