1.2 A Bumps Committee consisting of the Bumps Secretary, Senior Umpire and other members, not more than one from any CRA affiliated or co-opted club (later referred to as "club"), will be responsible for the organisation, administration and adjudication of the Bumps.

1.3 The Bumps Secretary and Committee members will be elected annually at the CRA Annual General Meeting.

1.4 Each club shall appoint a bumps organiser, whose function is to interact with the CRA webmaster and the Bumps Secretary, and who will control the club entries, amendments and marshals (and to ensure that they are experienced). The name and email address must be conveyed to the Bumps Secretary and the webmaster by 1 June each year.

2.2 Any subsequent alterations to crews must be amended by the clubs on the website as soon as they are known, and at the latest by 9.00 pm on the Sunday before the races.If not so amended a club may be fined up to the amount of an entry fee. Any objections to the amended composition must be given to the Bumps Secretary, in writing with details of objections by 5.00 pm on the Monday before the races.

2.3 Substitutions will be allowed during the days of racing, for illness or other genuine or accidental reason, and must be notified verbally to the secretary before the race and confirmed in writing before the end of the day's racing on which the substitution is made. , Substitutes may not have rowed in the current bumps in a higher boat, except in very exceptional circumstances, and then only by a full member covered by Rule 2.4. All crews actually rowing must be in accordance with rules 2.4, 2.5 & 2.6. Such substitutions shall be indicated by the club on the CRA website by 10.0 am on the following day. And any objections thereto notified in writing to the Bumps Secretary by 5.00 pm on that day (Note that the Secretary will not then be on email.) If not advised and amended a club may be fined up to the amount of an entry fee.

2.4 All rowing members must not have competed (rowing or sculling) for another club, other than a non University CRA club, unless allowed under sub-paragraphs below or under rule 2.5, since 1 January prior to the races.

2.6 Except in the women’s divisions crews must not have more than two women rowing. The women’s divisions are restricted to women. The minimum age for rowers to be in accordance with the ARA regulations for sweep oar rowing; i.e. J14 and WJ15. Coxes may be of either gender and may row or cox in another division. However, the minimum age will be 13 as at 1 July.

2.7 Nobody may row in more than one crew except in exceptional circumstances as a substitute, under rule 2.3, for one evening. Coxes may cox more than crew.

2.8 Entries may be accepted at the discretion of the Bumps Committee of crews made up from members of local sports clubs or bona fide organisations representing a club or organisation, whose rules and accounts can be produced to the CRA on demand, and such clubs must be co-opted to the CRA. Before competing all clubs must have paid an affiliation or co-option fee for the current year.

2.9 All crews entered must have third party insurance to cover injury to competitors and spectators and damage to property with an indemnity limit of at least £2m. A letter or certificate from an insurance company confirming the club’s public liability meets these requirements must be attached to the entry form. (see rule 2.1)

2.10 Clubs must enter their crews in the anticipated order of their speed. They should renumber their crews if the order is considered to be incorrect by 9 p.m on the day before racing and inform the Bumps Secretary.

2.11 All additional entries from clubs will be seeded by the Bumps Committee in the bottom third of the appropriate starting orders, unless rule 2.13 is invoked.

2.12 Any entry from a club which does not have a position on the river, or has not rowed in the last two year’s Bumping Races, must row in the CRA Time Race, with a crew that fairly represents their proposed Bumps crew, ie. at least six members, so that the Bumps Committee may seed them into the full starting order.

2.13 At the written request of the club, or in special circumstances at its own discretion, the Bumps Committee may, in the interest of safety or where the committee is satisfied that the crew does not fairly represent its place in the order, place a crew in a new position other than its proper starting position,

2.14 All coxes must have attended a CRA cox’s meeting within the previous five years. A cox who has not coxed for two years must attend in the current year. A list of registered coxes will be maintained. Any crew racing without such a cox will be fined up to the amount of an entry fee and may in addition have a bump disallowed or a bump awarded against them for each evening this occurs.

2.15 If a crew is scratched on or before the first evening, other crews from that club will row in the highest of the club's positions. The lowest unoccupied position in the following year’s starting order will drop four places. If the scratching is later than 9.00pm on the Sunday before racing, then only that crew’s division will be effected and the club may be fined up to an amount of an entry fee.

2.16 When, to the satisfaction of the Bumps Committee, a crew has rowed in violation of rules 2.4 and 2.5 the offending crew, unless bumped on an evening of violation, will go down one place in the starting order on the following evening's racing, in respect of each evening of violation. In addition, the club will be fined the amount of an entry fee in respect of each evening.

3.2 In the 1st divisions the finishing points are the concrete post about 100 yards upstream from Morley's Holt and the Ditton side upstream edge of the Railway Bridge brickwork. In the 2^nd divisions the points are the Railway Bridge  (as defined) and the front door of the White House (72 Fen Road). And in all the lower divisions the front door of the White House and the Railings

3.3 The crews that finish at the head of a lower division will row as "sandwich boat" at the bottom of the next higher division. The women’s divisions will be a separate event.

3.4 The crew's number must be worn by both bow and cox throughout the racing in such a way as to be clearly visible at all times. Crews not doing so may be fined up to the amount of an entry fee in respect of each evening.

