Oxford and Cambridge Universities cricket team
Encyclopedia
Oxford and Cambridge Universities cricket teams (OCU) played first-class cricket
for more than 150 years, although sometimes many years passed between fixtures.
OCU played a match against MCC
at Lord's
in 1839, in which Edward Sayres
took his only ten-wicket match haul,
and in 1848 played a game against Gentlemen of England at the same venue, in which William Hammersley
took ten wickets.
"Oxford Universities Past and Present" teams played several first-class matches in the late nineteenth century, but did not play at that level again until 1910, when they took on the Army and Navy team.
The team later undertook several overseas tours in the middle part of the twentieth century, but played only two first-class games outside Britain, both being at Sabina Park
, during the tour of Jamaica
in 1938.
Kenneth Weekes made his first-class debut for Jamaica in the first of these, scoring 106 in the second innings.
After a thirty-year gap, the Oxford and Cambridge team returned to first-class cricket in 1968, with a match against the touring Australians,
and for a quarter of a century thereafter the team had fairly regular matches against the tourists at either the University Parks
in Oxford or Fenner's
in Cambridge, but playing no other first-class games. OCU's final appearance was in 1992, when they played the Pakistanis.
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
for more than 150 years, although sometimes many years passed between fixtures.
OCU played a match against MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
in 1839, in which Edward Sayres
Edward Sayres
Edward Sayres was an English amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1838 to 1842.Edward Sayres was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge...
took his only ten-wicket match haul,
and in 1848 played a game against Gentlemen of England at the same venue, in which William Hammersley
William Hammersley
William Josiah Sumner Hammersley was a prominent sports journalist for Bell's Life in Victoria and later The Australasian , one of the four men credited with setting down the original rules of the Australian rules football.-Life:He was educated at Aldenham School...
took ten wickets.
"Oxford Universities Past and Present" teams played several first-class matches in the late nineteenth century, but did not play at that level again until 1910, when they took on the Army and Navy team.
The team later undertook several overseas tours in the middle part of the twentieth century, but played only two first-class games outside Britain, both being at Sabina Park
Sabina Park
Sabina Park is the home of the Kingston Cricket Club, and is the only Test cricket ground in Kingston, Jamaica and is often referred to as "The Holiday Home of Cricket"....
, during the tour of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 1938.
Kenneth Weekes made his first-class debut for Jamaica in the first of these, scoring 106 in the second innings.
After a thirty-year gap, the Oxford and Cambridge team returned to first-class cricket in 1968, with a match against the touring Australians,
and for a quarter of a century thereafter the team had fairly regular matches against the tourists at either the University Parks
University Parks
The Oxford University Parks, more normally the University Parks, or just The Parks to members of the local community, is one large parkland area slightly northeast of the Oxford city centre in England...
in Oxford or Fenner's
Fenner's
Fenner's is the University of Cambridge's cricket ground.-History:Fenner's has hosted first-class cricket since 1848, and many of the world's great players have graced the wicket. The ground was established on land leased for the purpose by Francis Fenner, after whom the ground is named.Playing for...
in Cambridge, but playing no other first-class games. OCU's final appearance was in 1992, when they played the Pakistanis.
See also
- British Universities cricket teamBritish Universities cricket teamThe British Universities cricket team is a cricket team whose players are drawn from university sides primarily in Great Britain as the name suggests, but not exclusively those of Oxford and Cambridge. The team played under the title of Combined Universities until 1995.Combined Universities' first...
- Cambridge University Cricket ClubCambridge University Cricket ClubCambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
- Oxford University Cricket ClubOxford University Cricket ClubOxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...