One of the key events of inter-house sport, the Bumping Races, took place from Tuesday 14th May to Friday 17th May, and as always proved to be a great spectacle for the supporters on the riverbank. Prior to the event a number of houses hoped to maximize their chances of success this year with long hours of training, most notably NCWS, HWTA and College, with the last one going out for a total of 14 training sessions.
On the first day, a number of ‘bumps’ occurred, most notably as NCWS took College’s spot at the head of the river after catching them off the start. Similarly, ABH, ASR, JRBS and SPH all began their ascent up the ladder by catching a number of boats in front of them. During the second evening, College took their revenge on NCWS, regaining their spot at the top and causing NCWS to slow down significantly, which eventually led to them be bumped by JCAJ as well as College. In the mean time, NA’s unlucky streak continued as they dropped down four places in two days. The penultimate race saw JCAJ’s failed attempt to gain headship, as not only were they unsuccessful in catching College but also subsequently got bumped by NCWS. That night proved to be equally unkind to PAH, as they got quadruple-bumped and became fourth from the bottom in the second division. On the final day of the races NCWS and College engaged in a spectacular race to the finish line, as the latter attempted to recreate their success of two days prior. Unfortunately for NCWS, the College rowers proved tougher than some originally expected pushing through the course despite the harsh weather conditions.
After the races Dr. Shorrock and Dr. Pooley presented the trophies. The Bumping Cup went to ABH, ASR, JRBS and SPH, in a four-way tie, whilst College managed to extend their winning streak as the Head of the River to four years.
Danil Filatov
