On a sunny day in late March, Oxford and Cambridge faced off in the 97th Varsity match at St John’s College Playing Fields, Cambridge. Oxford had narrowly won the 96th, though in the 95th Cambridge pulled off a major upset at the same ground, leaving everything to play for under the spring sun - Cambridge were looking for two home victories in a row, Oxford for the chance to reassert the dominance of recent years.

Oxford started well. Solid ruckwork from Jack 'Inspector' Valmadre and strong body positioning from Prof Matt McGilvray provided Oxford with more than their fair share of the footy. Phill ‘Hammer’ Hamer and James ‘MD’ Kennedy went searching for targets in the forward line, and were not disappointed, but it took a while for this dominance to be reflected on the scoreboard. Usual suspect Dylan Wise opened the scoring with a solid mark and goal from out in front. Lightning struck twice for Dylan, and a few minutes later he sent through his second.

Play went back and forward for the rest of the first half, as both sides tried to find their rhythm. Oxford possessions seemed to be much cleaner as accurate passing and reliable marking allowed us easy yards up the field. By contrast, Cambridge struggled to get clean possession in dangerous areas and were always made to work hard for their ground. The Oxford defence, packed with experience, was able to clear up the more speculative punts forward. Nathan 'Jesus' Grindal made Cambridge think twice about going near the ball, while Ollie Bartlett and Genie 'Fist' Duff cleared up scraps and were able to recycle the ball to the targets waiting further up the field.

This paid dividends as Bartlett found club stalwart Grey Johnston, who in turn picked out Seb 'Flounder' Wylie, who led strongly in the forward line all day. With the title of “Best Forward in the Osney Thermofluids Lab” up for grabs, Dylan and Flounder got the goal kicking rivalry underway, making Cambridge suffer on the scoreboard in the process. Flounder walked back and got his first, followed by his second from the pocket.

Cambridge struck back just before the end of the quarter and bagged a fine goal from 40m out to leave the scoreboard reading: Oxford 25 - Cambridge 6.

The message at quarter time from Coach Riggas (narrowly pipped by Simon Goodwin as Melbourne Coach for 2017) was simple: keep going hard and keep scoring goals. This was the quarter in which to break the Cambridge spirits and establish a stranglehold on the match.

Dylan kept the scoreboard ticking over with another goal, his leads proving to be too elusive for his Cambridge defender. Louis Jamart added French flair to the wing, playing in front of his dad, arguably the sharpest dressed man in Cambridge that afternoon (sorry Hugo). Rob Cornish didn’t give away any easy ground or ball in the backline after coming on in leaps and bounds this past year. Ben Young got on top of his opposite man in defence and ran hard all day, seemingly never tiring. At the other end, Josh McGeechan was also tackling hard and applying good pressure to prevent Cambridge from getting the ball out easily. Ewan Selkirk was too quick to tackle (and too short - getting his customary free kick for a high tackle), and almost had himself a long range goal.

Jesus, anything but meek and mild, was causing carnage at the back. Oliver Bartlett came off after a collision between the pair, allowing Dustin Stuart to enter the fray, running round the backline like a bull in a china shop. Not content with stopping there, Jesus then flew into a tackle with the Cambridge full forward, but was unfortunate to have it called high, late and off the ball. Sometimes the decisions don't go your way, and Cambridge put it through for a major. Still, it was a long time before the Cambridge forward line went anywhere near him.

At the other end, captain fantastic, Dan Tracey was busy creating opportunities for himself and those around him, bagging a behind and putting ex-captain and Varsity specialist Dave Llewellyn into space for another Oxford goal.

Cambridge struck back with a behind and a goal created by their elusively quick number 16 in the midfield. The tabs, with many GAA players as ever, used quick handballs and ran the footy to create space. This match wasn't going to be a walk in the park, despite how it may seem from this (admittedly slightly biased) account.

Toby Lees, playing in his first Varsity (and possibly last, unless we get permission from the Pope for him to return next year) picked up a mark in the forward line from another Hamer bullet, but pushed it slightly wide for a behind. At the halftime orange break, Oxford led 6.2.38 - 3.1.19.

Cambridge came out fighting in the third quarter, playing rough in an attempt to provoke a reaction from Oxford. A notably bizarre incident involved Ell Neame being taken hostage in a headlock. Matt McGilvray saw his opportunity to break his "jersey-punch duck", and made his outrage known.

James Kennedy fired back with a monster goal that had the crowd discussing whether 9 point super goals should be introduced to the Varsity derby. It was helped on its way by some selfless shepherding from Flounder, Ben 'Pigeon' Hunn, and Dan (and a Cambridge defender who chose to go for the Oxford forwards rather than stop the bouncing ball from rolling through). Had Pigeon known what would happen in the next quarter, he probably would have poked it through himself.

