Club news

Oxford take the spoils for the second year in a row

Continuing on from their impressive clean sweep last year, Oxford took the win in both Blues races again at Wimbledon Common on Saturday 6^th December.

With the weekend focused around celebrating the 50^th anniversary of women’s cross-country at the universities there was a larger than usual turn out in

the Old Blues’ Race. As the first race of the day, they tested out the new watersplash after the old one had become inaccessible over the summer. Oxford secured victory in the 33^rd Old Blues’ Race, winning by 550 points to 832 (scoring 26-a-side). Peter Molloy (Trinity, Cambridge) took the individual honours in 21:20 with Phoebe Barker (Robinson, Cambridge) crossing the line as first woman in eighth (which is the highest finishing position by a female runner in the history of the series). Oxford now lead this series by 19 wins to 14.

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On Saturday 6^th December, Thames will once again host the University Cross-Country Races with this year’s contests celebrating the 50^th anniversary of women’s cross-country at Oxford and Cambridge.

There are contrasting prospects for the two student races. Last year’s ladies’ race marked the passing of a generation of Oxbridge runners and with none of last year’s top seven competing, it is difficult to identify a clear favourite for the team honours. This is underlined by the fact that the 16 runners who will toe the start line collectively only have six previous race appearances between them. Rebecca Flaherty’s (St. Catherine’s) European selection is undoubtedly a significant blow for the Dark Blues as, having finished third on debut last year, she looked to be the most likely race winner. However, their team still has a very solid look about it, with less than a minute separating the seven who ran in the Chiltern League race in November. Added to this, fresher Ella Davey (Pembroke) – who missed that race – should bolster the front of their team.

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Saturday 6^th December will witness an important milestone in the history of the Oxford-Cambridge Cross-Country Races with a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of women’s cross-country at the universities.

Following the steady rise in the numbers of female students at both universities in the post-war period, both clubs opened to women members in the early 1970s and on 15^th November 1975, Oxford’s women took part in their first official race, a contest against Birmingham University at Shotover. Two weeks later, the very first race against Cambridge was staged at the same venue alongside the men’s races for the second, third, fourth and fifth teams. Oxford won comfortably by 7 points to 14 in a three-to-score contest with Cathy Meunier (St. Hugh’s) taking the individual honours.

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