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, which are 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, the University Medical and Veterinary Schools and Anglia Ruskin Boat Club. The Lent Bumps take place over five days at the end of February / start of March and are run as bumps races.
The most recent in the series was the Lent Bumps 2020, held from 25 to 29 February 2020.

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 consists of eight rowers and one coxswain. Unlike the May Bumps, rowers trialling for places in university crews are not allowed to take part in the Lents. A total of 120 crews took part in 2020, totalling around 1080 participants. There are currently four divisions for men's crews and four divisions for women's crews. Both M4 and W4 are "short" divisions which marshall together; W4 goes off 5 minutes separated from M4 whereas other divisions are separated by 40 minutes. The divisions represent an overall race order, with Division 1 at the top. The ultimate aim is to try to finish Head of the River, 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. Once the race has begun, a crew must attempt to catch up with the crew ahead of it and bump 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 effective 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. Due to the shortness of reliable daylight, the races are actually currently run over five days, with one division level dropped out each day except Saturday: on Tuesday M/W 1, on Wednesday 2, Thursday 3 and Friday 4.
The leading men's and women's crews of the Lent Bumps go on to race the leading Oxford Torpids men's and women's crews at the Henley Boat Races around Easter.

Crews finishing Head of the River

Men's Lent Bumps (1887–2020)

Lent Bumps were cancelled from 1915 to 1918 due to war, and in 1895 and 1963 due to ice; in 2018 two days were lost to the towpath being too icy for bank parties and umpires. The Lents in 1888 were not completed due to the death of an oarsman. When the races ceased, were in 1st position. The Lent Bumps 2001 were not completed due to an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in the UK. The outbreak closed the towpath 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. 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 (1976–2020)

197619771978197919801981
198219831984198519861987
198819891990199119921993
199419951996199719981999
20002001No result2002200320042005
200620072008200920102011
201220132014201520162017
201820192020

NB. The Women's Lent Bumps were not completed in 2001 due to an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in the UK. When the races were abandoned on Friday 2 March 2001, were in 1st position.

Table of Winning Boats (1887–2020)

Nineteen boats have been head of the river.
BladeBoatHead of the River : MenHead of the River : WomenHead of the River : TotalWinning Years : MenWinning Years : Women
Jesus
39
6
45
1905–12, 1914, 1922–24, 1926–27, 1929, 1932, 1934–38, 1940–41, 1944–47, 1952–53, 1955, 1957, 1959–64, 1970, 1972, 19741985–87, 2016–18
Trinity
25
4
29
1892–96, 1898–1902, 1904, 1913, 1919*, 1921, 1925, 1951, 1958, 1967, 1971, 1998, 2000, 2007–102007–08, 2010, 2014
Lady Margaret
21
2
23
1889, 1897, 1903, 1920, 1943, 1949–50, 1954, 1965–66, 1975–81, 1990, 2017–18, 20201992–93
Downing
10
6
16
1984–88, 1994–97, 20142004–05, 2011–13, 2020
1st Trinity
15
n/a
15
1892–96, 1898–1902, 1904, 1913, 1919*, 1921, 1925n/a
1st & 3rd Trinity
10
4
14
1951, 1958, 1967, 1971, 1998, 2000, 2007–102007–08, 2010, 2014
Caius
12
1
13
1999, 2002–06, 2011–13, 2015–16, 20192003
Emmanuel
1
11
12
19301988–91, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2000, 2002, 2009
Trinity Hall
7
2
9
1890, 1948, 1982–83, 1991–931996, 1999
Newnham
n/a
4
4
n/a1977, 1982–83, 2019
Pembroke
4
-
4
1931, 1933, 1942, 1989
-
Clare
2
1
3
1939, 19732006
New Hall
n/a
3
3
n/a1976, 1978, 1980
Corpus Christi
2
-
2
1887, 1891
-
Girton
-
2
2
-
1979, 1981
Churchill
-
1
1
-
1984
Fitzwilliam
1
-
1
1969
-
Peterhouse
1
-
1
1956
-
Queens’
1
-
1
1968
-
Christ’s
-
1
1
-
2015

* The head of the river in 1919 was, unusually, 1st Trinity’s second boat. It was the first race after World War I and 1st eights did not race. 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.
CCAT, 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 in either the men's or women's events.