As Cambridge tired, Elliot Neame started to use his pace to break out of contests and into free space. He belted one home from 30 meters and wheeled round to celebrate, unfortunately without realising that it had drifted wide at the last moment. Fortunately for Ell, he got his chance only moments later from the same spot, and his next one was even greater (described by Jess 'wish I'd remembered suncream' Testro, as ‘Dangerfield-esque’).

Hugo 'Big Cat' Batten couldn't hold onto on the next bomb in the forward line, but regathered and charged through a weak Cambridge tackle to kick a goal from 30m out. The Cambridge shenanigans earlier in the quarter had failed to significantly alter the flow of the game, and now Tab morale was starting to take damage. Almost as much damage was done to Hugo Batten's cherished social media presence, as alumni Stranks and Nicholls, bored with proceedings and armed with an old password for the OUARFC Twitter account, amused themselves with a classic character assassination.

At the end of the quarter, the Big Cat online brand was in tatters, and Oxford were up 9.5.59 - 3.2.20, with one hand on the trophy.

Oxford started the 4th quarter in high spirits, and uncontested possessions allowed them to move the ball around the ground as they pleased (including an unorthodox kick from Flounder, not into the forward line but backwards to JK in midfield, Barcelona-esque). Mitch Robertson did admirably, playing simultaneously in the forward and backlines after a whiteboard malfunction, but, as with everything, took it calmly in his stride. Meanwhile, the Oxford bench were kept busy, all the substitutes got a run around, Brad Jordan particularly showing his ultra-marathon stamina as he kept running and running til his Cambridge opposite couldn’t keep up.

Flounder and Grey had rotated excellently all day, and Flounder Wylie grabbed his 3rd of the day with a howitzer from the centre square to spark pandemonium in the crowds.

Meanwhile in the back line, there wasn't much going on (apart from Jesus finishing what he had started and re-injuring Bartlett as they both went up to contest the ball). Genie 'Fist' Duff saw his opportunity to sneak further up the ground, and Geoff Pascoe, sensing history in the making, provided him with a well weighted pass. Genie resisted the urge to punch it away as far as possible and took the mark. The crowd went wild as Genie went back and slotted the goal, and other defenders started to ask the question - "How hard can slotting goals be?". Well, after more goals from Dylan and a Tab, we had the opportunity to find out. Step forward Ben Hunn.

Pidge has been a stalwart of the Oxford backline for a number of years, but sadly the opportunity never really arrived for him at the other end. As a defender who has never contributed much in front of goal either, I don't want to be too harsh on Pidge. Let's just say that after a neat mark, his effort at goal neither went very far, nor very straight. He turned sheepishly to the bench to find Seb Wylie grinning from ear to ear.

The game ended with more forays into Cambridge territory, but Oxford were unable to add any more goals. At the final whistle there were wild celebrations, a ropey rendition of The Old Dark Navy Blues and beers all round. Oxford had won the 96th Varsity 12.8.80 - 4.4.28. A big thanks to the umpires and Cambridge, who put on an excellent function at the Athletics club after the game. Josh Combs excelled himself in the traditional post match boat race, seeing off the first and last pints with a terrifying efficiency.

There were a number of factors that led to Oxford's victory, from the ruck dominance of Jack, the goal threat posed by Dylan and Seb, the uncompromising defence of Genie and Jesus. But ultimately the victory can be attributed to the depth of talent within the Oxford team, and the improvement throughout the year of all players. The likes of Matt McGilvray, James Kennedy, Phil Hamer, Grey Johnston and the other Oxford men racked up significant possessions, and were able to deliver well into the forward line. Cambridge looked brightest when individual players had moments of brilliance. Oxford put in a true team performance, and were at no stage over-reliant on individual players and moments (though there were many). Oxford played their most complete match for a long time, and with key players sticking around next year, the future is bright for OUARFC.

Score: Oxford GAA Lots - OUARFC Not many

Saturday November 19th saw the annual OUARFC foray into the world of mystery and unknown. I'm not talking about Footy trip, but the baffling and strange sport of International Rules, a hybrid between AFL and Gaelic Football. Having arrived too late for the explanation of the rules from Tommy ‘Turncoat’ Griffin, I assumed everything would be the same, just with a different ball. Needless to say, I was gravely mistaken, and a ball that bounced predictably turned out to be far more challenging than it sounded.

