The May Bumps 2021 were a set of rowing races at Cambridge University scheduled to take place from Wednesday 16 June 2021 to Saturday 19 June 2021.[1] The event was to be run as a bumps race and would have been the 129th set of races in the series of May Bumps which had been held annually in mid-June since 1887. In this edition of the Mays, the women's divisions were due to be raced before the equivalent men's divisions.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the races were cancelled in mid-April, with a side-by-side regatta held in their place.
On 4 January 2021, England's third national lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic was announced.[2] Although students had returned to Cambridge following the gradual easing of measures throughout the spring of 2021 by the time the Mays were due to be held in June, CUCBC announced the cancellation of the races in mid-April. They cited the announcement by the University's Vice-Chancellor Stephen Toope that students would be unlikely to be able to return to the university en masse before Monday 17 May, leaving insufficient time available for the requisite twelve training outings that all crews competing in Bumps must have completed in preparation to ensure crew competence and safety. As an alternative, they suggested that a "non-contact rowing event" would allow more crews to complete safely given the relatively low level of experience in comparison to other years.[3] An Eights Regatta was run by CUCBC in place of the cancelled Bumps races.[4]
The June Eights Regatta which replaced the 2021 May Bumps took place over five days from Sunday 20 June 2021 to Thursday 24 June 2021. The first day of racing comprised the getting-on race which seeded the crews for the Swiss-style tournament that took place on the subsequent four days of the competition. Racing was held on a course of 1.1 kilometres in length on the Long Reach, with two boats racing side-by-side in each race. Each boat had the opportunity to participate in four races.[4]
In total 154 crews were entered into the competition, of which the majority were women's crews - a historic first for a CUCBC-run event. However, due to an increase in COVID-19 cases among the student population in the days preceding the event,[5] several crews were forced to withdraw before or during the competition.
Eight divisions were run in total, including first and second divisions for men's and women's senior and novice crews. The inclusion of novice divisions in a competition so late in the academic year is unusual but it was deemed appropriate given that student rowing had not been possible for much of the year due to the ongoing pandemic.
M1 won all four of their races to finish at the top of the men's first division. M1, M1, M1 and M1 all won three races, M2, M1, M1, M1, M1 and M1 won two races each and M1, M1, M1 and M1 all won one of their four races. M1 was the only crew in the division to lose all four races.[6]
W1 won the women's first division, having won all four of their races. W1, W1, W1 and W1 each won three races, W1, W1, W1, W1, W1 and W1 won two races each and W1, W1, W2 and W2 won one race each, while W1 won none of their races.[6]
M2 won a tiebreaker with M2 to claim victory in the men's second division after both crews won all four of their races. Crews to win three races were M1, M1, M1, SX (the highest-ranked mixed crew) and M2, while those who won two races each were M2, M2, M3, M3, M1, M2, M2 and M1. Meanwhile, M2, M1, M1 and M2 won one race each, and SX and M1 were left without any victories to claim. M2 withdrew from the competition with no wins.[6]
W2 were victorious in the women's second division after their tiebreaker with W1, each crew having won all four of their races. W1, W2, W1, W1 and W2 won three races each, W1, W2, W1, W1, W1, W2, W2 and W3 won two races each and W1, W1, W2, W2 and W2 each won one race. W2 and W2 both finished without any wins, and both W1 and W2 withdrew from the tournament.[6]
NM1 won their division outright, with NM1, NM1, NM1 and NM1 each winning three of their races and NM1, NM1, NM1, NM1, NM2 and NM1 each winning two. NM1, NM1, NM1 and NM1 managed a single win each, while NM1 lost all four races.[6]
NW1 were the victors of the women's first novice division, while NW1, NW1, NW1 and NW1 finished with three wins each and NW1, NW1, NW1, NW1, NW1/2 and NW1 with two each. NW1, NW1 and NW1 each won one race, while NW1 finished with no wins and NW1 withdrew.[6]
In a division comprising only nine boats, NM2 came top of the leaderboard with four wins, followed by NM2 with three and NM1 and NM1 with two each. NM2 won one race and NM1 and NM1 were beaten in all four races. Both NM1 and NM2 scratched.[6]
NW1 denied Caius a clean sweep in the women's divisions by winning all four of their races, closely followed by NW2, NW1 and NW2 on three wins each. NW2, NW1, NW1 and NW1 won two races each, with NW2 winning one and NW3, the only third novice boat in the competition, losing all of their races. This division saw NW2, NW1, NW1 and NW1 all withdraw from the competition, with only NW2 having won one race prior to their withdrawal.[6]
| Preceding year | Current year | Following year |
|---|---|---|
| May Bumps 2020 (cancelled) | May Bumps 2021 (cancelled) | May Bumps 2022 |
| Lent Bumps 2020 | Lent Bumps 2021 (cancelled) | Lent Bumps 2022 |