The captains of Oxford and Cambridge Rugby League clubs have announced their squads for the 2014 Varsity match, which takes place on Thursday (3pm KO) at the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) ground in central London.
Interestingly, both captains – Oxford’s Jack Baker and Cambridge’s James Tennison – were born in the same hospital in Hull, on Hendon Road. This discovery was made at the reception to launch the match. Baker explains: “We were asked which of us is more northern.
“We both replied ‘from Hull’ at the same time and of course then began going into more detail, not least to find out which Hull club we follow.”
“It’s a great honour to be leading out the Dark Blues on Thursday. I am really looking forward to the match and the day, and my lads are ready for it.”
The teams
Oxford Dark Blues
1 Jack Barber
2 Joe Davies
3 George Sismey-Durrant
4 James Clark
5 Oakley Cox
6 Jack Baker
7 Jake Whittaker
8 Ben Reavley
9 James Smith
10 Luke Jagoe
11 Gareth Davies
12 Marcus-Alexander Neil
13 Ben Claxton
Subs
14 Alex Hamilton
15 Yoni Dennis
16 Leo Bentley
17 Abeku Nelson
Cambridge Light Blues
1 James Tennison
2 Sam Roberts
3 Dean Rynhoud
4 David Sparkhall
5 Sam Rylands
6 Alistair White
7 Ed Linford
8 Aidan Devane
9 James Henderson
10 Harry Cozens
11 Tom Hughes
12 Oliver Brewster
13 Matt Commin
Subs
14 Freddie Bromley
15 George Laing
16 Oliver Holmes
17 Craig Winfield
Oxford have won the last four Battles of the Blues and are looking to equal the Cambridge run of five consecutive victories in the late 1990s.