These past four years, golfers from Durham, Oxford and Cambridge have come together each September to compete for the Doxbridge Cup. For Cambridge and Oxford the tournament presents an opportunity to scout the opposition before the all-important Varsity Match in March; for Durham, Doxbridge is simply a chance to test themselves against rivals from the United Kingdom’s two oldest universities.

As in past years, the competition was held at the venerable Aldeburgh Golf Club (founded 1890), an inland links which hosted the Varsity Match in 2007. The course itself is very demanding, with driving at a premium, gorse in play on every hole, and a precise touch needed to negotiate the contours and nuances of the greens.

The format of the event is also somewhat unusual: three-way match play, with foursomes on the first day and singles the day after. Members of each group play two matches simultaneously which ensures constant, yet social competition between all players and means the best outcome of each match is a possible two points.

This year the Light Blues were victorious, dethroning last year’s champions Oxford by one point and defeating Durham by two. Cambridge captain Charlie Dewhurst chose to field a distinctly international-looking team, consisting of Blues; Nicholas Ramskill (UK, Emmanuel), Geordie Ting (Singapore, Clare), Jamie McFarlane (UK, Peterhouse), Louis Caron (USA, King’s) and two up-and-coming golfers, Lawrence Burton (UK, Homerton) and Alister Ingelsbey (RSA, John’s).

The tournament kicked off on Saturday with ideal weather conditions. Low wind and warm air allowed for precision iron play and a strong performance from Cambridge translated into a one point lead at the close of play. A particularly social dinner that evening ensured that the following day would be as much a test of endurance as a test of golfing skill with everything still to play for.

Sunday began with clouds and the possibility of thundershowers. Teeing off early in the afternoon, the players were confronted by intermittent rain and high winds. By the time four of the five matches were completed, Cambridge and Oxford were locked in a dead heat with Durham close behind. But Geordie Ting’s heroics on the tough par four eighteenth secured a critical point for Cambridge and with it the Cup.

This encouraging win bodes well for the Varsity match later this March and even though a number of players from last year’s squad are leaving Cambridge this year (McFarlane, Caron), the squad will inevitably benefit from the unflappable talents of Ramskill and Ting. Having suffered the narrowest of defeats at the hands of Oxford in last year’s Varsity match, this victory is a promising sign of things to come and shows the resolve of the team to come back stronger.