3.5 All boats that are raced must have a firmly attached regulation bowball and the cox must wear a life jacket or buoyancy aid. Any crew rowing not in accordance with this rule will be fined up of the amount of an entry fee and may in addition have a bump awarded against them.

3.6 All crews must be accompanied throughout the race by at least one follower who will assist the cox in the racing and also generally assist in the safety of the race.

3.7 In the interests of safety clubs must limit the number of followers on bicycles to a maximum of five who should not be under 10 years old. Any club with excessive bank parties willbe fined up to the amount of an entry fee.

3.8. Front (bow) coxed boats will not be permitted.

3.9 The use of Air Horns by bank parties will not be permitted.Air horns will be used by marshals and umpires to stop a race in emergencies.

4.2 If a boat is not at its starting position four minutes before the race is due to start, the club will be fined the amount of an entry fee, unless the Bumps Committee is satisfied that the failure was caused by circumstances beyond the control of the crew.

4.3 If for any reason a crew does not race on one evening, then on the following evening they must register with the Railway Bridge marshal twenty minutes, or with the Senior Umpire at the Gunshed fifteen minutes, before their race. Failure to do so will disqualify the crew.

4.4 If a crew is scratched, disqualified, or withdraws by giving at least fifteen minutes notice to the Senior Umpire, the gap in the starting order will be closed by all the following crews in the division moving up one place from and including that evening. The offending crew will go down one place in the overall order for that and each of the remaining evenings of racing.

4.5 Crews going to the start must go down in reverse order and must not turn or row upstream, except below their starting position, and when turning they must not impede crews that need to go further down stream. Any crew so doing will be fined up to the amount of an entry fee.

4.6 The starting points will be 150 feet apart. Until the start the cox will hold the bung attached to a chain 33 feet in length fixed to its post or, if by chance the bung is lost, 7's rigger must remain downstream of the post. Any crew failing to observe this requirement will be liable to be bumped, but cannot make a bump, unless in the opinion of the marshal, the loss of the bung or the movement of the boat made no difference to the outcome of the race. However the club may be fined up to the amount of an entry fee. (NB. pushing out poles are 14 feet in length)

4.7 The race will be started by firing three guns. The first will be fired four minutes before the start, the second one minute before the start and the third on the start. In the event of a failure of the one minute or start gun, the next gun fired will be the one minute gun. No crew may have more that two members actually rowing during the last ten seconds of the count-down to the start of the race.

5.2, must immediately acknowledge it by holding up a hand and the crew must keep rowing. The crew making the bump must immediately stop rowing. Both crews must move to the side of the river as quickly as possible.

(The word "boat" includes the ship, crew and oars unless detached from the boat)

5.2 Before the concrete post opposite the Plough an overlap of boats, whereby the bow of the following boat, making allowance for the effect of a corner to the advantage of the leading boat, is level with the cox's seat of the leading boat, will constitute a bump and the cox must acknowledge as for a bump. The marshal will only indicate the bump if necessary.

5.3 Passing a boat or the station of a non-starting boat will be equivalent to a bump.

5.4 Where a crew or crews are unable to continue rowing because the river has become blocked, or for some other reason not caused by the crew or its boat, the crews will be considered to have rowed over unless, in the opinion of the marshals a bump or bumps would have occurred.

5.5 If, in the opinion of the Bumps Committee, a crew wilfully disregards any of the rules in section 5 or acts in any other unsafe manner then any bump deemed to be made may be disallowed. The club will be fined up to the amount of an entry fee and in exceptional cases any of the crews involved may be disqualified.

5.6 If a crew wishes to dispute a bump or a marshal’s decision, verbal representation must be made at the time to the marshal and immediately after the race to the Senior Umpire, who will normally be in Plough Reach or at theGunshed (or opposite Morley’s Holt for the last division) for ten minutes after each division.

5.7 Subject to the power of the Senior Umpire in rule 6.2, all cases of disputed bumps will be referred to the Bumps Committee whose decision, after hearing from a single representative from each crew involved, will be final.

5.8 In very exceptional circumstances the Bumps Committee may order a re-row to take place half an hour before the first race on the day following the incident or at some other mutually agreed time.

5.9 If one boat bumps another, or a bump is given, the two crews will exchange places in the following day's starting order whatever may have been their starting positions.

5.10 All bumps must be recorded each day on the official chart within half an hour of the last race, by a member of the club of the crew claiming the bump. If a bump is not recorded the club may be fined up to the amount of an entry fee, but the bump will, on sufficient evidence, be allowed.

5.11 If a lower crew bumps a higher crew from the same club, the club may be fined up to the amount of an entry fee.

6.2 The Bumps Committee will appoint a Senior Umpire who will arrange the rota of marshals and supervise each evening's racing. The Senior Umpire will adjudicate where practicable and where not practicable will refer any disputes to the Bumps Committee.

6.3 The Senior Umpire and marshals will in no circumstances be responsible for checking that the crews and equipment and the use of such equipment are in accordance with the ARA Water Safety Code or with these rules, or that the members of the crews accord with these rules

Rule 2.5 Wed 4 June 2008 Names of persons to be allowed to row. These will be circulated by the 11 June ready for the delegates Meeting on 18 June

Rule 2.1 Mon 14 July 2008 Entries close, and crew names advised. By Fri 18 July 2008 Objections need to with the Bumps Sec.

Rule 2.1 & 2.15 Sun 20 July 2008 Final list of names and crew scratchings