Oxford University Cricket Club (OUCC), which represents the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
, had held
first-class status since 1827 when it made its debut in the inaugural
University Match between OUCC and
Cambridge University Cricket Club (CUCC). Following the 2021 University Match, OUCC lost its first-class status. It was classified as a
List A
List A cricket is a classification of the Limited overs cricket, limited-overs (one-day) form of the sport of cricket, with games lasting up to eight hours. List A cricket includes One Day International (ODI) matches and various domestic competit ...
team in 1973 only. Home fixtures are played at the
University Parks slightly northeast of
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
city centre.
History
The earliest reference to cricket at Oxford is in 1673. OUCC made its known debut in the inaugural
University Match between Oxford and
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
played in 1827. In terms of extant clubs being involved, this is the oldest major fixture in the world: i.e., although some inter-county fixtures are much older, none of the current county clubs were founded before 1839 (the oldest known current fixture is
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
''versus''
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
).
The
Magdalen Ground was used for the University Cricket Club's first match in 1829, and remain in regular use until 1880.
Bullingdon Green was used for two matches in 1843.
[
] The
University Parks became the home ground of OUCC in 1881,
when the Master of
Pembroke,
Evan Evans obtaining a lease on 10 acres of land there.
The pavilion was designed by
Thomas G. Jackson, architect of many nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Oxford buildings, including the university's
Examination Schools.
The building has three gables, the central one containing the clock, and is topped by a
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout.
The word derives, via Ital ...
and
weather-vane.
The pavilion contains a Long Room.
The two ends of the pitch are the Pavilion End and the Norham Gardens End.
The University Match became the club's sole first-class fixture each season from 2001 until the end of first-class status for university sides in 2020. Apart from this annual game, played in late June or early July, the OUCC first team operates as part of the Oxford University Centre of Cricketing Excellence (UCCE), which includes
Oxford Brookes University. The UCCE was rebranded as Oxford
MCC University (MCCU) prior to the 2010 season. The University Match is the only one in which a true OUCC team takes part: i.e., composed entirely of current Oxford students.
The Oxford University Centre of Cricketing Excellence (OUCCE) team played 26 first-class matches (not including one abandoned) from 2001 to 2009. As Oxford Marylebone Cricket Club University, the team has played sixteen first-class matches from 2010 to 2016.
Grounds
The five grounds that Oxford University have used for home first-class and List A matches since 1829 are listed below, with statistics complete through to the end of the 2014 season. Only the first-class and List A matches played at the ground by Oxford University are recorded in the table.
See also
*
List of Oxford University CC players
References
External links
Cricket in the ParksMCC Universities information & history
{{Authority control
1827 establishments in England
Cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
Cricket in Oxfordshire
English cricket teams in the 19th century
Former senior cricket clubs of England
Sports clubs and teams established in 1827
Student cricket in the United Kingdom