Varsity Sporting Events
The University of Oxford has a rich sporting history and the Varsity events are the highlights of the year involving direct competition between the first team or 'the Blues' against the best from Cambridge University. The competitions take place in all sports played by students of the two universities but the main events organised by the Events Office are in the more popular sports of football, rugby, cricket and rowing.
The Boat Race
The Boat Race is one of the most famous university sporting events in the world, with coverage on national television and interest across the world. It was first held in 1829 after Oxford challenged Cambridge to the race. Although the first race was held on the Thames near Oxfordshire in Henley, still famous for its rowing history and annual regatta, the race today is held in London on a 4.5 mile stretch of the Thames running between Westminster and Putney. Although the venue has moved, the tradition of the race is upheld with the losing captain of the previous year’s event issuing the challenge to race again.
Varsity Cricket
The Varsity Cricket match was first played in 1827 and has traditionally been a three-day event played at Lords. In 2009 a Varsity Twenty20 match was added to the sporting calendar as a result of the growing popularity of this format of the sport.
Varisty Football
The Varsity Football match has been held every year since 1873, with play only being interrupted during the First and Second World Wars. The fixture has traditionally always been played at a neutral venue, with most matches having been played at Wembley.
Varsity Rugby
The Oxford University Rugby Football Club was established in 1869 and is thought to be the oldest rugby club in the country. The first ever Varsity match was played in February 1872 in Oxford. A return match was played in Cambridge the following year and the Varsity tradition was started. The match is now played on neutral ground at Twickenham, the home of English Rugby, allowing many more supporters of the game to be involved in the spectacle.
