Caius Boat Club had a splendid week on the river at Lent Bumps 2019, winning four sets of blades and regaining the Headship - a rare occurrence indeed.

Here, we take a look at each day’s results.

Day 1

CBC was off to a great start with W2 bumping Murray Edwards II and W3 bumping Hughes Hall II. M3 also bumped King’s II, so the week started with all boats moving up.

Day 2

The second day of Bumps proved to follow the success of Day 1. W2, W3 and M3 all bumped before the motorway bridge, with W2 bumping Trinity Hall II, W3 bumping Churchill II and M3 bumping Peterhouse II. W1 bumped Queen’s I on the Plough Reach and M1 bumped LMBC to reach Headship Station.

Day 3

Despite challenging conditions, our crews managed to have another fantastic day on the river. W1 bumped St. Catherine’s, M1 rowed over confidently on Headship Station, and W3 bumped Queen’s III before First Post. Sadly, M2 conceded to LMBC II, but were ready to come back fighting the next day.

Day 4

On Day 4, M1 again left LMBC behind, retaining Headship Station. W1 rowed over, and W2 and M3 both bumped Jesus III and Clare III respectively – keeping them on course for blades. Unfortunately, M2 were bumped by Selwyn I.

Day 5

On the last day of Bumps, M1 rowed over at least seven lengths ahead of LMBC. W1 bumped up for the third time, this time bumping Girton I just after the motorway bridge and M2 rowed over against St. Edmund’s I. W2 bumped Trinity Hall II (again!) – racing in the new ‘Pippa Rogerson’ boat – and, W3 and M3 all bumped up a fourth time against Clare III and Jesus III, thereby winning blades. M1 not only achieved blades, but also secured the Lent Headship Plate for the College!

Caius Boat Club Captain, Chris Gilmartin commented: “CBC has had an outstanding performance this week, solidifying our position as the top club on the Cam. Four sets of blades is no common occurrence! The Men's First VIII+ were highly deserving of the Headship position, working through a gruelling training programme this term and fighting continuously for further improvements. The women's side achieved outstanding results too, with 11 bumps from 12 races! All our rowers and coxes performed extremely well, and should be proud of their exceptional results.”

Photographs: Caius Boat Club and James Lee (bottom two).