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22nd Sep '01Oxford City Bumpsby gf
After a hiatus which lasted many decades (excepting only a one-off anniversary event in the mid-60s), last year the Oxford City Bumps returned from the dead.

This year, thanks to the efforts of SJB, BPBC turned up with two scratch IVs. In keeping with our usual randomness, our coxes were from Emma and New Hall. Racing was under Torpids rules.

The nominally "first" IV (CCSI, JPB, AJH, GF) was pretty agricultural and opened with a row-over 1/4 of a length off our old adversaries, Merton Gannets. Meanwhile, the other crew (CWEP, DEM, SJB, JPD) dispatched an aged CORC crew in no time.

Second time out, the chasing BPBC crew destroyed us off the start. In an instant, they had closed to just a few feet off our stern. Push for push, we held them there for what seemed like ages, then eventually had to concede the bump and with it first boat status.

We then switched the tractor beam on to the Gannets and hit them just before the line, keeping our crew level, with the others being up two from one race.

Race 3: dull row-overs.

Finally, the crew that had become the 2nd IV was chased by a worryingly rapid CORC effort. They hit us emphatically, but we discovered later that this was only after both of our crews had rowed past a crashed IV which had started third (and due to that crash finished last).

So: Having started 5th and 7th, we finished the other way round in 3rd and 4th. Headship next year? Well, IC hold it for now and are no soft touch. Anyway, the "second" crew went up four, and hence can claim discretionary blades. One problem...

We now need to decide what our blades look like!

BTW, welcome today to our latest random ringer, Jim Brooks - a Gannet who was in the crew finishing second - he'll be joining us for the HOTC in October, along with FaT-coaching Maggie buftie Paul Alexander.
by the pole man - Mon 24th Sep 2001, 2:17pm
The charts for these bumps races are on-line - here.

I'm planning on expanding my bumps guide at some point to describe and illustrate how they differ in Oxford.

In essence, Oxford bumps differ from Cambridge bumps in that the bumped crew must continue - so they can be bumped numerous times if they are very slow (or they can go on to bump themselves, as BPBC I did on Saturday).

The jury's still out on which system we thought was better. Under Oxford rules the crews will tend to be sorted in to speed order more quickly - but with the result that in one bad year a club could loose many more hard fought places than it does here.

Bumping also tend to be less dramatic, because if you are getting bumped, you do not want to get yourselves entangled with the chasing crew: you need to keep going and get on with your race.
by Jimbo - Sat 29th Sep 2001, 2:03pm
the pole man wrote:
In essence, Oxford bumps differ from Cambridge bumps in that the bumped crew must continue - so they can be bumped numerous times if they are very slow (or they can go on to bump themselves, as BPBC I did on Saturday).
Ah, but you have to be really clever to bump yourelf, as it means you have to keep going in a straight line while getting your bow to touch your stern...
by gf - Mon 1st Oct 2001, 11:37am
Jimbo wrote: Ah, but you have to be really clever to bump yourelf, as it means you have to keep going in a straight line while getting your bow to touch your stern...
You could always just get your bowballs level. Simply requires a dual-bowballed boat.

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