Complex sentence: The men's 1st VIII started the Lent Bumps near the bottom of the table, but moved up, reaching the 1st division by 1897, where it remained until 1972.
Split into simpler sentences: The men's 1st VIII, having started the Lent Bumps near the bottom of the table, quickly moved up. They had reached the 1st division by 1897, where they remained until 1972.