List of British and Irish varsity matches


A varsity match in Britain and Ireland is a fixture, especially of a sporting event or team, between university teams, usually the highest-level team, or varsity team, in that sport.
The longest-running series of varsity matches in the world is between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, a key feature of Oxford–Cambridge rivalry. The University Match in cricket, first played in 1827, is the oldest varsity match in the world. The Boat Race followed, begnning in 1829. The Cambridge and Oxford Athletic Games in track and field, first held in 1864, pioneered modern athletic competition. The Scottish Varsity match in rugby union between the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh, dating to the 1860s, is the oldest varsity match in the world in a code of football. The Oxford v Cambridge women's University Match in hockey was first played in 1895, making it the oldest women's varsity match in the world. Varsity matches held between Oxford and Cambridge influenced the development of college sports in the United States, and other countries around the world.
A number of city and regional sporting rivalries exist between universities, which are also dubbed varsity matches. Unlike the Oxford–Cambridge matches, which are stand alone events in each sport, some of the more recent varsity competitions are multi-sport varsity competitions. The Roses Tournament between the universities of York and Lancaster is one of the oldest and largest of these, dating back to 1965. It is frequently referred to as the largest inter-university sports tournament in Europe.
Most inter-university sport in Britain is now governed and organised by British Universities and Colleges Sport, alongside Scottish Student Sport, and in Ireland by Student Sport Ireland.

Varsity in England

Interregional rivalries

East