[4][5] The oldest surviving evidence of the competition is a team photo and roster from 1895, for a game played on Blenheim Lake in Oxford, although this was definitely a bandy match.
[3] The first match usually counted as an ice hockey contest is that of 16 March 1900 at Princes Skating Club, although at Oxford's insistence, it was played using bandy sticks and a lacrosse ball.
[6] The following year, another Varsity Match was played at Princes, this time with hockey stick and a puck.
[3] The competition became established in 1909; the two universities then met each other on a European rink each year until World War I.
After a two-decade campaign, championed by Prof. Bill Harris, Cambridge University opened their own rink for the 2019-2020 season and hosted the 2020 Match.