From the first bounce, it was clear that the Irish familiarity with the Gaelic ball was matched only by their determination to win. With territory and possession in their favour, the Irish launched wave after wave of attack at our goals. The defence of Ollie B, Mitch H and Ben Y battled on against their Irish opposites, who were all seemingly called Conor. The slight consolation was that their front line were still finding the radar, and the score could have been much worse than it was. Regardless, we went into the quarter-time break with a lot to change. Possession was deemed key, too much ball was kicked blindly out of defence and returned with a vengeance. Running the ball was the way forward, 'tiki-taka' hand passes encouraged, DanTracey led from the front.

The second quarter started better and showed glimpses of what was possible for OUARFC, though I'd be lying if I said the Irish weren't building a healthy lead. But not at the rate they had been before, as Australian hand-passes were strung together, and possession partly denied from the Irish. However, old habits die hard, and OUARFC were still found guilty of putting the ball on the hoof and hoping for the best. One particular highlight was made by Louis ‘Two Votes’ Jamart, who dropped from half forward back into midfield, running hard and breaking tackles. There he was joined by Brad and Ben Scholl, making his debut with some great touches in midfield and the towering 'Inspector' Valmadre, showing his usefulness around the park in a game which was short on his usual diet of ruck taps. The girls held their own against their Irish counterparts, Gen, Emma M and Alexis all played admirably, Alexis in particular made some great tackles (including on Gen in the warm up!).

By the third quarter we were starting to get the hang of it slightly more. ‘Pidge’ Hunn took over the refereeing, allowing Tommy ‘Turncoat’ Griffin time to run in the forward line. Wrong forward line though. Tireless running from Josh, Ewen and Dylan, summer signings for OUARFC, helped counter Irish numbers around the ball. Toby played his strongest match so far for OUARFC, winning taps and tackling hard. The play even found itself in the Irish half, and the ignominy of getting 'nilled' was finally avoided with a wildly celebrated point. Wild applause echoed around the ground, none louder than from Jess ’No 1 fan’ Testro, who was sadly unable to play after a disastrous catching incident earlier in the season. This was followed by an absolute belter from Ell who smashed it past the keeper for the full 6 points. Mark, brought along by Mitch and on a quest to play niche sports at Oxford, also grabbed a point. The comeback was on.

By the fourth quarter, OUARFC started to hit their stride. Horspath was once again home to great footy as we applied the hard-learned lessons of the first three quarters.  We even persevered with the round ball, despite calls to bring out a Sherrin. The larger ground at Horspath became an increasingly important factor as the entire team pushed hard and the lungs burned. By the final whistle, we were all pretty knackered, but had enjoyed ourselves greatly, despite the one sided scoreboard.

All in all there was a lot to take away from the match. It was played in great spirits, and helped to cement closer ties between the two clubs. The counter-attacking speed of the game is also something we can bring back to our AFL. And at least the All Blacks won that night, so the score that should really be remembered is Ireland 1-1 Antipodes. In all seriousness, if anyone remembers the actual score, please let me know!

Women's Match
It was another cold and gloomy afternoon, but the Oxford women’s team was not to be deterred by the ominous clouds overhead. With a strong starting line-up for the nine-a-side match, and three players warming up and raring to go on the side line, it was already promising to be an exciting first match of the season against our arch rivals!
 
The first quarter started off quickly with plenty of marks inside the 50 from both Oxford and Birmingham, leading to several goals and behinds for both sides. Helen Baxendale was strong in the ruck with quick taps into the waiting hands of her teammates, as well as providing some great on field coaching. Karwei So took the field halfway into the quarter to make her AFL match debut, adapting with ease from her rugby background, and is sure to be a champion of our beloved sport. Emma McIntosh, back from a long reprieve after our first match in February 2014, took to the pitch with impressive intensity.
 
In the break it was noted that a certain Birmingham player was collecting far too many easy marks, so co-captain Alexis Brown got on the case and put her defensive skills to the test with great effect. Mandy Rojek fed the ball from the midfield through to Steph Filbray for some spectacular goals, cementing the Oxford lead. Co-captain Genevieve Martin had a good run in the ruck, later showing off her versatility dropping back to the defensive line. Helen Ryan likewise did well in defense, while Tasha Jacobs moved up front to test out her burgeoning skills in the forward line.
 
Hanne Mysen joined us in the third quarter, a welcome addition to our already formidable defensive line. Sarah Burns starred in the ruck, transferring her basketball skills to the sport she was clearly born to play! Emma Lawrence also moved deftly from the forward line into defence, as we moved into the third quarter and began to lock in a definitive victory.
 
As we headed into the final quarter, it was apparent that our opponents were beginning to tire. Oxford stayed strong, with some hard tackling by Emilie McDonnell, who has taken to the sport quickly.
 
