Oxford Cambridge Intervarsity Australian Rules Football Match
The annual Oxford-Cambridge Intervarsity Australian Rules Football Match is the most prolonged running Australian rules football fixture outside Australia. Played as early as 1911, it has been contested annually by men's teams since 1923 between the two longest running clubs outside Australia, the Oxford University Australian Rules Football Club and the Cambridge University Australian Rules Football Club.
The match has half blue status. Oxford has thus far dominated the contest. The teams contest a trophy which has been engraved.
Over the years, some distinguished Australians including Rhodes scholars have played in the match including Mike Fitzpatrick, Chris Maxwell, Joe Santamaria, Sir Rod Eddington and Andrew Michelmore.
A women's match was added in 2018.
History
As early as 1911, the game was being played regularly at Oxford with records of the university's Australian rules football club's foundation dating to 1906. The Cambridge University Australian Rules Football Club is believed to have been founded around 1911. In 1911, Oxford University, captained by Alfred Clemens, defeated Cambridge University, captained by Ron Larking 13.9 to 5.12. In 1914, H C A Harrison reported that the game was being played regularly at both Oxford and Cambridge universities though few records exist of contests between 1911 and 1921.After the war, in 1921, the Oxford University–Cambridge University Varsity match between expatriate Australian students became an annual contest.
The 90th Varsity match was the subject of a short ABC documentary.