May Bumps 2022: Newnham and Caius hold top spots on first day of competition

Published: 10:02, 16 June 2022

| Updated: 13:45, 17 June 2022

Caius and Newnham held firm at the top of their respective divisions on the first day of the May Bumps.

Caius kept the headship at the top of the men's divisions and Newnham, who include victorious Boat Race Blues Sarah Portsmouth, Caoimhe Dempsey and Adriana Perez Rotondo, rowed over at the top of the Women's Division One.

But there are new challengers in both the men's and women's divisions.

Lady Margaret caught Magdalene to take over second place in the Men's Division One, while Emmanuel have moved up to second spot in the women's divisions, having bumped Jesus.

Girton M2 bump Downing M3 in the Men's Division Four of the May Bumps. Picture: Paul Knight (57356830)

Action from the women's divisions on the first day of the May Bumps. Picture: Paul Sanwell/OP Photographic (57356808)

Caius W2 closing on Corpus Christi W1 before making the bump in the Women's Division Two of the May Bumps. Picture: Paul Sanwell/OP Photographic (57356820)

Robinson W1 in the May Bumps after bumping Downing W2. Picture: Paul Sanwell/OP Photographic (57356779)

There was plenty of movement across all the divisions, and in some cases by more than one place.

Hughes Hall had a double bump to move into the Men's Division One, first catching Wolfson at the top of Division Two, and then taking Selwyn's place in Division One.

It was a day to forget for Wolfson as their second boat dropped from third in M4 to sixth, with First And Third III going from sixth to third, and Clare III dropping to fifth after swapping places with Corpus Christi II in the middle of a double bump.

There was even more confusion further down the division, as St Edmund's II climbed from 15th to 10th with Darwin going the other way, and in the middle of the mass bump, Girton II caught Downing III to go to 13th and Anglia Ruskin chased down Churchill III to get to 11th.

Lucy Cavendish W2 after bumping Clare Hall W1 in the Women's Division Three of the May Bumps. Picture: Paul Sanwell/OP Photographic (57356828)

Queens' W2 narrowly miss being bumped by Lady Margaret W2, who took the bend out of Grassy Corner too wide and let Queens' retain top of the Women's Division Three of the May Bumps. Picture: Paul Sanwell/OP Photographic (57356789)

Queens' and Clare at the start of the Women's Division Four of the May Bumps. Picture: Paul Knight (57356791)

Trinity Hall cox acknowledges Churchill W2 in Women's Division Four of the May Bumps. Picture: Paul Sanwell/OP Photographic (57356803)

Artist Sarah Allbrook recording the 2022 May Bumps. Picture: Paul Sanwell/OP Photographic (57356747)

In the women's divisions, it was largely much more formulaic, with single bumps happening throughout, except in W4.

The main benefactors were Churchill II, who went from 15th to 10th, with Trinity Hall III heading the other way. In the middle of the melee, Emmanuel IV caught Corpus Christi to go up to 13th and Caius IV bumped Clare IV to go to 11th.

The racing gets under way today (Thursday) at 1.4pm with the M5/W5 division.

Cambridge University Sport Rowing Mark Taylor