Final score:
Oxford 11.10.76
Birmingham 7.7.49

Men's Match
Heavy rain greeted us on Saturday morning for our match against our neighbours and consistently strong opponents Birmingham, no doubt making some of the fair weather footballers amongst us reconsider having signed up. Thankfully this eased by the afternoon, and conditions were primed for a good hit-out.

It was tight from the first ball-up, with Birmingham owning the territory early on but unable to convert. Oxford made a quick forward thrust and Jimmy Kennedy bobbed up for his first goal for the Blues. It was a sign of things to come, with the Oxford forward line looking dangerous and efficient whenever the ball came near - Flounder was presenting well and crunching packs, and others were swarming when the footy came to ground. The contest was tough, with Birmingham's gym and fitness sessions paying dividends, but Oxford's experienced campaigners guiding our positioning with their footy smarts. Phill was owning the ground ball in the middle, and Grey the aerial contests. It felt as if Oxford was getting on top going into half time, but thanks to a bevy of Birmingham behinds our lead was only 4 points.

The boys were building and sniffing a win, but Birmingham came out strong in the third quarter, getting clean footy out the back of the pack, and directing it to a big target at full forward. Mitch Hancock, Ollie, and Genie did a huge job marking him and others all day, consistently outsized and (sometimes dubiously) barrelled out of the way, but not giving away any easy ball and often launching counterattacks. Mitch might even be contending for the title 'The Fist'. Birmingham were getting on top, but Oxford put on some teamlifting plays in quick succession. 'Big Cat' Hugo announced himself (arriving for his first match after a few false starts) with a crunching tackle to win a holding the ball free kick, Louis 'Pasteur' got on the scoreboard, and Phill kicked one immediately after, taking the ball clinically straight from the restart in the centre. Still, we went in at 3QT with work to do.

The tussle went up a level in the fourth, with both teams desperate for a win. Jimmy Haw and Josh McGeechan were getting right in the thick of it in the middle laying or taking big tackles. Rob, Hunny, Dylan, and Brad were getting amongst it around the ground. Tommy and Toby were holding on in tight contests down back. Birmingham managed to pull away, and it was looking as if we were running out of time, but at 3 goals down with 3 minutes to play, Oxford put in a last big surge. Quick goals to Flounder and Louis left us down by a few points with a minute left, but the ball ended up down in Birmingham's forward line for the final minute and it wasn't to be. Birmingham 63 defeated Oxford 60.

A solid effort with a lot to be pleased by, but we have room to improve and should be chomping at the bit for our next chance to get a W. Big thanks to: Mitch and Hugo for umpiring (and copping plenty of abuse, including friendly fire!), Josh Combs for managing the bench, Katie for helping on the sidelines, Jess for goal umpiring, and many others who helped out.

​The Oxford girls kicked off the season with strong numbers, despite several injuries (including a broken rib!) and one of the most bitter, cold days of the Oxford autumn so far.
 
The Demons started out strong, scoring a number of goals in the first quarter to take a big early lead. Strong in defence throughout, Ellie Bath managed an impressive smother early on, revealing talent that had gone untapped in her previous career playing hockey. Genevieve Martin kept talk up in the ruck, as usual. Smuggling the ball out of a number of scrums was the agile Emma Lawrance, with several quick passes out to Mandy Rojek who booted the ball down the length of the field. The Demons put on a formidable defensive side and the Oxford women were unable to convert any of these breaks to score.
 
Audibly thrilled at taking a mark out of the wing, Torgie Cox assumed she was safe from being tackled, but the celebration was premature as she was rapidly taken out by a speedy Demon. Alexis ‘the tackler’ Brown was out in full force, pinning players arms before they knew she was close. Moizza Sarwar revealed a dogged intensity for her opponent, boding for excellent things to come in her footy career. Fiona McLoughlin and Emma Coulson, true to form, shook off one Demon after another, putting their experience to good use. Additional defensive pressure in the later parts of the game couldn’t, however, stop the Demons from powering ahead for a clear win.
 
A huge congratulations to the number of girls for whom this was a debut: Mandy Rojek, Brianna Doherty, Emilie McDonnell, Ellie Bath, Freya Shearer, Helen Ryan, Kim Webb, Moizza Sawar, Tasha Jacobs and Torgie Cox.
 
Final scores:
Oxford 0/0/0
Wandsworth Demons 13/15/93
 
Special commendations to team members who despite being unable to play, lent their skills to other aspects of the game: Jess (goal umpire) and Katie Stone (managing the bench / photographer). 

