In 2012 Billygoats Society Secretary Emeritus and Vice President John Adams continued writing about selected entries from the Boat Club record books:
Across the Decades 2012 – from the Fitzwilliam Boat Club Record Books
Last year saw the sixtieth anniversary of a very successful year for the Club, the winning of the Michell Cup, four Bumps for the 1st VIII in both Lents and Mays and the first entry by a Fitzwilliam crew to Henley Royal Regatta (though that crew unfortunately just failed to succeed in the pre-regatta qualifying race).
This year sees the fiftieth anniversary of what can be argued to be an even more successful year for the Club – with similar results on the Cam for the 1st VIII, but these achieved more than 10 places higher on the river, the winning of the Michell Cup again, and the first appearance of a Fitzwilliam crew at Henley Royal Regatta (though that crew lost its first round heat in the Ladies’ Plate).
But the crew which made the headlines in The Times in 1962 was the record breaking 3rd VIII – with a rise of 10 places on the first day of the Lents. Difficult for you to believe this was possible? You are not alone: Lord Brabazon of Tara had trouble persuading the fellow members of his club of the truth when he told them of the rise, and wrote to the Captain of Boats for the full details so he could convince the doubters. The details appear below and a summary of the results of the 1st boats every ten years is in Annex 1.
Ninety years ago – 1922
“A meeting of the Boat Club was held on April 22nd 1922, the Captain in the chair. Not more than 6 members were present; and no business of paramount importance was transacted; but the possibilities of going to the Henley Royal Regatta were discussed, and authority given to the Captain to make inquiries, a fuller consideration to take place at a later meeting.” As is now known, it took forty years for the possibilities to be realised.
The coaches of the 1922 Lent Boat were “A D B Pearson (First) and R E Morrison (Third)”. (First & Third were not combined until 1940.)
Eighty years ago -1932
The records for the year show that the discussion over dress continued (see last year’s snapshots). Three pages of the Record Book are occupied with details of the blazers, vests, socks, wraps, sweaters and caps appropriate for the members of various crews. “A copy of these regulations was given to Messrs Ryder, Amies, the official outfitters of the Club.
Seventy years ago – 1942
No record – no Boat Club. Fitzwilliam had very few students during World War 2.
Sixty years ago – 1952
Like 2012, 1952 was an Olympic year – and in 1952 this had a significant effect on Fitzwilliam House Boat Club.
“During the Easter vacation it was announced by the Olympic Games Committee that Brian Lloyd, this year’s President of Leander and last year’s CUBC President, had been asked to select an VIII to go to Helsinki this summer. Consequently Cambridge is being used as the trial ground and many Old Blues are back in the Town. Before the beginning of term Skinner (the FHBC President, who had won a Trial Cap at the end of 1951 as a cox and had been thereupon been elected a member of Leander) had obtained promises to coach from several of those Olympic trial oars.”
The second VIII that term made do without a potential Olympian, being coached by “Mark Attlee (nephew of Her Majesty’s Leader of the Opposition) of Queens’ Boat Club”
Fifty years ago – 1962
In the 1962 Lents, the 1st VIII made 3 bumps in the first division. But the Times headlines were grabbed by the 3rd VIII. On the Thursday of the Lents, under headlines reading “Gain of 10 places on first day. Unique achievement of Lents crew”, the Times rowing correspondent wrote, “The rowing achievement of Fitzwilliam House III overshadowed everything on the first day of the Lent races at Cambridge yesterday. First they overbumped their way from fourth in the fifth division to head of it, then, half an hour later as sandwich boat at the bottom of the fourth division , they bumped[1] Lady Margaret VI passing on the way six boats each pair of which had been involved in a bump. This was a net gain of 10 places in one afternoon’s racing, which is unique in the history of rowing.” (And in those days The Times was not given to sensationalism.) After that performance, the crew made a bump on each of the following three days. Their total rise – 13 places.
