The Varsity Hockey Matches
April 13, 2015

Hockey played at both Cambridge and Oxford Universities has a long and distinguished history; and the matches between these two famous English Universities have been played since 1890.

Organised hockey started in Cambridge University in 1883 at Trinity College, where Prince Albert enjoyed playing the game. Trinity College was also one of the 8 clubs which re-formed the Hockey Association in 1886. Hockey started to be played in Oxford University on an organised basis in 1889, and the first match against Cambridge was played, in Oxford, on 3 March 1890. The men’s Varsity Hockey Match has been played every year since 1890, with the exception of 11 years due to the two World Wars. The women’s varsity match was first played in 1898, and has been played every year since then except for three years during WW1, and both men’s and women’s varsity matches are now played on the same day.

The Hockey Museum is planning to start a research project to tell the full story of the playing of these matches. We plan to collate all the results, record the names of all the players and research those who made a significant contribution to the organising and playing of them including those who went on to gain international honours or made their names in other fields. There will also be many other stories that have accompanied the playing of these memorable matches.

If you are interested in contributing or have any records or information, please get in touch through the contact form.

You might also like

Continue to explore hockey's fascinating history and heritage across other areas of our website.

Visit Us

Our Collections

History of the Museum