Come join us at 5am on Saturday October 1st to watch the 2016 AFL Grand Final. Full details available at ​https://www.facebook.com/events/544895082364975/

Summer of 2015 was a dark one for OUARFC, as we ruminated on the nasty loss to the Tabs through the drizzly, Ashes-losing summer.  Years of dominance had been destroyed in an instant.  Suddenly, we had members who’d never tasted sweet taste of victory from the Varsity cup.  Theories abounded about the cause of the malaise, but when it came down to it, player losses were the key, and rebuilding was required.   An over-sized committee was mustered, and it got to work.  After an experimental Tinder-based recruitment drive failed and a mission to Dublin ended disastrously when Blue’s extensive scouting notes from Copper Faced Jacks disappeared mysteriously with his phone at some point during the rather sketchy evening, we resorted to old fashioned jingoism, FOMO, and alcohol-based incentive to pull in a record number of recruits, with unprecedented diversity in gender, nationality, experience and sanity.

Women's Game

Varsity 2016 saw the Oxford women's team playing before the men's varsity match for the first time since it began in 1911. Unfortunately the tabs don't yet have a women's team, but Birmingham Uni and the South East London Giants formed a combined team to play 15-a-side in a pre-varsity women's exhibition match. 

Despite the lack of tabs to shoe, encouragement from the men's team had the Oxford women fired up for varsity day and hungry for their first ever win. Helen Baxendale didn't waste time getting down to business, working hard for the first clearance. She drew cheers from the crowd with an amazing mark, plucking the ball out of the air with ease. Birmingham/London were desperate in defence but with Oxford's persistent forward entries it wasn't long before captain Rachel Paterson got Oxford onto the scoreboard.

The ruck duo of Caitlin Clunie O'Connor and Genevieve Martin were winning most of the clearances and providing strong contests around the ground. They were aided by Claire Jago, and double Emma (Lawrance and Coulson), who put their bodies on the line clearing the ball out of packs and continuing Oxford's constant pushes forward.  

Oxford's forward line boasted the return of Pip Coore to the team, who managed to not only get her hands on the footy but also fame, with a post-game interview with Macca on ABC Radio show "Australia All Over". Pip was joined by the seasoned in-and-under Victorian Kellie McGill and Spanish import Marta Perez Alcantara, as well as goal-sneak Rachel. Oxford's attack benefitted from the quick hands of the Gaelic football recruits Laura and Sorcha (so quick that the umpire struggled to see!), who were willing to run through the midfield as well as pushing forward, demonstrating a great adaptability to the Aussie game. 

Down the other end of the ground, the Oxford backline was strengthened by the return of Emma McIntosh to the team, along with first-gamer Cara Volpe joining Fiona McLoughlin, Kaddy Noonan and Alexis Brown. Altogether the backline provided solid defence with intense tackling and good skills under pressure. After several rebounds from the halfback line, Oxford's forward entries resulted in two late snaps from Rachel, which found their way through the big posts and gave the dark blues a solid lead going into half time.

With plenty of talent in the Birmingham/London side, Oxford couldn't afford to get complacent in the second half. Thankfully the Oxford women were ready for the challenge and came out firing. This was emulated by valiant defender Cara, who after gaining a reputation for her fierce (and not always completely legal) tackling at training, managed to channel her aggression into textbook tackles and bumps in her first (and hopefully not last!) ever game of Aussie Rules. Fiona, our Blues Ice Hockey goalie, continued to impress with her desperate efforts on the last line of defence and her signature "hedgehog" move. Overall, Oxford's net of skilled defenders continued to mop up several forward entries from Birmingham/London and stifled their attempts to score.

In her typical style, Emma L could be seen shrugging off multiple tackles on more than one occasion to race out of the pack, resulting in several key runs forward. She also managed a bullet-like kick on the run that was so low it almost grazed the ground but somehow landed on the chest of Rachel, who went back and kicked another goal for the dark blues. Meanwhile, Helen continued to rack up countless possessions, running down the ground and constantly injecting the ball into the Oxford forward line. The opposition were shocked by her bone-crunching tackles throughout the match, which made them think twice when taking possession in case one of her big hits was coming their way.

Birmingham/London mounted a late comeback, kicking two great goals early on in the final quarter. In response, Oxford once again pushed forward with Marta taking a fantastic grab in the forward line and drilling the ball directly to Rachel in the square. The captain kicked true and the Oxford women marched to their first victory, defeating Birmingham/London 9.8.62 to 3.7.25.

The Varsity Match

After inspiring messages had flooded in from around the world, and the Oxford Women’s team had rampaged to an historic victory against a strong London/Birmingham team, the Horspath grounds felt alight, perhaps partly due to the barbeque fanned by the customary Horspath gale.  The Tabs had arrived early and emerged from their excessively large bus the motley crew many of us knew so well.  When they told us they had no valuables to mention in their change rooms, our suspicions regarding their attachment to the Varsity cup were confirmed.

