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| Location | Cambridge, England |
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| Coordinates | 52°12′39″N00°07′57″E / 52.21083°N 0.13250°E |
| Home water | River Cam |
| Founded | 1837 |
| Membership | Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge |
| Affiliations | CUCBC, British Rowing |
| Website | ssbc |
Sidney Sussex Boat Club (often referred to as just Sidney or SSBC) is the rowing club for members of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, in England.
Founded in 1837, the men's side of the club has spent most of its time in the 2nd division of the Lent and May Bumps, with brief times spent in the 1st and 3rd divisions. The men's side of the club generally crews two boats in the Lent Bumps and three boats in the May Bumps. Being a small college, the club has never had the consistency to rise to take a headship of either event, and has been as high as 6th in the Lent Bumps in 1913, and 11th in the May Bumps in 1923.
A women's crew was first formed in 1978 and has spent most of its time hovering between 1st and 2nd divisions in both the Lent and May Bumps. Sidney's 1st Women's VIII re-entered division 1 of the Lent Bumps in 2022 for the first time since 2004, and re-entered division 1 of the May Bumps in 2024 for the first time since 1998. The women's side of the club generally crews one or two boats in the Lent Bumps and two boats in the May Bumps.
In Lent Bumps 2020, Sidney Sussex were the winners of the Marconi Cup, [1] which is awarded to the highest performing of boat club overall. The Women's second boat were winners of blades, bumping a total of five times.
In its recent history, the Men's 1st VIII has fallen, and now resides in the lower half of the 2nd division in the Lent bumps, and the top of the 3rd division in Mays. The last major successes enjoyed by a Sidney men's crew in the May bumps were in the 2002, 2014, and 2017 May Bumps. In 2002 the 3rd Men's VIII, racing in the fifth division, won blades by bumping up every day. The crew became well-known on the river during the four days of competition due to their decision to race whilst wearing large, curly mullet wigs (and were known within the Boat Club as 'The Mullets').
2008 was a very successful year for Sidney's 2nd Women's VIII, winning their blades in both sets of Bumps races and the 'Fastest Women's 2nd VIII' prize in the Fairbairn Cup. Meanwhile, 2009 was a successful year for the whole boat club, and for the women in particular. The Women's 1st VIII won blades in the Lent Bumps, whilst in the May Bumps, five out of seven Sidney boats rose in the rankings, and not a single Sidney crew finished lower than they had started. In particular the Sidney 3rd Women's VIII - by virtue of three bumps, an overbump (taking place from sandwich boat position on the same day as bumping up) and a double overbump - climbed eleven places, giving them in the curious honour of overtaking Sidney 2nd Women's VIII, who themselves had risen three places.
In May Bumps, Sidney saw success most recently in 2014, and in 2017. In 2017, the 1st Men's VIII, racing in the second division - having only just returned from the third division a year earlier - won their oars by bumping up each day. Sidney caught Pembroke II on day one, Clare II on day two, Darwin on day three, and First and Third Trinity II on the final day. By winning their blades for the first time in many years, Sidney Sussex not only surpassed crews which had become longstanding rivals (Clare II in particular), but also rose above a fellow first boat for the first time in many years. Whereas previously only the Clare Hall and the Anglia Ruskin University first boats lay below them, Darwin now joined their ranks.
2014, the 2nd Men's VIII, racing in the fifth division - starting in third place on day one - won blades despite rowing over on the first day. This was done by bumping up on the second day, then on the third day rising four positions, bumping up into first place in the fifth division, then rowing again as sandwich boat in the fourth division, where they overbumped Trinity First and Third IV. On the fourth day, Sidney bumped up again, securing their blades.
Meanwhile in Lent Bumps, the last significant successes were in 2010, when the Men's 1st VIII won blades, and most recently in the 2016 Lent Bumps, where the 2nd Men's VIII won blades.
The Lord Protector Boat Club (LPBC) is the Alumni section of SSBC, named for Sidney alumnus Oliver Cromwell. Members of Sidney Sussex, once they have left Cambridge, become members of LPBC. The event most regularly entered by LPBC is the Fairbairn cup, held by Jesus College Boat Club annually in December.
The boathouse with changing facilities was built in 1958 to a design by David Roberts and extended in the 1980s. It was listed as Grade II in 1997. [2]
The May Bumps are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge, England. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of March. Prior to the separation there had been a single set of annual bumps dating from its inception in 1827. The races are open to all college boat clubs from the University of Cambridge, the University Medical and Veterinary Schools and the Anglia Ruskin Boat Club. The May Bumps takes place over four days in mid-June and is run as a bumps race.
