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Cricket at the University of Cambridge

The cricket team of 1899

Players who represent Cambridge in the University Match against Oxford are awarded a “Blue”, which recognises sporting achievement at the highest level whilst a student at the university. A “Blue” is awarded to anyone who plays for Cambridge in either fixture.

Those representing the (in recent years considered the Second XI) are eligible for a “Crusaders’ Colour” if they represent the Crusaders against Oxford’s Authentics. Despite a large winter training-squad, and many players representing the university over the summer months (up to 50 players from the training squad and college level), rarely are more than a total of 12 Blues and 12 Colours awarded. Women cricketers are awarded a Half-Blue for playing in the one-day match against Oxford and a discretionary full Blue if any of them meet the relevant criteria laid down by the Blues Committee.

Cricket is also played between the constituent colleges of Cambridge University. This currently takes the form of a cup competition ‘Cuppers‘. However, the colleges also play a range of their own friendly fixtures. Over the years, a number of independent student clubs have been formed such as Magpies, Chaffinches, Crusaders, Inexpressibles, Quidnuncs, Perambulators and Etceteras, to name a few and they have played fixtures against the colleges and other wandering sides.

Recent history

In recent Oxford versus Cambridge University matches, the honours have been fairly even between the two universities. In 2010 Cambridge University played Oxford in three matches for the first time: Twenty20, 4-Day First-Class and the 1-Day Match at Lord’s (colours are not awarded for the Twenty20 game).

The Cambridge Centre of Cricketing Excellence (UCCE) team played 27 matches between 2001 and 2009. Subsequently, as the Cambridge Marylebone Cricket Club University, three First Class fixtures were played each season until 2014 when this was reduced to two. In 2019, the ECB announced that the Cambridge games (among other university games) was set to lose first class status by 2021.[4] The last matches involving Cambridge University as part of Cambridge UCCE or Cambridge UCCE Women were in 2022.[5]

Grounds

The three grounds that Cambridge University Cricket Club has used for home and List A matches since 1821 are listed below. Only the matches played at the ground by Cambridge University, Cambridge UCCE, and Cambridge MCCU are recorded in the table.

Name Image Location First-class matches List A matches Refs
First Last No. of
matches		 First Last No. of
matches
University GroundBarnwell 24 May 1821
v Cambridge Town Club		30 May 1830
v Cambridge Town Club		8 ——0
Parker’s Piece
Cambridge 27 May 1835
v Marylebone Cricket Club		13 May 1847
v Marylebone Cricket Club		13[a] ——0
Fenner’s
Cambridge 18 May 1848
v Marylebone Cricket Club		3 September 2020
v Oxford University		892[b] 6 May 1972
v Worcestershire		11 May 1974
v Essex		4 [6][7][8]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The University played other matches on the ground as the away team both before and after 1835.
  2. ↑ Other teams played 19 matches on the ground.

References

  1. ↑ “Officers -“. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  2. ↑ “List A events played by Cambridge University”. DATABASE. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  3. ↑ “Universities set to lose first class status”. ESPNcricinfo.
  4. ↑ “Universities set to lose first class status”. ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  5. ↑ “Fixtures”. Cambridge University Cricket Club. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  6. ↑ “FP Fenner’s Ground, Cambridge”. DATABASE. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  7. ↑ “First-Class Matches played on FP Fenner’s Ground, Cambridge (838)”. DATABASE. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  8. ↑ “List A Matches played on FP Fenner’s Ground, Cambridge (4)”. DATABASE. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2015.