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Annual set of rowing races in Cambridge, England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The May Bumps (also May Races, Mays) are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge, England. 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 its inception in 1827.[1] The races are open to all college boat clubs from the University of Cambridge, the University Medical and Veterinary Schools and the Anglia Ruskin Boat Club. The May Bumps takes place over four days (Wednesday to Saturday) in mid-June and is run as a bumps race.
The races are run in divisions, each containing 17 crews. The number of crews in each bottom division varies yearly depending on new entrants.[2] Each crew contains eight rowers and one coxswain. A total of 154 crews took part in 2014, totalling around 1390 participants. There are currently six divisions for men's crews (referred to as M1, M2...M6) and four divisions for women's crews (similarly W1–W4). The divisions represent a total race order with Division 1 at the top. The ultimate aim is to try and finish Head of the River (also said as gaining the 'Headship'), i.e. 1st position in division 1.
At the start, signalled by a cannon, each crew is separated by a distance of about 1+1⁄2 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 all the other crews to continue racing. If a crew is able to catch and bump the boat which started three places in front of it, after the two in front have already bumped out, the crew is said to have over-bumped. A crew which neither bumps a crew ahead nor is bumped by a crew behind before crossing the finishing post is said to have rowed over.
After the race, any crew which bumps or over-bumps swaps places with the crew that it has bumped for the following day's racing. A crew which rows over stays in the same position. Crews finishing at the top of a division also start at the bottom of the next division, as the sandwich boat, in an attempt to try to move up into the next division. The process is repeated over four days, allowing crews to move up or down several places in the overall order of boats. The finishing order of one year's May Bumps are then used as the starting order of the following year's races.
May Bumps were cancelled between 1915 and 1918, and in 1940 due to war,[1] and in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] Prior to 1946 1st & 3rd Trinity were two separate rowing clubs: 1st Trinity and 3rd Trinity, hence both separate and combined titles.[5]
| 1974 | Clare | 1975 | Newnham | 1976 | Newnham | 1977 | New Hall | 1978 | Churchill | 1979 | Clare |
| 1980 | Clare | 1981 | New Hall | 1982 | Trinity Hall | 1983 | Trinity Hall | 1984 | New Hall | 1985 | Churchill |
| 1986 | Churchill | 1987 | Churchill | 1988 | Jesus | 1989 | Churchill | 1990 | Churchill | 1991 | Lady Margaret |
| 1992 | Lady Margaret | 1993 | Jesus | 1994 | Jesus | 1995 | Emmanuel | 1996 | Emmanuel | 1997 | Pembroke |
| 1998 | Pembroke | 1999 | Emmanuel | 2000 | Caius | 2001 | Caius | 2002 | Caius | 2003 | Newnham |
| 2004 | Emmanuel | 2005 | Jesus | 2006 | Pembroke | 2007 | Jesus | 2008 | Pembroke | 2009 | Pembroke |
| 2010 | Pembroke | 2011 | Downing | 2012 | Downing | 2013 | Clare | 2014 | Downing | 2015 | Downing |
| 2016 | Downing | 2017 | Jesus | 2018 | Jesus | 2019 | Newnham | 2020 | - | 2021 | - |
| 2022 | Newnham | 2023 | Jesus | 2024 | Caius |
The Women's May Bumps were rowed in coxed fours between 1974 and 1989, changing to coxed eights from 1990 onwards. A new start order was used for the women's 1990 races.[1] May Bumps were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Women's May Bumps, in which Caius took headship.
Sixteen 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Jesus | 23 |
8 |
31 |
1909, 1910, 1912–14, 1920–22, 1924–25, 1927, 1930, 1935–39, 1947–48, 1955–58, 1972 | 1988, 1993–94, 2005, 2007, 2017–2018, 2023 |
| Trinity (Combined) | 25 |
- |
25 |
1889, 1893, 1897–1906, 1911, 1919, 1928–29, 1945, 1964–67, 1973, 2008–10 | - | |
 |
Lady Margaret | 21 |
2 |
23 |
1926, 1950–54, 1959–61, 1974–75, 1979–81, 1983, 1988–89, 2016–18, 2024 | 1991–92 |
 |
Caius | 18 |
4 |
22 |
1987, 1998–2000, 2002–07, 2011–15, 2019, 2022-23 | 2000–02, 2024 |
 |
Trinity Hall | 15 |
2 |
17 |
1887–88, 1890–92, 1894–96, 1907–08, 1946, 1992–95 | 1982–83 |
 |
Pembroke | 10 |
6 |
16 |
1923, 1931–34, 1976–78, 1985–86 | 1997–98, 2006, 2008–10 |
| 3rd Trinity | 11 |
n/a |
11 |
1889, 1893, 1901–06, 1929 | n/a | |
 |
Downing | 6 |
5 |
11 |
1982, 1984, 1990–91, 1996–97 | 2011–12, 2014–16 |
 |
1st & 3rd Trinity | 9 |
- |
9 |
1945, 1964–67, 1973, 2008–10 | - |
 |
Clare | 5 |
4 |
9 |
1941–44, 1949 | 1974, 1979–1980, 2013 |
 |
Churchill | - |
6 |
6 |
- |
1978, 1985–87, 1989–90 |
 |
Emmanuel | 1 |
4 |
5 |
2001 | 1995–96, 1999, 2004 |
| 1st Trinity | 5 |
n/a |
5 |
1898–1900, 1911, 1928 | n/a | |
 |
Newnham | n/a |
5 |
5 |
n/a | 1975–76, 2003, 2019, 2022 |
 |
Fitzwilliam | 3 |
- |
3 |
1969–71 | - |
 |
New Hall (now Murray Edwards) | n/a |
3 |
3 |
n/a | 1977, 1981, 1984 |
 |
Queens’ | 3 |
- |
3 |
1962–63, 1968 | - |
N.B.: Prior to 1946 1st & 3rd Trinity were two separate rowing clubs: 1st Trinity and 3rd Trinity, hence both separate and combined titles.[5]
Anglia Ruskin, Christ's, Clare Hall, Corpus Christi, Darwin, Girton, Homerton, Hughes Hall, King's, Magdalene, Peterhouse, 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.
Four boat 'awards' are informally/formally recognised by the individual college boat clubs that take part in the Cambridge May Bumps, these accolades are awarded as follows:[citation needed]
The Pegasus Cup is a Cambridge rowing prize first awarded in 2006. It was donated by Milton Brewery and will be awarded annually to the most successful college boat club competing in the Cambridge May Bumping Races. The winner is decided by means of a points system, which is described in the Cambridge University Combined Boat Club handbook as follows:
The Cup is awarded to the Club gaining the most points over the course of the May Bumps. Points are awarded as follows:
- One point for every place gained by each of a Club’s boats.
- One point for each night that a Club retains the Men’s or Women’s Headship in Division One.
- One point deducted for every place lost by each of a Club’s boats.
The total number of points gained over the four days of racing is multiplied by 12 and then divided by the number of boats entered by the Club to give the final score.[6]
To be eligible a club must have at least one men's and one women's boat (except in the case of single sex colleges where two boats of the same sex may be permitted). In the coronavirus year of 2020, May Bumps were not held. Instead, the Pegasus Cup was awarded to the Cambridge college boat club whose members raised the greatest sum for charity (per capita)—Lady Margaret Boat Club, who raised over £3500. The year is asterisked on the Pegasus Cup to distinguish this unusual occurrence.
Results:[9]
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