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The Ice Hockey Varsity Match is a longstanding competition between the Cambridge and Oxford University Ice Hockey Clubs.

Tradition places the origin of the match in 1885, when a game is said to have been played in St Moritz. [1] This date is recognised by the Hockey Hall of Fame, and prior to the 1985 Varsity Match, the International Ice Hockey Federation formally recognised the game played a century earlier as having been the first ice hockey match played in Europe. [2] However, there is no contemporary evidence that the 1885 match took place, and Oxford now claim that it was a bandy match. [3] If the 1885 date is accepted, this is the oldest rivalry in ice hockey. [4] [5]

The oldest surviving evidence of the competition is a team photo and roster from 1895, for a game played on Blenheim Lake in Oxford, although this was definitely a bandy match. [3] The first match usually counted as an ice hockey contest is that of 16 March 1900 at Princes Skating Club, although at Oxford's insistence, it was played using bandy sticks and a lacrosse ball. [6]

The following year, another Varsity Match was played at Princes, this time with hockey skates and a puck. However, a 1902 match at Blenheim Lake was again a bandy match. [3]

The competition became established in 1909; the two universities then met each other on a European rink each year until World War I. [3] From 1927, the match has been played for the Patton Cup, named for Peter Patton, the first President of the British Ice Hockey Association. [7] It was then played most years until 1932, when it returned to England, being played at Richmond Ice Rink. [3] The annual matches of the 1930s may no longer have been of professional standard, but they were able to attract crowds up to 10,000 strong. [8] In 2016, the Patton Cup was replaced by the King Edward VII Cup.

Other than a gap during World War II, the matches have continued annually ever since, and from 1996 alternated between Oxford Ice Rink and a rink nominated by Cambridge. After a two-decade campaign, championed by Prof. Bill Harris, Cambridge University opened their own rink for the 2019-2020 season and hosted the 2020 Match. Oxford, historically strengthened by Rhodes Scholars have won more than two-thirds of the encounters. [3]

