Varsity Match
The Club has hosted the annual Squash Varsity Match between Oxford and Cambridge for over 60 years.
The first official match was played in 1925 – with an unofficial match recorded in 1924. In its early years the match was nomadic, being played at a variety of different London clubs: from 1925 to 1931 it was played at Queen’s, from 1932 to 1937 at the Bath Club and in 1938 at the Junior Carlton Club. In 1945 the match was staged at Trenchard House, from 1946 to 1951 at The Conservative Club, from 1952 to 1958 at The Bath Club and from 1959 to1962 at the Junior Carlton Club.
Since 1963, for just over half a century, the Varsity match has found a more permanent home at the Royal Automobile Club – save for 1967 when it was played at London House and in 1992 when the match was held at Lambs.
Current Match Tallies
Men: Played 91 Cambridge 49, Oxford 42
Women: Played 46 Cambridge 29, Oxford 17 (records only from 1976/77)
Over the years some great players have tested their skills in the unique atmosphere of the Varsity match. There have been a host of England internationals including Philip Ayton (76 caps), Jonny Leslie (42), Jeremy Lyon (40), John Easter (31), Nigel Broomfield (13) and Norman Borrett (12), described in his obituary in the Times as “arguably Britain’s most talented post-war all-round amateur sportsman”.
There were also a number of notable players from other countries: Kim Bruce Lockhart (Scotland), Robert Weir (Ireland), Kerry Jones and Robert Dolman (both Wales) all captained their countries, whilst Lawrence Verney managed an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for his Welsh International career. Amongst overseas players David Woods and Graham Macdonald both played for South Africa.
Recent international players include Ben Garner (at the time – world number 43) who represented Oxford from 1997-2000 and Harry Leitch (70 caps for Scotland) who managed to collect 10 blues representing Cambridge from 2005-2014.
Many people will be familiar with the dark and light blues doing battle across London’s famous sporting landmarks, from the University Boat Race on the Thames to the Varsity Rugby at Twickenham, and it is only fitting that the squash match is held at the Royal Automobile Club – ‘the home of squash’. The Oxbridge connection with the club (and indeed the sport) is long, with the club’s squash committee also involved with the Drysdale Cup (the British Junior Open Boys Under-19 trophy) named after a Cambridge Medical school graduate (and blue in both rugby and rowing), Dr Theodore Drysdale, who was a massive squash enthusiast and involved in formulating the rules and setting the standards for balls and courts. Many Varsity players have also been or become Royal Automobile club members including the aforementioned internationals, Nigel Broomfield, John Easter, Jonny Leslie and Lawrence Verney.
Men’s Match Results
1925-26 Oxford 4-0
1926-27 Oxford 4-1
1927-28 Oxford 5-0
