12' Presentation Rowing Oar Trophy, Cambridge University 1st & 3rd Trinity Boat Club

12' Presentation Rowing Oar Trophy, Cambridge University 1st & 3rd Trinity Boat Club

£1,600
Shipping P.O.A. Subject to quotation and will be charged separately.

Antique Rowing Oar, Fairbairn Cup 1946, 1st & 3rd Trinity Boat Club 1946.
The full-length oar, 12 foot long, is an original traditional Cambridge University presentation rowing oar with gilt calligraphy and club and college insignias. It is a beautiful oar and in original condition. The calligraphy denotes the crew's names and weights with the oar once belonging to C.H. Christie, we also have a pair of his 'Lowe Double Sculls 1947-1948' for sale. The Club's emblem of two shields is the combination of the armorial shields of 1st Trinity Boat Club (the left hand shield) and 3rd Trinity Boat Club (the right hand shield) and dates from 1946 when the two clubs amalgamated. The central shield is the Coat of arms of the University of Cambridge.
A couple of the images shows the oar photographed with a pair of Fitzwilliam House oars which are being sold separately.

The calligraphy on this blade reads:-

1st & 3rd Trinity BC, 1st Boat. Winner. Fairbairn Cup 1946
Bow C.H. Christie 11.12
2. J.R.L. Nuttall 12.2
3. W.J.P.M. garnett 12.9
4. A. Benchendorff 11.6
5. A.B.C. Harrison 13.8
6. J. Haseldine 12.11
7. R. Buxton 12.7
Str. J.A. Kirbyshire 12.5
Cox. G.H.C. Fisher 9.3
Coaches C.D. Burney & S.A.R. Gray
TIME. 16 mins. 19 3/5 secs.

As the oar is full length (12 foot) shipping can be quite expensive. We have come up with an ingenious way to cut the oar so as to make shipping cheaper, the oar can then be easily reassembled. One of the images shows different images of an oar that has been cut down. It is cut by the leather sleeve so the joint is less visible or obvious. The oar can then be bolted together to make the oar one solid piece.
Please do enquire about the different shipping options.

Any crew which records four consecutive bumps is said to have 'gained their oars'. The prize being a full-size oar decorated with the names of the full crew in gold lettering on the college colours for each rower. The cox is given a decorated rudder and the coach receives a decorated wooden shield with a mock-up of the bow end of a boat.

Both Oxford and Cambridge Universities host two university bumps races yearly, each lasting several days. The races are for eights (i.e. eight rowers and a cox), each representing one of the university's various colleges. One of the races is held in early spring and the other in early summer, in Oxford they are called 'Torpids' in the spring and 'Eights' in the summer, in Cambridge these are called 'Lent Bumps' and 'May Bumps'. The leading crews of the Lent Bumps go on to race the leading Oxford Torpids crews at the Henley Boat Races around Easter.

The first attested bumps race took place in Oxford in 1815 and was between two eights from Brasenose College and Jesus College. Twelve years later Lent Bumps racing commenced at Cambridge University. As the Isis and Cam are long narrow rivers, not ideal for normal side by side racing, Bumps racing evolved. The competing crews line up bow-to-stern in order, one behind the other with gaps of about 1½ boat lengths between them. The start of the race commences with the firing of a cannon, the idea to progress up their division by attempting to catch and Bump (touch) the boat in front whilst simultaneously trying not to be Bumped by the boat behind. The ultimate aim becoming top of the first division and "Head Of The River". When a bump has taken place both of the crews involved in the Bump pull over to the riverbank and take no further part in that race, allowing the rest of the division to pass. The only difference is in Torpids where the crew whose boat was Bumped has to continue racing (and is liable to be bumped again). It is possible to "over bump", if the 2 crews involved in the Bump have pulled over and the crew behind them manage to catch the boat that was in front of them, this is an "over bump".

Shipping P.O.A. Subject to quotation and will be charged separately.

Dimensions:

Height 370 cm / 145 "
Width 15 cm / 6"
Depth 7 cm / 3"
Period

1900-1949

Year

1946

Medium

Pine

Country

United Kingdom

Condition

Oar is in original condition with a slight damage to one edge. The dark blue background paint has shrunk & cracked, some of the calligraphy appears to have been touched up.

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