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Oxford–Cambridge rivalry

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Oxford–Cambridge rivalry dates back to their founding in the 13th century, the oldest rivalry of any current universities in the world.[a] During most of that time, they were the only two universities in England and Wales and two of the most prestigious universities in any country, generating an intense rivalry that is one of the most enduring and well-known university rivalries in the world. Between them they have produced a large number of Britain's most prominent scientists, writers, and politicians, as well as noted figures in many other fields.

Varsity matches held between Oxford and Cambridge influenced the development of college sports in the United States.

Background

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The University of Oxford, with teaching recorded as early as 1096, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 by a group of scholars who left Oxford to take refuge from hostile townsmen in Oxford. Sometimes collectively known as Oxbridge, they are the two oldest universities in England and two of the oldest universities in the world.[1]

For many of these centuries, the two universities were unrecognisable as universities in the modern sense, as they were largely institutions for producing clergymen and were thus strongly tied to the Church.

Academic

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Rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge in academic reputation has been prominent for much of their history. They have produced a large number of Britain's most prominent scientists, writers, and politicians, as well as noted figures in many other fields.

In 2000, Cambridge academics said the Rhodes Scholarships gave its rival, Oxford, an advantage through a higher profile in the United States.[2]

In the 21st century, both universities are consistently ranked among the top institutions globally, with a competitive environment in terms of admissions, research, and academic prestige.[3][4]

Sport

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Sports were assimilated into academic life at Cambridge and Oxford universities in the nineteenth century and became a feature of Oxford–Cambridge rivalry.[5][6] Varsity matches held between Oxford and Cambridge influenced the development of college sports in the United States.[7][8][9]

Two annual competitions between Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest university-level intercollegiate sporting competitions in the world: The University Match in cricket, which was first held in 1927;[10] and The Boat Race, which was first contested in 1829 and pits Cambridge University Boat Club against their Oxford counterparts over a four-mile (6 km) stretch of the River Thames.[11][b] The very first Boat Race was won by Oxford, but Cambridge lead the overall series with 86 wins to Oxford's 81,[12] with one dead heat in 1877 (as of 2023).[13] Recent races have been closely fought, with Oxford winning by the shortest ever margin of 1-foot (0.30 m) in 2003[13] and Cambridge winning in 2004 despite Oxford's claims of a foul.[14]

Cambridge

The other major Oxbridge sporting competitions are the Rugby Union and Rugby League Varsity Match, the former being a rugby union game played annually. There have been 142 men's matches played, with Cambridge leading Oxford 66 wins to 62 (Cambridge won the most recent match in December 2024), and 14 games have ended in draws. The first women's match was played in 1988, with Oxford leading Cambridge 23 to 14 wins.[15] The matches have historically been held at Twickenham stadium, with the campaign moving further north to the StoneX stadium (Barnet Copthall) in 2024. The Rugby Football Union chose to advertise the 2006 match with a campaign promoting inter-university rivalry: their advertising agency Lowe London produced posters showing the number of Prime Ministers produced by the universities (Oxford 26 – Cambridge 14), with the tagline "It's time to get even".[16]

The Rugby League Varsity Match is a rugby league game played annually in March at The Stoop. Whilst not having the history of its Union counterpart, the fixture has been contested for over 30 years, and is broadcast live on Sky Sports. Cambridge currently lead the series 16–14, with one draw in 1994.

The Boat Race and the rugby Varsity Matches are notable in the UK in that they are the only university sports events that have any public profile outside the universities themselves; all three are screened live on national television and are widely covered in the national media.

All other significant sports have their own varsity match at some point during the year; some of these, such as the cricket fixture, the Ice Hockey Varsity Match and the Varsity Polo Match have attracted significant attention in the past. The results of all the varsity matches in The Varsity Games are aggregated and each year one university wins the Varsity Games title. Sportspersons who have competed at a Varsity Match in the prestigious Full Blue sports are eligible for an Oxford Blue or Cambridge Blue respectively.

At direct sporting competitions the rivalry can be heard in the customary insults used by members of each University. 'Shoe the Tabs', derived from Cantabridgian, is traditionally used by those from Oxford. Likewise, 'GDBO', or God Damn Bloody Oxford, is the response from Cambridge.[17]

During the first half of the 20th century sport played part in university life both as an activity for students and as an influence on the image of the universities from the outside world. However, during the 1950s, university dons became more critical of the time spent by students on sport. In addition, university undergraduates criticised the public school tradition of worship of organized games and this criticism was intensified by student radicalism in the late 1960s.[18][19]

Social

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Beyond academics and sport, the rivalry extends to the social standing of the universities and their members, creating social traditions and culture that have shaped their identities for centuries.

