Churchill College Boat Club is the

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 ...

club for members of

Churchill College, Cambridge Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

. The club colours are pink and brown, chosen as they were the

horse-racing colours A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual w ...

of Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

. In recent years, the club has become famous for its lurid pink

racing shell In watercraft, a racing shell (also referred to as just a ''fine boat'' (UK) or just ''shell'') is an extremely narrow, and often comparatively long, rowing boat specifically designed for racing or exercise. It is outfitted with long oars, outrigg ...

s. The men's 1st VIII started the trend in 2002, with the women taking delivery of their own in 2006. The trend has continued to the extent that the club now has a pink

double scull A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly s ...

. The women also sport pink splash-tops and

lycra Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia, US. The g ...

in the summer months. Churchill College shares a boat house, known as "Combined", with Selwyn, King's and

The Leys School The Leys School is a co-educational independent school in Cambridge, England. It is a day and boarding school for about 574 pupils between the ages of eleven and eighteen, and a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference. Histo ...

. The boat house is the farthest downstream of all the College boathouses, which is a natural advantage for early morning outings. Churchill College Boat Club Fairairns M1

Churchill College Boat Club Fairairns M1

History

The men's boat club was founded in 1961, following a remark during the

Lent Bumps The Lent Bumps (also Lent Races, Lents) 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 be ...

of that year that a college was not really a College until it was on the River. Frank Maine and Ed Markham led the effort to get the club on the river, under guidance from Canon Noel Duckworth, the first chaplain at the college. The boat of postgraduates used the, as yet unheard of, training time of 6 am – 9 am on weekday mornings as the river was deserted. This time is now common across all clubs at

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 ...

. The 1st boat started the

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 ...

in the seventh (bottom) division in 1961, bumping twice before being stopped by carnage on the third day, then being bumped themselves on the last. Following a successful Lent Bumps in 1962, the Churchill 1st VIII were repositioned up into the 3rd division for the May Bumps of the same year.Durack, John; Gilbert, George; Marks, Dr. John (2000). ''The Bumps: An Account of the Cambridge University Bumping Races 1827-1999'' By the early 1970s, the men's 1st VIII had risen to the 1st division of the Lent and May Bumps but found itself back in the 2nd division by the end of the decade. It achieved its highest ever position at 5th in Lent Bumps 1998. In

May Bumps 2006 The May Bumps 2006 were a set of rowing races held at Cambridge University from Wednesday 14 June 2006 to Saturday 17 June 2006. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 115th set of races in the series of May Bumps have been held annual ...

, the crew rose to 6th place, an all-time high for that competition. The women's boat club took part in the very first women's bumps in 1974, racing in fours until 1989. The 1st women's VIII took the ''headship'' of the Lent Bumps in 1984. In the May Bumps, Churchill women have been ''Head of the River'' a total of 6 times (1978, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1990), the joint most of any other women's boat club (with ), although only for the last headship were the races held in eight-oared boats. Between 1985 and 1987, Churchill finished Head of the Mays on 12 consecutive days – the longest ever continuous defence of the women's Mays Headship. Recently the College has been awarded both the Pegasus Cup (2013, 2015), and the Marconi Cup (2015) for the best performing college in May and Lent Bumps respectively. Both the Men's and Women's crews hold spots in the first division of these races.

Henley appearances

Churchill Women won the "College A" event at the inaugural

Henley Women's Regatta Henley Women's Regatta, often abbreviated to "HWR" or "Women's Henley", is a rowing regatta held at Henley-on-Thames, England. Chris Aistrop and Rosemary Mayglothling were jointly responsible for setting up the Regatta in June 1988 and Aistrop wa ...

in 1988, and again in 1990. Churchill Men last qualified for the Temple Challenge Cup in 1996 at

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

, progressing to the second round.

Gallery

Image:Churchill College Boat Club Lent Bumps 2008 M2.JPG, M2 practising a start before the

, 2008 Image:Churchill College Boat Club Lent Bumps 2008 M4.JPG, M4 in the Lent Bumps getting on race, 2008 File:Churchill M1 chasing Fitzwilliam Lent 2012.jpg, M1 chasing Fitz, Lent bumps 2012 File:Churchill-laurels-mays-2011.jpg, Churchill W1 with laurels, having bumped Girton in the Mays 2011

References

External links

Churchill College Boat Club Website

{{United Kingdom rowing clubs Rowing clubs of the University of Cambridge

Boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

Sports clubs established in 1961 1961 establishments in England Rowing clubs in Cambridgeshire Rowing clubs in England Rowing clubs of the River Cam