Oxford take the spoils for the second year in a row

Continuing on from their impressive clean sweep last year, Oxford took the win in both Blues races again at Wimbledon Common on Saturday 6th December. 

With the weekend focused around celebrating the 50th anniversary of women’s cross-country at the universities there was a larger than usual turn out in the Old Blues’ Race. As the first race of the day, they tested out the new watersplash after the old one had become inaccessible over the summer. Oxford secured victory in the 33rd Old Blues’ Race, winning by 550 points to 832 (scoring 26-a-side). Peter Molloy (Trinity, Cambridge) took the individual honours in 21:20 with Pheobe Barker (Robinson, Cambridge) crossing the line as first woman in eighth (which is the highest finishing position by a female runner in the history of the series). Oxford now lead this series by 19 wins to 14.

In the 134th Gentlemen’s Race, Oxford, despite losing the first three home from their exceptionally strong 2024 team, dominated the front end of the race with another 1-2-3. Christopher Parker (Corpus Christi) became the first undergraduate to win the race since 2016, out sprinting fellow Oxford team-mate Alexander Gruen (Keble), in a time of 38:56. Rounding out the top three was five-time Full Blue Thomas Wood (St. Anne’s). Although Cambridge packed the next three home Oxford’s strength and depth proved too much as they had all eight runners across the line before Cambridge’s final scorer (sixth man). This sealed a 33 to 47 victory for Oxford in an eight-a-side, six-to-score format. After over a century of racing this Oxford victory leaves the series finely poised at 67 wins each.

With the passing of a generation of Oxbridge runners and none of last year’s top seven competing this year, it was difficult to identify a clear favourite for the team honours in the 49th Ladies’ Race. Oxford were also without Rebecca Flaherty (St. Catherine’s) due to her call up to the GB squad for next weekend’s European Championships. In a similar fashion to the Gentlemen’s race, Oxford dominated the front of the race with five of the first seven finishers. Hanna Adrejczuk (Lincoln) took the individual win in a time of 24:09 to lead Oxford to victory 32 to 46. Beth Rogers (Cambridge), unfortunately, was injured on the descent to Queensmere two kilometres from the end and was unable to finish the race. Oxford have now won the past three contests and lead the series 29 wins to 20.

Aside from the English National Cross Country Championships, the Oxford-Cambridge University Cross-Country Race is the oldest inter-club match still in existence. The first race was hosted in Oxford on December 2nd, 1880, and run over a 7½ mile course which started from the Royal Oak pub on Woodstock Road.

Early races alternated between Oxford and Cambridge, before the universities decided to seek a neutral course as the home courses were regarded as “shockingly unfair” to the visiting side. After an abortive attempt in 1890, Thames Hare and Hounds has hosted every race – barring the first five unofficial races during the Second World War – since 1896. The women’s race was inaugurated with an unofficial contest hosted by Oxford in November 1975 before moving to be held in conjunction with the men’s event in December 1976.

The Wimbledon Common course offers the ultimate cross-country experience with deep mud, logs to jump over and the iconic ‘watersplash’ across Beverley Brook. Both the men’s and ladies’ races are run under an eight-a-side, six-to-score format, making selection highly prized by the student runners of both clubs. For many of those lucky enough to be selected, it has been the pinnacle of their running career, but for a few it has served as a stepping stone to greater glories. Running legends such as Sir Roger Bannister, Stephanie Cook MBE and Sir Christopher Chataway have all won the University Race and more recently, 2016 Olympian Jared Ward won the men’s race 12 months ago. 

After 134 years the competition is as close as ever with Oxford and Cambridge men tied on 67 victories apiece. On the women’s side, Oxford lead 29 wins to Cambridge’s 20 in the official races and also won the unofficial 1975 contest.

Thames Hare and Hounds was formed in 1868 and is the oldest adult cross-country club in the world. It was founded by members of the Thames Rowing Club at Putney whose members were looking for an activity to keep themselves fit during the winter months and so emerged from the water and made the short journey up Putney Hill to Roehampton and Wimbledon Common. The first running event the rowers staged was on 7th December 1867 with Thames Hare and Hounds being formally founded the following year.

The club continues to thrive with both the men’s and women’s teams competing in division 1 of the Surrey Cross-Country League. In recent times, the women have won the Southern Championship twice (in 2019 and 2025) and secured team medals in the 2024 and 2025 National Championship. The men won the Southern Championship in 2001.

Thames proudly hosts the Oxford-Cambridge University Cross-Country Races each year, a tradition that dates back to 1896.

In recognition of the club’s role in the early development of cross-country, on 9th December 2021, they were honoured to be named as one of seven new recipients of a World Athletics Heritage Plaque. The programme was inaugurated by World Athletics President Sebastian Coe on 2nd December 2018 and is a location-based recognition awarded for:

“an outstanding contribution to the worldwide history and development of the sport of track & field athletics and of out of stadia athletics disciplines such as cross country, mountain, road, trail and ultra-running, and race walking.”