After a nervous warm up, OUARFC went onto the field with a rousing cheer from the spectators and an untested player setup.  Unit Hugh Bartlett had been moved to a tagging role in the midfield, while Riggas took the role of organising the defence.  Charlie Rae, who had spent the past two months on sabbatical from all things good in life, was rested in the forward line.  As soon as Sam Merson and the talented Tab ruckman clashed a dogged back and forth battle begun. It quickly become clear that neither side would dominate.  Running with the wind, the Tabs struck first, scoring a goal from the first of many free kicks.  Nerves were soon calmed when the familiar Horspath sleet began falling, and OUARFC pulled back with early goal from Flounder Wylie and Grey Johnston.   Quarter time score: Tabs 24 - OUARFC  19.

The game styles contrasted, with Tabs standouts working together and finding strong contested marks, while Oxford characteristically punished mistakes with massive tackles at every contest. After continuing to present strongly at centre half forward, Flounder found himself flat on his face after a heavy collision – he claimed friendly fire, but would be a poor judge.  After passing a Pretorian concussion test, he was sent to sit out until the second half.  With an increasing on field casualties, our bench played a crucial role. Alex Coccia, Tayo Sanders II came onto the field with a ferocity few would have imagined when these fresh faced visitors turned up early to the first training session.  Ben Young’s excitement could hardly be contained as he catapulted himself at the opposition and Pat Thewlis and Tommy Griffin’s cheery personas vanished. The Tabs did well in the second quarter, but OUARFC pressure limited their goal kicking accuracy.  Down almost three goals late in the quarter, Geoff ‘Condor’  Pascoe produced a moment of magic that changed the tone of the match, grabbing the ball on the flank, weaving left, selling some candy, and kicking a magnificent curving ball right through the middle, almost into the car park.  The crowd, and Condor, went wild.  This kept us in the game at half time, Tabs 38 - OUARFC 31

The third quarter was a deadlock. Fist Duff, encouraged by the TV camera placed directly behind him, returned to his fan-favourite defence tactic, ably assisted by footy trip specialist McGilvray, who had exchanged his Jordans for footy boots for his strongest season in memory.  Shrike Llewellyn  placed is body on the line throughout the game, and was sounding like a birther with his constant questioning of Tab heritage.  This tactic seemed to work, as the Tabs became feisty across the ground.  Lockdown defender Pigeon Hunn was punched twice in the face despite stating clearly that this was against the rules.  Kiran “Rhino” Patel was roaming around like a wounded beast, threatening anyone who ventured near the ball or flanker Nish Patel, who was tireless through the day. At one point Rhino lined up a Tab from 20m, hitting him at full pace as he received a hospital pass from a teammate, to the delight of captain Kyle Turner.  As a result, Kiz may be the first OUARFC representative to achieve a cauliflower ear.  The ever ratcheting intensity bode well,  we were still down a goal at the final change. Tabs 46 - OUARFC 40

In the final quarter, inspired by rousing speeches from Squid Kirby and Blue Turner, things started to click for Oxford.  Squid, inspired by his own speech and his sizable fan squad, started finding his leads honoured for the first time all season.  Grey ‘Lowest prices are just the beginning’ Johnston was convinced to stop saving himself for netball, and was put into Wing Attack to display his trademark silky smooth grabs and goals.  Riggas took control of the back line, where Sam Calderwood made a number of trademark clearances from the backline, while Ollie Bartlett man-handled his opponent. Ewan Selkirk and Phil Jakeman provided run in the forward flanks, while club man Ell Neame got in and under. The skilled Daniher Tracey score a trademark opportunistic goal early on. Charlie Rae continued to crash the packs, and, with five minutes to go, took a grab on the boundary.  The crowd hushed and immediately there was a sense that this was a crucial moment.  With no daylight to be seen between the posts (not that the English weather provided much) Charlie had only the wind to take the ball through.  After a Matthew Lloyd style preparation Charlie got the kick off and willed it on its curved path through the posts, to the jubilation of the crowd, who trashed the Neame family Gazebo in celebration.  The game was by no means over, and the Tabs soon clawed a goal back, bringing nerves to a frayed edge.  A final desperate struggle ensued at the Tab’s half forward line.  The siren rang as a free was awarded to the Tab ruck, 40m from the goal.  While players where oblivious to the score, this in fact could have been the Cup-saving kick.   At the kick,  the man on the mark, 6’8” Sam Merson leapt at least 3 inches to smother the ball, and the roar from the crowd suggested the game was ours. 

Celebrations ensued, tempered slightly by uncertainty regarding the exact score.  As Captain Blue Turner and Pres Fist Duff chatted to BBC, who had beat Channel 7 in a fierce battle for TV rights, the umpires consulted.  After what seemed like an age, OUARFC was determined to be indeed the winner, by a solitary straight kick.  The Tabs left the field confused at the applause from OUARFC, being so used to abuse from Teddy Alexander.

