The Oxenham Shield

Randwick Petersham Cricket Club | November 29, 2024

The Oxenham Shield annual cricket matches between neighbouring boroughs, Randwick and Waverley, were first played in 1883. Some 12 years later in 1895, Humphrey Oxenham, a 41-year-old bookmaker and gambler, presented a handsome trophy for competition between the boroughs. A colourful character, as a youth, Oxenham won a bet of £100 to one shilling that he could ride the two miles (3.2 km) between Bathurst and Kelso within a certain time—with a pumpkin on his head.

The trophy was presented at a public meeting on 14 December 1895 presided over by the Waverley mayor. The arrangements for the competition were established for the first match scheduled for Boxing Day and New Year’s Day at Waverley Oval. It was decided that players had to have resided in the borough for two months to be eligible for selection and that the shield would become the absolute property of the first of the two boroughs winning the match three times. If the match did not result in an outright win over the two days of play, the winner would be decided on the first innings. An entertainment committee was also appointed to complete arrangements for the upcoming 1895 match.

In the first game for the trophy, Randwick rattled up a commendable score of 261 on Boxing Day with Mr S P Jones hitting 139. Mr A Allen was best of the Waverley bowlers with 4-43. Waverley in reply, could only muster 126 but in the follow-on, did better with 171. With 37 to get to win the match, Randwick capitulated with their first three bats, including first innings hero Jones, out for ducks. However, some resolute backs-to-the-wall batting saw the total creep up to 5-30 when stumps were drawn to give Randwick a first innings win on a memorable New Year’s Day. The match was reported in detail in the Sydney Morning Herald.

A large crowd gathered at Waverley Oval the following 1896 Boxing Day for the second of the clashes for the Oxenham Shield. Waverley batted first and made 199 with Randwick captain, Keith Austin, taking 5-71. Good bowling by Waverley’s Mr J Spurway to take 5-50, restricted Randwick’s challenge and they were out for 184--15 runs in arrears. A hard-hitting 67 by David Noonan saw Waverley hit up 245 in its second innings leaving Randwick 262 to get in 135 minutes to strengthen its hold on the shield. However, despite an unconquered 56 by Philip Pemell and 29 by Austin, the score was just 3-163 when stumps were drawn.

In the third match a year later, Mr S Callaway was a real destroyer for Waverley, bowling six Randwick batsmen and had another lbw in taking 7-54 as Randwick were out for 141. As Waverley had hit a commanding 235, it recorded a convincing win to take a 2- 1 lead in the challenge for the prized trophy.

Mr Callaway ensured the Oxenham Trophy would fall into Waverley ownership when he repeated the dose in 1898 with another seven wickets—four bowled and three lbw—recording figures of 7-40 in Randwick’s paltry total of 89. Mr W Bell hit 77 for Waverley in its total of 244 with Keith Austin again performing well with 5-70. Mr N Ebsworth then put the “cream on the cake” by taking 6-16 in Randwick’s second innings of 109 to give the trophy a permanent home at Waverley Oval.

Although there was great interest in this competition with large crowds and detailed newspaper reports, no record can be found of the matches being played in the immediate seasons thereafter. However, in the Randwick annual report of 1905-06, the season it was admitted to Grade Cricket, there is a report that Randwick had won the annual borough match against Waverley for the third time in the previous four years. That was the last time mention was made of such borough matches and the assumption is that they were no longer played.

Humphrey Oxenham

The Oxenham Shield was discovered in a clean-out of Waverley Oval by the then Waverley DCC President Phil O’Sullivan in 1986---80 years later! This prompted a renewal of the clashes which were restricted to over-40 players. The games between Randwick and Waverley continued for the following seven seasons. The prized trophy currently stands proudly on display in the Waverley Oval grandstand.

Waverley President Phil O'Sullivan and Randwick President Alan Turner with the Oxenham Shield

Lyall Gardner

Hon Historian