Varsity Match Lineup Announced

The men to face Oxford next week in the Varsity match have been announced.

There are no major surprises in the lineup chosen by captain Jimmy Richards, with Paul Loudon moving to centre from the wing to replace the injured Sandy Reid, who was ruled out last week with a broken ankle.

Sam Hunt will start at scrum-half.

Girton’s Sam Hunt wins the starting spot at scrum-half, having beaten off competition this season from John Cross and Ben Wilson, neither of whom even make the bench. Cross fell out of favour after an injury earlier in the campaign and ‘Boyband’ Wilson is considered by many to lack the physical prowess required at Blues level.

There is also no place for full-back Will Balfour, who won his Blue in the dying moments of last year’s game but who has appeared regularly for the team this season.

Eddies is the most represented college in the starting XV with five players, followed by John’s with four. The team contains five returning Blues, two more than Oxford (indicated by asterisks below).

1. Niall Conlon* (St Edmunds)

2. Jamie Gilbert* (St Edmunds)

3. Stuart Brown (Clare)

4. Charles Baird (St Johns)

5. Tom Harrington (Wolfson)

6. Jason Kururangi (St Edmunds)

7. Tom Stanton (St Johns)

8. Ben Maidment* (St Edmunds)

9. Sam Hunt (Girton)

10. Greg Cushing (Ridley Hall)

11. Rob Stevens (Jesus)

12. Paul Loudon (St Edmunds)

13. Fred Burdon* (St Johns)

14. Ilia Cherezov (St Johns)

15. Jimmy Richards* (Hughes Hall, Captain)

Subs

16. Chris Hall (St Johns)

17. Andy Daniel* (St Edmunds)

18. Tom Harris* (Churchill)

19. Scott Annett (Clare)

20. Ben Martin (St Catharine’s)

21. Matt King (St Catharine’s)

22. Miles Daly (Jesus)

23. Will Briggs (Magdalene)