Colin Cowdrey
Cowdrey won a Heath Harrison Exhibition award and a place at Brasenose College at Oxford University to study geography in the autumn of 1951. He played for the Oxford University Cricket Club in 1952 and 1953 at the start of the season and the rest of the summer for Kent. He made 50 and 57 for the Gentlemen vs the 1953 Australians at Lords. In 1954 he captained Oxford University and was a surprise choice for the MCC tour of Australia, replacing Willie Watson. Len Hutton later told him that his selection was a gamble, but it was thought that his technique would be good on the hard Australian wickets. At 21, Cowdrey was the youngest man in the side and the schoolboy photographs used in the brochures made him appear younger. He had yet to make a century in the County Championship, go on tour or play a Test, though he was made twelfth man for the Fourth Test against Pakistan and fielded for 20 minutes, but was so nervous he could barely watch.
Walter McBride
McBride made his first-class debut for Oxford University in the 1925 season against Middlesex at University Parks, Oxford. He played 16 first-class matches for Oxford University between 1925 and 1928, with his final match for the University coming in the 1928 season against the Marylebone Cricket Club. In McBride's 16 first-class matches for the University he scored 251 runs at a batting average of 11.40, with a single half century score of 51 against Free Foresters in 1927. With the ball, McBride took 32 wickets for the University at a bowling average of 27.81, with two five wicket hauls and best figures of 5/57 against the Free Foresters in 1926. In the field McBride took 12 catches. McBride was awarded a Blue for cricket in 1926.