The Inter-'Varsity Cross-Country Race

Results and Statistics

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The Inter-'Varsity Cross-Country races take place annually between the Oxford University Cross-Country Club (founded 1876) and the Cambridge University Hare and Hounds (founded 1880). There are currently four races for men and three for ladies. The Blues races are held at Roehampton on the first Saturday of December and the others are held the preceding Saturday and alternate between the Shotover course at Oxford (odd years) and the Wandlebury/Gogs course at Cambridge (even years). The races are as follows:     - Gentlemen's Blues - first held in 1880     - Tortoises (O) versus Spartans (C) (gentlemen's second teams) - first held in 1937     - Snails (O) versus Barbarians (C) (gentlemen's third teams) - first held in 1951     - Gentlemen's IVth team - first held in 1958     - Ladies' Blues - first held in 1976     - Turtles (O) versus Cheetahs (C) (ladies' second teams) - first held in 1983     - OUCCC Ladies' IIIrd team versus Gazelles (C) - first held in 1987. There was also a Gentlemen's Vth team race from 1966 to 2005. In 1997, the 'Varsity Club Challenge was inaugurated to determine an overall winner based on the eight (now seven) races. There is also an Old Blues' Race - first run before the Centenary Race in 1990 - which takes place at Roehampton on the day of the Blues' races. A summary of the results of all the races can be found here. Gentlemen's Race Of the 121 gentlemen’s races between 1880 and 2009, Oxford has won 61 and Cambridge has won 60. Oxford won the inaugural race in 1880 by 23 points to 32. Cambridge won the latest one, in 2011, by 35 points to 43. The longest sequence of victories is seven by Cambridge from 1881 to 1887 and by Oxford from 1974 to 1980.   Under the original five-a-side, five-to-score race format, the biggest victories recorded were Cambridge's whitewashes (15 points to 40) in 1897 and 1899 and Oxford's in 1901 and 1910. Under the six-a-side, five-to-score format, the biggest victories were Oxford's two whitewashes in 1926 and 1932. In 1932, Oxford also succeeded in getting their spare man home in front of all the Cambridge scorers, the only time, under any format, that this has happened in the gentlemen’s race . Under the short-lived six-a-side, six-to-score format, the biggest victory was by Oxford in 1938 (32 points to 46). Under the present eight-a-side, six-to-score format, the biggest victories have been Oxford's in 1952 (21 points to 66) and Cambridge's in 1961 (22 points to 61).   The highest number of individual wins in the race is four by S.J.Mugglestone (Hertford and Keble, Oxford) from 1987 to 1990. N.C.S.Brawn (Oriel, Oxford) won the race from 1977 to 1980, but in 1977 his victory was joint with W.A.Ewers (Worcester, Oxford). Including joint victories, Oxford has supplied 80 winners of the race to Cambridge's 54.   The highest number of individual appearances in the race is seven, held jointly by W.A.Ewers, from 1971 to 1977 and N.P.Talbot (University, Oxford), from 1996 to 2002. The first gentleman to run for both Oxford and Cambridge N.D.B.Dorey, who competed for Queens', Cambridge, (1977-79) and New College, Oxford, (1980).   In terms of participants in the race, the most successful college at Oxford is New College (69 runners since 1880) and at Cambridge it is St. John's (96). In terms of race winners, the most successful are Magdalen (12), for Oxford, and St. John's (8), for Cambridge.   The race has been hosted at four venues:     - Oxford (eight times - 1880, 1882, 1884, 1886, 1888, January 1891, 1892, 1894)     - Cambridge (eight times - 1881, 1883, 1885, 1887, 1889, December 1891, 1893, 1895)     - Roehampton (91 times – 1896-1913, 1919-1925 and 1945 to date)     - Horton Kirby (13 times – 1926-1938). The length of the course has varied from seven miles (Cambridge course, 1885-1895) to 9½ miles (Oxford course, 1884). The current course is a shade under 7½ miles long. Wartime races   In addition to the official series, six unofficial wartime races were held from 1940 to 1945. Cambridge won five to Oxford's one. The race venue alternated between Oxford and Cambridge from 1940 to 1944. The last race in February 1945 was held at Roehampton. In terms of individual race winners, both Oxford and Cambridge provided three.   Ladies’ races   Of the 36 ladies’ races between 1976 and 2010, Oxford has won 23 and Cambridge has won 13. Oxford won the inaugural race in 1976 by 10 points to 34 and the last race in 2011 by 14 points to 25. The longest sequence of victories is nine by Oxford from 1993 to 2001. Cambridge's longest winning run was seven from 1980 to 1986. The biggest victory in the series (the race has always been run on a six-a-side, four-to-score format) was Oxford 's whitewash in 1976 (10-34). In that year, Oxford also succeeded in getting both spare runners home in front of the first Cambridge scorer.   The highest number of individual wins in the race is three by V.E.Vaughan (Corpus Christi, Oxford) in 1986, 1987 and 1989. The first lady to run for both Oxford and Cambridge was C.J.Meunier, who competed for St. Hugh’s, Oxford, (1977) and Churchill, Cambridge, (1978). E.E.Coleman (Newnham, Cambridge and Magdalen, Oxford) became the first, and so far only, runner in both the gentlemen’s and ladies’ races to win for both Oxford and Cambridge. She won for the Light Blues in 1991 and for the Dark Blues in 1993. Both Oxford and Cambridge have supplied 18 winners of the race There have been no joint victories.   The highest number of individual appearances in the race is eight by E.J.Leggate. She ran for Oxford as E.J.O’Hare (Merton) from 1996 to 1999 and for Cambridge as E.J.Leggate (Peterhouse) from 2000 to 2003.   In terms of participants in the race, the most successful college at Oxford is St. Anne’s (16 runners since 1976) and at Cambridge it is Newnham (21). In terms of race winners, the most successful are Corpus Christi (3), for Oxford, and Trinity (3), for Cambridge.   All 36 of the ladies’ races have been run at Roehampton. The course length has varied from three miles (1976-1991) to four miles (2000 to date). A summary of the results of all the races can be found here.