Results

No. Date Place Winner Result
1 1885
( Bandy Match)		 St. Moritz Oxford 6-0 [9]
Match not held from 1886 to 1894
2 1895
( Bandy Match)		 Blenheim Lake Oxford 6-1
Match not held from 1896 to 1899
3 1900 Princes, London Oxford 7-6
4 1901 Princes, London Cambridge 6-5
5 1902
( Bandy Match)		 Blenheim Lake Tie 2-2
Match not held from 1903 to 1908
6 1909 Wengen Oxford 5-3
7 1910 Mürren Oxford 5-3
8 1911 Mürren Cambridge 2-0
9 1912 Mürren Cambridge 1-0
10 1913 Mürren Cambridge 10-0
Match not held from 1914 to 1919 due to World War I
11 1920 Mürren Tie 0-0
12 1921 Mürren Oxford 27-0
13 1922 Mürren Oxford 8-1
14 1923 Mürren Oxford 3-0
15 1926 St. Moritz Oxford 11-0
16 1927 St. Moritz Cambridge 3-0
17 1928 St. Moritz Cambridge 1-0
18 1929 Zürich Oxford 1-0
19 1930 St. Moritz Cambridge 2-1
20 1931 St. Moritz Oxford 5-1
21 1932 Richmond Oxford 7-0
22 1933 Oxford Oxford 1-0
23 1934 Oxford Oxford 4-2
24 1935 Richmond Oxford 3-2
25 1936 Earl's Court Cambridge 2-0
26 1937 Harringay Cambridge 5-1
27 1938 Site Unknown Oxford 1-0
28 1939 Earl's Court Cambridge 2-0
29 1940 Harringay Oxford 4-2
Match not held from 1941 to 1946 due to World War II
30 1947 Brighton Oxford 15-4
31 1948 Brighton Oxford 5-2
32 1949 Richmond Oxford 4-3
33 1950 Richmond Oxford 3-0
34 1951 Richmond Oxford 6-3
35 1952 Site Unknown Cambridge 8-2
36 1953 Richmond Oxford 5-3
37 1954 Richmond Oxford 7-4
38 1955 Richmond Oxford 29-0
39 1956 Richmond Oxford 11-1
40 1957 Richmond Oxford 5-2
41 1958 Richmond Cambridge 6-1
42 1959 Richmond Cambridge 13-1
43 1960 Richmond Cambridge 6-5
44 1961 Richmond Oxford 7-5
45 1962 Richmond Cambridge 11-1
46 1963 Richmond Cambridge 6-4
47 1964 Richmond Oxford 6-4
48 1965 Richmond Oxford 3-1
49 1966 Richmond Oxford 16-2
50 1967 Blackpool Oxford 18-2
51 1968 Blackpool Oxford 14-3
52 1969 Solihull Oxford 3-2
53 1970 Solihull Oxford 6-1
54 1971 Blackpool Oxford 13-5
55 1972 Blackpool Oxford 10-0
56 1973 Billingham Oxford 8-2
57 1974 Wembley Oxford 5-1
58 1975 Billingham Oxford 4-2
59 1976 Solihull Oxford 3-1
60 1977 Solihull Cambridge 7-4
61 1978 Solihull Oxford 11-1
62 1979 Southampton Oxford 5-1
63 1980 Solihull Cambridge 5-1
64 1981 Streatham Cambridge 6-5
65 1982 Streatham Oxford 7-5
66 1983 Peterborough Tie 3-3
67 1984 Streatham Cambridge 6-3
68 1985 Peterborough Oxford 5-1
69 1986 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 8-5
70 1987 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 9-1
71 1988 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 11-3
72 1989 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 15-4
73 1990 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 18-1
74 1991 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 9-2
75 1992 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 3-1
76 1993 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 19-0
77 1994 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 13-3
78 1995 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 8-4
79 1996 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 8-5
80 1997 Stevenage Oxford 5-2
81 1998 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 8-1
82 1999 Peterborough Cambridge 2-1
83 2000 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 4-2
84 2001 Peterborough Cambridge 12-5
85 2002 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 8-1
86 2003 Peterborough Oxford 4-3(OT)
87 2004 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 5-1
88 2005 Milton Keynes Oxford 6-1
89 2006 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 6-1
90 2007 Peterborough Oxford 11-1
91 2008 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 8-2
92 March 2009 Planet Ice Arena Milton Keynes Oxford 4-2 [10]
93 March 2010 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 6-5(OT)
94 March 2011 Peterborough Cambridge 5-1
95 March 2012 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 17-1
96 March 2013 Peterborough Cambridge 8-2
97 March 2014 Oxford Ice Rink Oxford 13-7
98 March 2015 Peterborough Cambridge 10-0
99 March 2016 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 4-3
100 March 2017 Peterborough Cambridge 8-3
100* March 2018 St. Moritz Oxford 4-3(OT)
102 March 2019 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 8-1
103 March 2020 Cambridge Ice Rink Cambridge 8-0
104 June 2021 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 4-3(SO)
105 March 2022 Cambridge Ice Rink Cambridge 4-2
106 March 2023 Oxford Ice Rink Cambridge 4-0
107 March 2024 Cambridge Ice Rink Cambridge 6-2

References

  1. ^ Phil Drackett, Flashing Blades
  2. ^ Oxford University Ice Hockey Club: Murky Beginnings
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Oxford University Ice Hockey Club: Past Results". Archived from the original on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
  4. ^ Cambridge University Ice Hockey Club
  5. ^ Oxford University Ice Hockey Club: Truth & Rumours
  6. ^ Martin C. Harris, Homes of British Ice Hockey
  7. ^ "A to Z Encyclopaedia of Ice Hockey". Archived from the original on 31 October 2000. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
  8. ^ Cambridge University Ice Hockey Club: History
  9. ^ "Varsity Match - Past Results". Oxford Blues. Oxford University Ice Hockey Club. 2008. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  10. ^ Talbot, Michael (7 March 2009). "2009 Varsity Match". Oxford Blues. Oxford University Ice Hockey Club. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
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