 Despite being an underdog going up against larger and wealthier Oxbridge colleges, Selwyn College Boat Club has always relied heavily on training up novices to be outstanding oarsmen.In the early days of the Lent and May Bumps, Selwyn spent a lot of time in the 2nd division, but rose sharply from the mid-1920s, reaching 3rd in the May Bumps throughout the early 1930s and 2nd in the Lent Bumps in 1933.By 1958, Selwyn's 1st VIII had found its way back into the 2nd division.