May Bumps, four-days of rowing races hosted at the end of each Easter Term, is a time of giddy excitement and college rivalry, in many ways similar to the sporting chaos of a primary school sports day.

This year, it seems that some college boat clubs may have taken that spirit a bit too far, as clubs were fined thousands of pounds for poor behaviour during the races, Varsity finds.

The latest May Bumps cost boat clubs a total of £3600. The races were to blame for a number of offences from safety misdemeanours to public urination.

Gonville & Caius paid the most in fines, shelling out £360 to CUCBC across the four-day races, while Trinity Hall faced a £300 fine after four instances of public urination noted in one day from a single crew. Trinity College paid £295 in fines, including £60 for foul and abusive language and £75 for dangerous clearing. 

The majority of fines, however, were dealt for minor breaches; £795 in total for excessive bank partying (too many supporters cycling alongside the boats during the race) and £700 for noted instances of unauthorised handheld filming of the event. 

The Lent Bumps earlier in the year cost college boat clubs a similar total of £3380 in fines, with CUCBC levying £615 of fines to the worst-offending club, Emmanuel, for their behaviour throughout the races. 

The Cambridge University Collective Boat Club (CUCBC), the umbrella organisation for student rowing at the University of Cambridge, is responsible for organising and regulating the use of the River Cam for the annual Lent and May bump races. Where partakers are found to be in violation of the rules, the associated college boat club is punished through varying levels of fines, usually ranging from £15-50. Misdemeanours such as failing to provide a marshal are fined around £15, while larger safety hazards such as a serious failure to clear during the race face fines around £50. One of the largest individual fines levied against crews includes public urination, which suffers a £75 penalty (down from £85 in previous years). 

The 2022 May Bumps marked the return of the races to Cambridge after both the 2021 and 2020 events were cancelled during the pandemic.