Oxford Varsity rugby stars volunteer for charity

Oxford University’s Varsity rugby teams volunteered their time for charity, spending last Sunday afternoon at a local Leonard Cheshire home for disabled adults in Banbury.

Players from the men’s and women’s Blues teams visited Agnes Court, which supports 24 disabled people, and chatted to residents ahead of next month’s historic Oxford v Cambridge fixture at Twickenham.

This year’s Varsity Match will take place on Thursday 6 December with proceeds going towards Leonard Cheshire, charity partner of the Varsity match since 2014.

Founded in 1948 by the war hero and global humanitarian Leonard Cheshire, the organisation supports thousands of disabled people with high-quality care, community projects, education programmes and internship schemes.

Women’s team captain, Australian fly-half Abby D’Cruz, thoroughly enjoyed the visit. Abby, 27, is at Keble College studying for a doctorate in Clinical Medicine and specialising in cancer research.

She said:

‘It was a great day. It was a really rewarding experience and all the players loved it. 

‘It was nice to see how happy the residents are.

‘It always feels good to give a little bit back and make sure people know the importance of our partnership with Leonard Cheshire.’

Louise Weeks, a resident at Agnes Court, said:

‘I had a lovely time talking to the players. We want to wish them all the best for the Varsity Match.’

Oxford players are raring to go for the Varsity double-header, keen for revenge after last year’s disappointment when Cambridge won both matches.

This year the women’s match marks kicks off at 11.30am, followed by the men’s match at 3pm.

Abby adds:

‘This year is a very important year with the 30th anniversary of the women’s Varsity Match, which is pretty extraordinary for a women’s rugby fixture. So it’s a particularly exciting match for us.’

The Oxford men’s side will be led by former Heineken Cup winner Dom Waldouck. The man of the match will receive the Alastair Hignell medal, named after the former England international who also captained Cambridge. Hignell, 63, who has multiple sclerosis, is a Leonard Cheshire ambassador.

The Varsity Match is set to attract huge crowds, with large numbers of rugby fans watching live at Twickenham and on ITV4. For tickets, visit www.thevarsitymatch.com.

Media enquiries

For further information and hi-res photos, please contact Nick Bishop on nick.bishop@leonardcheshire.org or call 01202 747100 / 07889 976 267. Out of hours contact: 07903 949 388.