1928-29 Oxford 4-1
1929-30 Oxford 4-1
1930-31 Cambridge 5-0
1931-32 Cambridge 5-0
1932-33 Cambridge 5-0
1933-34 Cambridge 3-2
1934-35 Cambridge 4-1
1935-36 Cambridge 4-1
1936-37 Cambridge 5-0
1937-38 Cambridge 3-2
1938-39 Cambridge 5-0
(World War II)
1945-46 Oxford 4-1
1946-47 Cambridge 3-2
1947-48 Oxford 4-1
1948-49 Oxford 5-0
1949-50 Oxford 4-1
1950-51 Oxford 4-1
1951-52 Cambridge 4-1
1952-53 Cambridge 3-2
1953-54 Cambridge 3-2
1954-55 Cambridge 3-2
1955-56 Cambridge 3-2
1956-57 Cambridge 5-0
1957-58 Cambridge 4-1
1958-59 Cambridge 3-2
1959-60 Oxford 4-1
1960-61 Cambridge 3-2
1961-62 Oxford 5-0
1962-63 Oxford 3-2
1963-64 Oxford 4-1
1964-65 Oxford 3-2
1965-66 Oxford 4-1
1966-67 Oxford 4-1
1967-68 Cambridge 4-1
1968-69 Oxford 4-1
1969-70 Oxford 5-0
1970-71 Oxford 4-1
1971-72 Oxford 4-1
1972-73 Cambridge 4-1
1973-74 Cambridge 3-2
1974-75 Oxford 3-2
1975-76 Oxford 4-1
1976-77 Cambridge 4-1
1977-78 Oxford 5-0
1978-79 Cambridge 4-1
1979-80 Cambridge 3-2
1980-81 Cambridge 3-2
1981-82 Cambridge 5-0
1982-83 Cambridge 5-0
1983-84 Oxford 5-0
1984-85 Oxford 5-0
1985-86 Oxford 3-2
1986-87 Cambridge 4-1
1987-88 Oxford 3-2
1988-89 Cambridge 3-2
1989-90 Oxford 4-1
1990-91 Oxford 3-2
1991-92 Oxford NO RECORD OF SCORE
1992-93 Oxford 3-2
1993-94 Oxford NO RECORD OF SCORE
1994-95 Cambridge 4-1
1995-96 Oxford 3-2
1996-97 Oxford 3-2
1997-98 Cambridge 3-2
1998-99 Cambridge 4-1
1999-00 Cambridge 3-2
2000-01 Cambridge 3-2
2001-02 Cambridge 5-0
2002-03 Cambridge 3-2
2003-04 Cambridge 4-1
2004-05 Cambridge 4-1
2005-06 Cambridge 4-1
2006-07 Oxford 3-2
2007-08 Cambridge 5-0
2008-09 Cambridge 5-0
2009-10 Cambridge 4-1
2010-11 Cambridge 5-0
2011-12 Oxford 3-2
2012-13 Cambridge 3-2
2013-14 Cambridge 5-0
2014-15 Oxford 3-2
2015-16 Oxford 5-0
2016-17 Oxford 5-0
2017-18 Oxford 3-2
2018-19 Oxford 5-0
2019-20 Oxford 4-1
2020-21 Cancelled due to COVID
2021-22 Cambridge 3-2
2022-23 Cambridge 4-1
Women’s Match Results
1976-77 Oxford NO RECORD OF SCORE
1977-78 Cambridge NO RECORD OF SCORE
1978-79 Cambridge 3-2
1979-80 Cambridge 4-1
1980-81 Cambridge 5-0
1981-82 Cambridge 5-0
1982-83 Cambridge 5-0
1983-84 Cambridge 4-1
1984-85 Cambridge 5-0
1985-86 Cambridge 4-1
1986-87 Cambridge 5-0
1987-88 Cambridge 5-0
1988-89 Cambridge 5-0
1989-90 Cambridge 5-0
1990-91 Cambridge 3-2
1991-92 Oxford NO RECORD OF SCORE
1992-93 Oxford 3-2
1993-94 Cambridge 4-1
1994-95 Cambridge 3-2
1995-96 Oxford 4-1
1996-97 Cambridge 3-2
1997-98 Oxford 4-1
1998-99 Oxford 3-2
1999-00 Oxford 3-2
2000-01 Cambridge 3-2
2001-02 Cambridge 3-2
2002-03 Cambridge NO RECORD OF SCORE
2003-04 Cambridge 3-2
2004-05 Oxford 3-2
2005-06 Cambridge 5-0
2006-07 Oxford 5-0
2007-08 Oxford 4-1
2008-09 Oxford 4-1
2009-10 Oxford 3-2
2010-11 Oxford 4-1
2011-12 Oxford 4-1
2012-13 Cambridge 5-0
2013-14 Oxford 4-1
2014-15 Cambridge 5-0
2015-16 Oxford 5-0
2016-17 Cambridge 3-2
2017-18 Cambridge 5-0
2018-19 Cambridge 3-2
2019-20 Oxford 4-1
2020-21 Cancelled due to COVID
2021-22 Cambridge 5-0
2022-23 Cambridge 5-0