In the Mays, the 1st VIII made four bumps, the 2nd two, the 3rd two, the 4th an overbump followed by 5 bumps and the 5th (Rugger) boat went down twice.
Denham Bayly Jones (Oriel & OUBC Trial Cap), who was Trinity chaplain, first coached Fitzwilliam after the Lent Bumps (for the Bedford, Reading and Tideway Heads) and then again after the Mays for Marlow and Henley. The crew improved significantly under his guidance and at Henley, on the Friday before the regatta “in favourable conditions, we rowed a 1min 55sec Barrier – one second inside the Ladies’ Plate record.
Forty years ago – 1972
The entry in the book under Henley 1972 includes
“As the Ladies’ Plate this year has been extended to allow 32 crews to participate in the regatta proper, no qualifying races were held. We were drawn against the holders, University of London. Going off the start at 44 we had a lead of a canvas by the end of the island but were unable to increase this lead. Both crews were still rating 40 at the quarter mile signal after which UL started slowly creeping back. We checked this momentarily at the Barrier where we led by 3 feet, but they spurted and went past to lead by a canvas. With the rating down to 35 we managed to increase the power output, and the crews were level at Fawley. UL spurted again at the three-quarter mile signal and we put the rating up to 37 to counter this. The rating kept at 36-37 until the mile and one-eighth signal, with UL leading by a mere 2 feet. Going past the General Enclosure, we rated 38 and took their lead away inch by inch. As we went past the Stewards’ Enclosure we raised the rating to 40 for our usual storming finish; UL had no answer to this, and we crept away to win by 1/3 length, in the best race of the day, a fitting introduction to Henley for the seven oarsmen and the cox who had not competed there before.”
The crew met the eventual winners, DSR Laga (Holland), in the nest round and lost to them in the fastest race of the day “Grand times not excluded”.
Thirty years ago – 1982
1981-82 is the last year for which anything appears in the book. The record for that year includes, “The women’s 1st [Lent] VIII were very unlucky not to win their oars, being foiled by a good Darwin crew on the first and fourth days [when they rowed over].”
[1] I would have said “treble-overbumped” and this was the first ever treble-overbump on the Cam. The feat has been repeated, but not by a crew which had already bumped on the same day. The ten places in one day remains the record, In the 2001 Mays, Homerton achieved a net gain of 13 places, two bumps on the Wednesday, an overbump Thursday, a treble-overbump Friday and a bump on the Saturday.
| Fitzwilliam in the Mays | ||||||
| Snapshots over the decades | ||||||
| Men’s 1st Boat | Women’s 1st Boat | |||||
| 2012 | Start 9th in Div 1 | Start 8th in Div 2 | ||||
| Progress in year | Finishing position | Progress in year | Finishing position | |||
| Posn | Div | Posn | Div | |||
| 2002 | -2 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 12 | 2 |
| 1992 | +3 | 9 | 1 | +5 | 14 | 2 |
| 1982 | +2 | 9 | 1 | +1 | 22 ** | 1 |
| 1972 | -3 | 4 | 1 | First rowed in Mays in 1980 | ||
| 1962 | +4 | 4 | 2 | |||
| 1952 | -2 | 4 | 3 | |||
| 1942 | No Mays boat | |||||
| 1932 | +3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 1922 | -3 | 3 | 3 | |||
| 1912 | -1 | 16 * | 2 | |||
| 1902 | No Mays boat | |||||
| 1892 | -3 | 16 * | 2 | |||
| 1882 | No Mays boat | |||||
| 1875 | First appeared in Mays | |||||
| * In early years of the Mays there were only two divisions of 16 boats. The 1892 and 1912 crews both finished at the bottom of the river. | ||||||
| ** From 1974 until 1989, women rowed in IVs in the Mays. In 1982 there were 3 divisions of crews in IVs. | ||||||
Note the progress of the (men’s) 1st VIII in the twenty years 1952 to 1972 – a rise of one division in both ten year periods.