Fitzwilliam 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 ...
club for members of
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Prior to the 1960s, ''Fitzwilliam House'' (as it was then called) occupied a position near the bottom of the 2nd division or top half of the 3rd division of the
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Jesus, temptation by Satan, according ...
and
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 ...
, even finding itself in the 4th division of 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 ...
briefly. Between 1959 and 1969, the 1st men's VIII were not bumped in 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 ...
, rising to ''Head of the River'' in 1969. Between 1960 and 1971, the 1st men's VIII were bumped only once in 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 ...
, taking the ''headship'' for three years between 1969 and 1971.
[Durack, John; Gilbert, George; Marks, Dr. John (2000). ''The Bumps: An Account of the Cambridge University Bumping Races 1827-1999'' ] From then until the mid-1980s, the 1st VIII held a position in the top-half of the 1st division and won both the Fairbairn Cup and the Emmanuel Sprints Regatta in the Michaelmas Term of 1982. The 1982 crew completed the traditional (1929–1989) Fairbairn course in 14.34, becoming the second (and last!) crew ever to post a winning time of under 15 minutes over the original race distance.
The women's 1st VIII held a position in the top-half of the 1st division briefly in the 1980s, but fell from 6th to 39th position when 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 ...
were re-organised in 1990, with the introduction of coxed-eights. Between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, the women fell 20 places in 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 ...
. The 1st Men won blades in
Lent Bumps 2006. In the
May Bumps 2011
The May Bumps 2011 were a set of rowing races held in Cambridge, UK with crews from the boat clubs of all Cambridge University Colleges, the University Medical and Veterinary Schools and Anglia Ruskin University from Wednesday 15 June 2011 ...
, the Women's 1st VIII won blades. In 2006 1st Novice Men Won the Fairbairns Cup Novice Division. The club repeated this victory in the Novice Division race in 2007 and again in 2009. In 2014, the 2nd Novice Men won the Clare Novices Plate whilst the 1st Novice Men won Emma Sprints. In the
Lent Bumps 2015, the 1st Men won superblades, bumping five crews in four days and finishing in the top division.
May Bumps 2022
The May Bumps 2022 was a series of rowing races at Cambridge University from Wednesday 15 June 2022 to Saturday 18 June 2022.[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 ...](_blank)
and
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 thr ...
as well as raising funds to support the Boat Club.
Honours
Henley Royal Regatta
References
*
CUCBCCambridge University Combined Boat ClubFitzwilliam College Boat Club
{{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 i ...
Sports clubs and teams established in the 1880s
Rowing clubs in Cambridgeshire
Rowing clubs in England
Rowing clubs of the River Cam