The May Bumps 2009 were a set of

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

races held in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, UK from Wednesday 10 June 2009 to Saturday 13 June 2009. The bumps featured crews from all

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

Colleges A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

and

Anglia Ruskin University Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public university in East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins are in the Cambridge School of Art, founded by William John Beamont in 1858. It became a university in 1992, and was renamed after John Ruskin in ...

. The races were run as a

bumps race A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each crew attempting to catch and ‘bump’ the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind. The form is mainly used in intercollegiat ...

and were the 118th set of races in the series of

May Bumps 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 M ...

which have been held annually in mid-June in this form since 1887. In 2009, a total of 171 crews are expected to take part (94 men's crews and 77 women's crews), with over 1500 participants in total. Two clubs changed their names in 2009. became reflecting the

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

name change. became reflecting the change in the

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

's name a couple of years previously.

Head of the River crews

M1 rowed over to retain the headship gained in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

despite determined attacks from on the Friday and Saturday. Caius managed to close to within a third of a length for much of the course on the Friday. Pembroke College Cambridge Rowing Blade

W1 also rowed over to retain their headship gained in

. This was the first time since 1994 that there was no change in either the men's or women's headship.

Highest 2nd VIIIs

remained the highest men's 2nd VIII at the end of the week, despite being bumped into 15th position. Jesus College Cambridge Rowing Blade

remained the highest women's 2nd VIII at the end of the week at 17th position, having started 15th.

Pegasus Cup and the Biggest Risers

Hughes Hall won the Pegasus cup again, claiming it back after a one-year loan to St Edmunds. Three of the club's boats got blades and their second men's boat had a meteoric rise of eleven places up the rankings. Sidney_Sussex_College_Rowing_Blade

In the women's competition, climbed eleven places, finishing above

Links to races in other years

Bumps Charts

Below are the bumps charts all 6 men's and all 5 women's divisions, with the men's event on the left and women's event on the right. The bumps chart represents the progress of every crew over all four days of the racing. To follow the progress of any particular crew, simply find the crew's name on the left side of the chart and follow the line to the end-of-the-week finishing position on the right of the chart. Note that this chart may not be displayed correctly if you are using a large font size on your browser. A simple way to check is to see that the first horizontal bold line, marking the boundary between divisions, lies between positions 17 and 18. The combined Hughes Hall/ Lucy Cavendish women's crews are listed as Lucy Cavendish only.

The Getting-on Race

The Getting-on Race allows a number of crews which did not already have a place from last year's races to compete for the right to race this year. Up to ten crews are removed from the bottom of last year's finishing order, who must then race alongside new entrants to decide which crews gain a place (with one bumps place per 3 crews competing, subject to the maximum of 10 available places). The 2009 May Bumps Getting-on Race took place on 5 June 2009.

Competing crews

Men

12 men's crews raced for 4 available spaces at the bottom of the 6th division. The following were successful and will row in the bumps. * * * * The following were unsuccessful. * * * * * * * The following did not race. *

Women

7 women's crews raced for 6 available spaces at the bottom of the 5th division. The following were successful and will row in the bumps. * * * * * /* * The following did not race. *

References

{{reflist

External links

CUCBC - the organisation that runs the bumps

1st & 3rd Trinity Boat Club - instant results service

Cambridge University Radio (CUR1350) - live commentary, instant results, downloadable MP3s of race commentary
May Bumps results