Hockey: Varsity veteran Meredith makes it six

WHEN Mike Meredith, the Cambridge University captain steps on to the pitch today at the National Stadium in Milton Keynes for the 98th Varsity match, it will be his sixth appearance in this annual event.

Meredith, who won three Blues for Oxford, before switching allegiance, has from a hernia and has not played a full match since November. Although not in the starting line-up, he is an integral part of Cambridge's penalty corner routine.

Cambridge, surprise winners last year, have had their best ever season in the Adnams East League, finishing second and go into today's match with the confidence gained from a recent good spell which finished with a 4-3 win against East Anglians and a 4-2 victory over Ipswich in their last league match.

Oxford, 13th in the First Division of the National League, have two players, Tom Matthews and the captain, Renwick Irvine, who played for England in the Under-21 World Cup at Milton Keynes.

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY: H Ward (Emmanuel), T Parr* (Sidney Sussex), R Hudson (Jesus), O Brew* (Emmanuel), P Outram (Queens'), T Gruslin (Trinity), I Bateman* (Emmanuel), A Cotton (Jesus), C Lipscomb (Sidney Sussex), J Mayer* (St Johns), M Stather (Homerton). Substitutes: M Harris (Trinity), M Meredith* (Clare), G Playfair* (Robinson), T Young (Homerton), I McClive (St Catherine's), M Beckford (Jesus).

OXFORD UNIVERSITY: L Crofts* (St Catherine's), J Boumphrey (Pembroke), J Hodges (Queen's), D Eadie (St Edmund Hall), P Barker (Trinity), M Darbon (Worcester), R Irvine* (Lincoln), M Firer (Keble), R Arscott (Keble), T Matthews* (St Edmund Hall). Substitutes: D Grundy (Exeter), J Cuttress* (Worcester) T Johnson* (Jesus), B Raumann (St Catherine's) E Whitworth (Brasenose).

*Denotes Blue