BY E. AYLING & SONS, PUTNEY, LONDON, CIRCA 1961-2

These oars or 'blades' are won by college rowing VIIIs who achieve the feat of 'bumping' the crew ahead of them on the Cam on each of the four days of the bumping races, held in the Lent and May terms. Crews that win their 'Blades', such as these, have the honour of rowing back along the Cam with foliage (preferably laurel) in the hair, in the manner of Roman victors, with their cox bearing the flag of their Boat Club. The Bumping Races, or 'Bumps' as they are more familiarly known, take place on the Cam on four consecutive days each March and June. Colleges may enter as many boats as they can field and the larger colleges, such as Trinity and St John's, often enter as many as nine crews. The crews are divided into divisions, each comprising seventeen crews and a 'sandwich boat' which is the boat attempting to bump up from a lower division. Due to the narrowness of the Cam, rather than racing side-by-side as in conventional rowing regattas, Bumps crews line up one behind another along a stretch of the river bank with a 150 ft. gap between them. A series of cannons count down to the Starting Gun, just before which the crews are cast into the centre of the river, with the cox holding a wooden 'bung' on a chain fixed to the river bank (to ensure no crew gains an advantage before the start). Once the starting gun sounds, the crews attempt to touch or 'bump' the crew ahead. Once the bump has been effected, both crews pull over to the bank and on the following day, their positions within the division are reversed. An 'overbump' is achieved when the two crews ahead 'bump out' and pull to the river bank, allowing the crew to row up and bump the crew three positions ahead. The aim is to move or 'bump' up and become 'Head of the River', namely 1st position in the 1st Division. The Bumps are hotly contested between colleges and year-round training is focused on the May Bumps.