Fitzwilliam College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Prior to the 1960s, Fitzwilliam House occupied a position near the bottom of the 2nd division or top half of the 3rd division of the Lent and May Bumps, even finding itself in the 4th division of the Lent Bumps briefly. Between 1959 and 1969, the 1st men's VIII were not bumped in the Lent Bumps, rising to Head of the River in 1969. Between 1960 and 1971, the 1st men's VIII were bumped only once in the May Bumps, taking the headship for three years between 1969 and 1971. From then until the mid-1980s, the 1st VIII held a position in the top-half of the 1st division and won both the Fairbairn Cup and the Emmanuel Sprints Regatta in the Michaelmas Term of 1982. The 1982 crew completed the traditional (1929–1989) Fairbairn course in 14.34, becoming the second crew ever to post a winning time of under 15 minutes over the original race distance.
Queens' College Boat Club (QCBC) is the rowing club for members of Queens' College, Cambridge.
Clare Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Clare College, Cambridge, it was founded in 1831.
Peterhouse Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Peterhouse, Cambridge. It was founded on 29 April 1828 as St Peter's College Boat Club, but was renamed in 1873 to its present name. The Club's name was officially changed to Peterhouse Boat Club in Michaelmas Term 1872. Alumni of Peterhouse Boat Club are eligible to join the Cross Keys Boat Club.
Corpus Christi College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Corpus blade colours are maroon with a vertical white stripe and rowers wear kit of the same colour. The boat club crest features the same mythical pelican as that of the College, often pictured in front of a pair of crossed blades. Corpus is one of the smallest colleges in the University of Cambridge, typically fielding 2-3 men's crews and 2-3 women's crews in the Lent and May Bumps races each year. It shares a boat house with the boat clubs of Sidney Sussex, Girton and Wolfson colleges.
Christ's College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of Christ's College, Cambridge. It inhabits the oldest wooden framed boathouse on the river, the nearest to Jesus Lock.
St Catharine's College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, England.
Magdalene Boat Club (MBC) is the rowing club for members of Magdalene College, Cambridge. The foundation of the MBC in 1828 coincided with the 400th anniversary of the Monk's Hostel or Buckingham College - the original foundation of Magdalene.
Selwyn College Boat Club (SCBC) is the official rowing club for members of Selwyn College, Cambridge, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The Selwyn College Boat Club has one of the highest participation rates of novice rowers of any Oxbridge college, and has performed well in the May Bumps and Lent Bumps in recent years. Notable alumni of the Selwyn College Boat Club include Hugh Laurie, Tom Hollander, and Richard Budgett.
King's College Boat Club is the rowing club for members of King's College, Cambridge. The first record of King’s rowing is in 1838.
Homerton College Boat Club (HCBC) is the rowing club for members of Homerton College, University of Cambridge. HCBC colours are navy blue with white trim, and HCBC boats can be identified by white blades with a single navy blue stripe towards the tip of the spoon.
St Edmund Hall Boat Club is a rowing club for members of St Edmund Hall, Oxford. It is based in its own boathouse on the Isis.
Anglia Ruskin Boat Club (ARBC) is the rowing club for members of Anglia Ruskin University. It was known as CCAT Boat Club until 2008. The name CCAT derives from a former name for the university, the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology, which is abbreviated to CCAT. The boat club kept the name CCAT much longer than its linked place of education – it was once thought the club would lose its positions in the bumps races if the name were changed, but that is urban legend.
The May Bumps 2011 were a set of rowing races held in Cambridge, UK with crews from the boat clubs of all Cambridge University Colleges, the University Medical and Veterinary Schools and Anglia Ruskin University from Wednesday 15 June 2011 to Saturday 18 June 2011. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 120th set of races in the series of May Bumps which have been held annually in mid-June in this form since 1887. In 2011, 172 crews took part, with nearly 1550 participants in total.
The Lent Bumps 2012 was a series of rowing races at Cambridge University from Tuesday 28 February 2012 to Saturday 3 March 2012. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 125th set of races in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races. 121 crews took part, with nearly 1100 participants in total.
The May Bumps 2012 were a set of rowing races held in Cambridge, UK with crews from the boat clubs of all Cambridge University Colleges and Anglia Ruskin University from Wednesday 13 June 2012 to Saturday 16 June 2012. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 121st set of races in the series of May Bumps which have been held annually in mid-June in this form since 1887. In 2012, 172 crews took part, with nearly 1550 participants in total.
Wolfson College Boat Club (WCBC) is the rowing club for members of Wolfson College, Cambridge. The club was founded in 1968 as University College Boat Club and became Wolfson in 1973. The club shares a boathouse on the River Cam with the college boat clubs of Corpus Christi, Girton and Sidney Sussex. For the majority of the decade the club's men's and women's first boats have stood in Division 2 of the May and Lent bumps.
The Lent Bumps 2013 was a series of rowing races at Cambridge University from Tuesday 26 February 2013 to Saturday 2 March 2013. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 126th set of races in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races. 121 crews took part, with nearly 1100 participants in total.
The Lent Bumps 2014 was a series of rowing races at Cambridge University from Tuesday 25 February 2014 to Saturday 1 March 2014. The event was run as a bumps race and was the 127th set of races in the series of Lent Bumps which have been held annually in late February or early March since 1887. See Lent Bumps for the format of the races. 103 crews took part, with nearly 950 participants in total.