Blues braced for Twenty20 challenge

Cambridge will be in action against arch-rivals Oxford in the inaugural Varsity 20-over fixture later today (June 6), while next week they will face both former and current internationals in the annual game against the all-star touring side, Lashings.

The hard-hitting Twenty20 game is currently taking the world by storm, and while today’s fixture at the Oxford University Parks may lack the Bollywood glitz of the recent Indian Premier League competition, it will be a more relaxed affair than the traditional Varsity matches, with music blasting from the ground’s sound system and coloured kits.

For Cambridge, the fast-paced contest offers the perfect warm-up ahead of the Lashings game next week, the 50-over Varsity match at Lord’s on June 17, and the four day game against Oxford next month.

“Twenty20 is a different experience because you’re trying to get bat on ball with every delivery and score at a rate of at least one run a ball,” Fred Owen, Cambridge University’s current captain, said. “It would be fantastic to win and get off to a good start ahead of the 50-over game later in the month.”

Back in Cambridge itself, next week’s match against a Lashings World XI will give the University’s best players the chance to pit their wits against modern-day West Indian fast bowlers, Sri Lankan batsmen, and some of the finest Test players of yesteryear.

The Lashings squad includes current internationals such as Corey Collymore and Tino Best (both West Indies) and Marvan Atapattu and Russell Arnold (Sri Lanka). Past legends such as Richie Richardson, Gordon Greenidge, Devon Malcolm, Phil DeFreitas, Chris Cairns, Greg Blewett and Nantie Hayward also number among its ranks.

Lashings were formed in 1984, when David Folb, the owner of Lashings Bar and Restaurant, heard about the plight of the Minstrel Wine Bar Cricket Club, who had been scheduled to play a team the following day only to find their opposition had pulled out of the fixture. Folb quickly assembled a side – which duly perished having made just 29 runs. The Lashings team, however, remained, and evolved into a “Harlem Globetrotters” equivalent on the cricketing scene, starting with the signing of former West Indies captain, Richie Richardson.

“With Lashings, we don’t know who we’re going to end up playing,” Owen said. “Two years ago we turned up and Sachin Tendulkar was in the side. Whoever plays on the day, we know we’re up against an all-star team.”

The Lashings game will be played at Fenners, starting at 2.30pm on June 12, and will be fully open to the public. Fenner's is approximately 15 minutes walk from the City Centre and the railway station. Access can be gained either from Gresham Road or Mortimer Road. Mortimer Road is off Mill Road, behind Parkside swimming pool.