OUARFC 9.4. 58 shoed the Tabs 7.10. 52. ​

OUARFC 3-4 def by West London Wildcats shitloads-1 

While the UK has been facing its mildest winter in memory, the Horspath Sports Fields microclimate  continues to present gale-force winds and arctic cold.  The fresh-off-the-boat Aussies in the Wildcats team seemed a little shell shocked by the weather, but the now-experienced OUARFC boys turned up having cleaned out Elmer Cotton of their entire thermal stock in the morning.

The first quarter started with some positional changes and a mini club reunion in the midfield, with  ex-captains Grey Johnson and Dave Llewellyn joined by Pres Fist Duff. They were receiving from Ruck Sam Merson, who despite his size seems to relish the low-level game and showed impressive endurance, winning Best on Ground from the Wildcats.  Blue Turner, suffering a broken rib, started himself in the back pocket.  This was a move which lasted all of five minutes before he threw himself back into the thick of things.  The Wildcats broke away early, running in waves, and kicking five goals straight with impressive accuracy in the strong wind.  Nevertheless, OUARFC stuck at it, and had plenty of forward entries themselves, with Kirby providing a constant target, albeit rarely hit.

At quarter time, the pattern of the game was set, but OUARFC showed no inclination for capitulation against the more experienced outfit.  Each quarter became closer as OUARFC players began to adapt to the more fluid play.  Alex Coccia’s increasing confidence was on display as he ventured into the midfield.  Tayo Sanders took strong marks and heavy tackles, wondering all the while why he hadn’t chosen Croquet as his weird Oxford sporting adventure.  The wind was a big challenge, kick-outs particularly so, as it blew around not just the ball, but players, as they attempted to burst after Grey Johnson from the comfort of the huddle. Backmen Ollie, Fist and Nath at one point shared 10 consecutive kickouts in a couple of minutes before the ball thankfully made it past the 50m arc (sadly, in the hands of the umpire).  Shortly before half time, Dan Tracey scored the first of two entirely unearned, opportunistic goals (his words), bolstering the commitment of all.  While Wildcats went inside for a half time sports massage, recovering from their encounters with Jesus, OUARFC ran drills and chatted about fluid mechanics until play was resumed.

Hugh Bartlett put on a strong show in the second half, showing his usual grit around the midfield, raring to take on his natural tagging role. Tommy Griffin and Pigeon Hunn were similarly tough on the inside, while the ever reliable Ewan Selkirk, Shrike, and Geoff Pascoe provided strong leadership.  Phil Jakemen was also strong, until dazed by an excessive tackle from the opposition, who appeared to have gotten dressed in the dark.    

Perennial goal sneak Ross Gales scored another goal, which he relived continuously on his two-hour trip home walking a broken bike.  One player improving in leaps and bounds (literally) is Ben Young, who has signed to Wimbledon Hawks for the summer, along with birthday boy Ell Neame, who’s work on the wing continues to improve. Rob Cornish, Pat Thewlis and Oliver Van Hacke were other new-comers who relished the contest and all demonstrated increasing confidence and skill. As the quarter drew on, an unsuspecting Kyle turner found a gift from God (actually Tayo) literally falling into his lap as he sauntered around the forward line.  Such is our captain’s humility, that he intentionally kicked it for a point claiming he did not need supernatural assistance.

By the final quarter, the heavy ground had taken its toll on players.  Dave Llewellyn and Fist Duff had both unwisely decided to take the fast-day of their 5/2 diet, and were reduced to hopping after the ball on cramping legs.  Flounder Wylie, also recovering from a broken rib, had gone flat out all day, but was cruelly not rewarded with a goal.  
In all, it was a tough, but extremely positive day at the office for OUARFC.  After two matches in drastic conditions, the team’s determination has been forged hard, and is looking good to smash the Tabs in a few days times. 

Thanks to injured Jack Valmadre and Matt McGilvray, who provided support despite illness and injuries, and Rach and all the others supporting and shivering on the sidelines.  

Women’s match
University of Birmingham 8-10-58  def OUARFC 4-3-27

Oxford women's team lined up against Birmingham on the muddy pitch of Cowley Marsh.  The conditions were challenging, with a strong breeze across the field seeing kicks from both sides being swept out on the full. Despite the wind, Oxford managed several passages of play with marks stringed together down the field. Oxford pushed forward, with a strong grab from Marta at centre half forward, but the forward line was unable to convert their possessions to scoreboard pressure. Down the other end, Birmingham managed to get a couple of goals on the board early. However, intense defense from Fiona McLoughlin and Kaddy "the extractor" Noonan led to several missed goals from Birmingham and kept Oxford in touch at the half way mark.
 
