Old Boys

Old Boys Pool Match

Given the strength of Oxford pool over the last decade or so, there has unsurprisingly been considerable enthusiasm for getting together an Old Boys team and the annual fixture against the current students is now a firmly established part of the pool calendar with nearly eighty people now having played in the event since its inception in 2003.

A brief history

The inaugural event back in 2003 set the tone for what was to come with some high quality pool played by both teams, culiminating in a narrow 51-49 victory for the Students in a match that was neck and neck the entire day.

As it turned out, that match was to be the students' only success to date in the event as by the following year a number of the university's most established players had graduated to the Old Boys side and simply had too much experience for the students, running out 64-46 victors in 2004.

Such was the level of interest, the Old Boys fielded two teams for the 2005 event, with the Old Old Boys taking victory by the smallest of margins ahead of a spirited performance by the Young Old Boys who were actually ahead by one frame at the end of the day only to lose narrowly on points.

The Young Old Boys got their revenge the following year, however, pipping the Old Old Boys by just 4 points in 2006, with the latter this time having actually won more frames.

With a big influx of new players into the Old Boys ranks, three teams made the journey to Oxford in 2007. This time the Old Old Boys were utterly dominanant, winning by a masive 20 point margin over their nearest rival. Encouragingly for the Students, who had struggled to compete for the previous couple of years, it was they who took second with a number of promising new players coming through the ranks.

The sixth staging of the event, held on 1 March 2008, again featured three Old Boys teams and was a hard fought game all the way through, with the Old Old Boys holding off a very spirited challenge by the Fairly Old Boys by just two frames.

In 2009 the event was held for the first time at Rileys on Between Towns Road, Colours having closed down shortly before the match. Whilst the venue was new, the result was not, however, and the Old Old Boys took the title for the third year in a row.

The story was the same in 2010 as the Old Old Boys won by over twenty frames from the Students, the Young Old Boys pushed into third.

The 2011 match was the biggest yet, with 28 Old Boys contributing to an overall turnout, including the girls, over nearly 50. After a shaky start, the Old Old Boys hit top gear late in the day and eventually ran out comfortable winners on 52 points, ahead of the Young Old Boys on 46, the Students on 43 and the Fairly Old Boys on 39.