Co-operation

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Despite the impassioned rivalry between the two universities, there is also much cooperation when the need arises. Most Oxford colleges have a sister college in Cambridge. Some Oxford and Cambridge colleges with the same or similar names are 'sisters': for example, Jesus College, Cambridge, and Jesus College, Oxford, or Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge. However, namesakes are not always paired up: for example, St John's College, Oxford, is the sister college of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, while St John's College, Cambridge, is the sister college of Balliol College, Oxford. Arrangements between sister colleges vary, but may include reciprocal offers of accommodation to students from the other university when they are visiting. Furthermore, a significant proportion of academic staff has at some point been a member of the "other place".

Concerns are often raised that Oxford and Cambridge do not project a socially inclusive image to potential applicants from state schools, and thus Oxbridge students are disproportionately from wealthy backgrounds.[20] The two universities have made individual and combined efforts in recent years to promote themselves to potential applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds.[21][22] Each year, the Universities spend around £8 million on access schemes, and there is a designated Access Officer in every JCR and students' union.

Graduates of both universities are eligible for membership of the Oxford and Cambridge Club, a private members' club in London.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ See the list of oldest universities in continuous operation.
  2. ^ The oldest sporting rivalry between two schools is the Eton v Harrow cricket match, which first took place in 1805.

References

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  1. ^ "Early records | University of Cambridge". Cam.ac.uk. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  2. ^ Cowell, Alan (10 June 2000). "Oxford-Cambridge Rivalry Is Complicated by Harvard". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  3. ^ "QS World University Rankings 2025". Top Universities. 14 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  4. ^ "World Reputation Rankings". Times Higher Education (THE). 4 February 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  5. ^ Andrew Warwick (2003) Masters of Theory: Cambridge and the Rise of Mathematical Physics, page 213, University of Chicago Press ISBN 0-226-87374-9
  6. ^ Features, Amie Elizabeth White last updated Contributions from Rosie Paterson in (10 April 2025). "Everything you need to know about one of sport's most gruelling rivalries". Country Life. Retrieved 17 May 2025. The country's two oldest universities have been trying to out-do each other for centuries
  7. ^ Smith, Ronald Austin (1988). Sports and Freedom: The Rise of Big-time College Athletics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-506582-4. Perhaps more than any other two colleges, Harvard and Yale gave form to American intercollegiate athletics--a form that was inspired by the Oxford-Cambridge rivalry overseas, and that was imitated by colleges and universities throughout the United States. Focusing on the influence of these prestigious eastern institutions, this fascinating study traces the origins and development of intercollegiate athletics in America from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century.
  8. ^ Lewis, Guy (1970). "The Beginning of Organized Collegiate Sport" (PDF). American Quarterly. 22 (2): 222–229. doi:10.2307/2711645. ISSN 0003-0678.
  9. ^ "A History of Collegiate Rowing in America". Hear The Boat Sing. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  10. ^ "OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE PLAY THEIR FIRST CRICKET MATCH: 4 JUNE 1827". The History Channel. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  11. ^ [1] Archived 17 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ [2] Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ a b [3] Archived 1 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ [4] Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ [5] Archived 7 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Sweney, Mark (26 October 2006). "Oxbridge rugby rivalry kicks off". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  17. ^ "Varsity's comprehensive guide to Cambridge vocab".
  18. ^ Wenden, D.J. (7 April 1994), Harrison, Brian (ed.), "Sport", The History of the University of Oxford: Volume VIII: The Twentieth Century, Oxford University Press, p. 0, ISBN 978-0-19-822974-2, retrieved 17 May 2025
  19. ^ Nigel, Fenner (2023). Cambridge Sport: in Fenner's Hands. Cambridge Sports Tours. ISBN 9781739330408; Edwards, Ashley (12 September 2019). "HISTORY OF SPORT IN CAMBRIDGE: CRADLE OF A LEISURE REVOLUTION". www.sport.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  20. ^ "Teachers' Oxbridge misconceptions". BBC News. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  21. ^ Paton, Graeme (14 May 2008). "Cambridge drops foreign language rule for applicants". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  22. ^ Frean, Alexandra (29 May 2008). "Oxford attempts to woo state school pupils through their teachers". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
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