The Varsity Match since 1872

It is one of rugby's great traditions – the Varsity Match, at Twickenham but much older than Twickenham, older than all internationals except the Calcutta Cup match. It was day you did not even have to put in your diary, for it was – for years and years – the second Tuesday of December. That's changed – not a big change but this year the second Thursday of December. When you come to a tradition as strong as this, any change is a big change.

Still it will be a great occasion is tradition demands it should be. They will be there in the West Stand car park with their Hawke’s ties and Vincent ties, the balloons up on aerials, the coaches, staid and eccentric, the car boots with hampers and champers from Fortnum and Mason, and there will be lots of hearty fun, for it is early December and the Varsity match is on at Twickenham – on a Thursday again this year instead of a Tuesday and in the second week of the month instead of the first – a great festivity amidst the winter's snow, the start of the festive season.

It is one of sport's best social events.

It all started at The Parks in Oxford on Saturday 10 February 1872, a year after Scotland and England had met at Raeburn Place in the first-ever Test match. Cambridge sent HA Hamilton of Trinity College to meet CWL Bulpett of Oxford's Trinity College to arrange the match.

They played 20-a-side. 15 of Oxford's 20 were Old Rugbeians. Oxford actually had a trial to choose the team – 20 Old Rugbeians vs 20 "others".  The universities' teams got to 15-a-side in 1875.

Oxford won the first Varsity match, by a goal to nil. RW Isherwood scored the try and turned into a goal. WRP Fletcher of Oxford kicked a goal with a flykick but it was not allowed when Cambridge explained that one of their chaps had touched the ball. Those were such honourable says when captains decided what was fair or unfair and the referee was a benign old gentleman sitting in a wicker chair in touch.

For that first match Oxford wore dark blue jerseys, as they still do though there were times when they wore white, but Cambridge wore pink. They got to blue and white in 1876, narrower stripes and darker blue than now. They are referred to as the Dark Blues and the Light Blues. Those who play in the match become Blues. It does not matter hoe many times you play for your university; if you do not play the Varsity Match you do not get a Blue. That has not changed.

These were amateur days when there were "academic reasons" to prevent players from playing, and E Temple Gurdon arrived late, in 1873, because of a problem with the train service. In 1906 the referee did not pitch up and a replacement had to be found.

Now there is an air of professionalism. There has been a sponsor since 1976 – first Bowring, then Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC) and now Nomura, a Japanese bank. And sponsor brought with him a trophy with his name on it. Before that the games were played just for honour.

Ronnie Poulton, later Poulton Palmer, the great England three-quarter, has the record for the most tries in the Varsity Match – five scored in 1909. Ken Fyfe of Cambridge scored a hat-trick of tries in 1934. There was a wait of 74 years for the next hat-trick of tries – scored by Tim Catling of Oxford in 2008. The most points by an individual is 19 – scored by England international Alastair Hignell in 1975 and equalled by Irish international David Humphreys in 1995.

There has been just one penalty try in the matches – awarded against Oxford in 1995 by Tony Spreadbury. It won the match for the Light Blues.

Weather played a part. Frost caused the 1878 and the 1879 matches to be postponed as fog did in 1890, and fog made the players invisible in 1919. The fog was made worse by smoke in 1906 when one of the chimneys at the Queen's Club caught light. The fog motivated the move from the Queen's Club to Twickenham. In 1981 Twickenham was white with a few inches of snow. But only the World Wars stopped the matches, though even then there were "wartime Varsity matches". This year's lunatic snow will not stop the Varsity Match and its rowdy fun.

Venues varied. The second Varsity match was played at Parker's Piece in Cambridge and then it moved to London – The Oval at Kennington, Richardson's Field at Blackheath, the Rectory Field at Blackheath, the Queen's Club at Kensington (1887-1920)  and then, on 8 December 1921, at Twickenham, where it has stayed.

The teams will still do their things after the match, including the ball. There is still student exuberance. Those things have survived the introduction of trophies and more professional officiating. There was not a referee at all till 1885. For years and years the touch judges were the previous year's captains in their blazers with a buttonhole. Now they are professional touch judges and there is a television match official. The referee this year is Andrew Small, New Zealander who referees in England is working his way up the international ladder.

Winners Down the Years

1872: Oxford

1873: Cambridge

1873: Draw

1874: Draw

1875: Oxford

1876: Cambridge

1877: Oxford

1879: Draw

1880: Cambridge

1880: Draw

1881: Oxford   

1882: Oxford

1883: Oxford

1884: Oxford

1885: Cambridge

1886: Cambridge

1887: Cambridge

1888: Cambridge

1889: Oxford

1890: Draw

1891: Cambridge

1892: Draw

1893: Oxford

1894: Draw

1895: Cambridge

1896: Oxford

1897: Oxford

1898: Cambridge

1899: Cambridge

1900: Oxford

1901: Oxford

1902: Draw

1903: Oxford

1904: Cambridge

1905: Cambridge

1906: Oxford

1907: Oxford

1908: Draw

1909: Oxford

1910: Oxford

1911: Oxford

1912: Cambridge

1913: Cambridge

1914-18: No matches

1919: Cambridge

1920: Oxford

1921: Oxford

1922: Cambridge

1923: Oxford

1924: Oxford

1925: Cambridge

1926: Cambridge

1927: Cambridge

1928: Cambridge

1929: Oxford

1930: Draw

1931: Oxford

1932: Oxford

1933: Oxford

1934: Cambridge

1935: Draw

1936: Cambridge

1937: Oxford

1938: Cambridge

1939-45: No matches

1946: Oxford

1947: Cambridge

1948: Oxford

1949: Oxford

1950: Oxford

1951: Oxford

1952: Cambridge

1953: Draw

1954: Cambridge

1955: Oxford

1956: Cambridge

1957: Oxford

1958: Cambridge

1959: Oxford

1960: Cambridge

1961: Cambridge

1962: Cambridge

1963: Cambridge

1964: Oxford

1965: Draw

1966: Oxford

1967: Cambridge

1968: Cambridge

1969: Oxford

1970: Oxford

1971: Oxford

1972: Cambridge

1973: Cambridge

1974: Cambridge

1975: Cambridge

1976: Cambridge

1977: Oxford

1978: Cambridge

1979: Oxford

1980: Cambridge

1981: Cambridge

1982: Cambridge

1983: Cambridge

1984: Cambridge

1985: Oxford

1986: Oxford

1987: Cambridge

1988: Oxford

1989: Cambridge

1990: Oxford

1991: Cambridge

1992: Cambridge

1993: Oxford

1994: Cambridge

1995: Cambridge

1996: Cambridge

1997: Cambridge

1998: Cambridge

1999: Oxford

2000: Oxford

2001: Oxford

2002: Cambridge

2003: Draw

2004: Oxford

2005: Cambridge

2006: Cambridge

2007: Cambridge

2008: Oxford

2009: Cambridge

2010: Oxford

2011: Oxford

2013: Oxford

So far 131 matches have been played  

Cambridge has won 61

Oxford has won 63

14 matches have been drawn