Oxford's 3 debutants, Claire, Fiona, and Marta, impressed throughout the match with solid marks and courageous defensive pressure. Good skills from Kellie and Claire were complemented by Oxford's ruck, Genevieve, who ran all day and fought bravely against one of the England Vixen's gold-medal-winning players.
 
After several missed attempts, Rachel Paterson finally managed to squeeze through a goal. Back-to-back goals from the on-fire Emma Lawrance were enough to fire-up the Oxford team and put them within a goal half-way through the third quarter. Birmingham tried their best to nullify Emma, at one point coming close to knocking her out, but she refused to give in and was back in the pack at the very next contest. Oxford were more successful at targeting the opposition players, with fullback Fiona McLoughlin lining up the Birmingham captain with a full force rugby tackle that resulted in a missed goal and one of Birmingham's England-level players clutching at her ribs. Although that tackle in particular was a highlight, the Oxford women tackled ferociously all day and won themselves several free kicks for their efforts. In the end the more experienced Birmingham team ran out winners, but the Oxford women's team is already showing great signs of what is to come.

Men’s match
University of Birmingham 6-6-42 def OUARFC 0-3-3

The season’s second clash against the University powerhouse  Birmingham was our first home game, occurring on our full sized pitch in Horspath amongst a gaggle of Quidditch players struggling to control their broomsticks in gale force winds.  Birmingham was desperate to avenge their first loss in years, and arrived appearing like their famous sports science department had cloned a team of strong silent types specially for the match.  The Blues numbers were strong, with an injured McGilvray tasked to try to manage the large, enthusiastic bench, keen to reach the warmth of the mid-field pile-ons.

With Geoff Pascoe stepping up to umpire as he arrived from the women’s game, a whistle was quickly carved from a sapling, and the game begun.  The clash quickly gained it’s characteristic form: intense midfield clashes followed by the ball floating into the dead corner of Birmingham’s forward line, where significant time was spent retrieving the ball from the downwind ditch, only for it to be swatted right back there by the strangely defensive Birmingham ruckman.  Against him, indefatigable Jack Valmadre was having a breakout match, taking on ruck duties for much of the game and providing good output to stalwarts Anish Patel and Kyle Turner, who were industrious and fierce in the middle despite the atrocious conditions.  Standing by, the wrecking crew of Kieran Patel, Eric ‘Archer’ Sterling, and Sam Calderwood, slammed Birmingham players whenever they emerged from the pack.

Unfortunately, Birmingham players often kept on coming, and the ball ended up in defence with some regularity.  Will Woods, Ben Young and Thewlis proved stout challenges here, and Riggas dropped back when necessary to stabilise and organise the backline.  The wind was causing havoc, with stray balls flying over Brummie forwards heads as if they were Caroliner Panther receivers.  Tayo Sanders provided support, showing good signs of becoming accustomed to this weird game.

At half time we had surrendered a few goals to zip, but the intensity of the game left the leaders pleased.  Nish Patel, still recovering from a collapsed lung during his summer season, had spent a good part of the first half doubled over in pain, but was raring to go for the second.  
 
Geoff Pascoe exchanged the whistle with James Righetti, and added his heft to the wings, where Pigeon Hunn and Elliot Neame had been plying their trade.  In the difficult conditions few could take an overhead mark, but Seb “Flounder” Wylie continuously crashed packs with his leads into the half back line, taking strong grabs, and evading Brummies like he had eyes in the back of his head.  Crumbing down for clearances were Brodie Foy, Rob Cornish, and Grossy, but the winds made it a struggle to move the footy along.  Ollie Bartlett and Oliver Van Hecke arrived from duties at the women’s game and quickly caused impact: Ollie joining Genie Duff with strong fists from the back line, Oliver playing on oblivious to a slashed knee that had to be stitched up after the game.

Up forward, things were a little quiet.  Nik Kirby got to know his opposition, and Josh Combs showed promise that he will be a key forward target in games where ball will more reliably go where it is intended.  Unfortunately, he was hampered by an elbow injury that ended his day early.  Alex Coccia put in yet another solid performance, making a strong case for taking a key role in the Varsity line-up.

Overall, it was a tough day at the office.  Birmingham are a strong, well-balanced side, and show great intensity bursting from packs, a key skill in the conditions we faced.  We did well restricting them to a limited number of goals. We need to work on gaining possessions in packs, and efficient ball clearances and movement.  This we come with simple match-time, and lots of contested work at training.

A huge thanks to Geoff and Riggas for umpiring the matches, after a late cancellation from our umpire, and others who helped out on the day.