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.
Michael Magill
Magill was born Sevenoaks on 28 September 1915. He was educated at Eton College, before going up to Brasenose College, Oxford. He made his debut in first-class cricket for Oxford University against the Minor Counties cricket team at Oxford in 1938. Magill took a five wicket haul on debut, with 5/57 in the Minor Counties first-innings, figures which helped to contribute toward an Oxford University victory by 230 runs. He made a further appearance in first-class matches for Oxford University in 1938 against Leicestershire, in which he made a score of 80. Magill also made a first-class appearance for the Free Foresters "against" Oxford University in June 1938. He toured the West Indies with a combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities cricket team in August 1938, making two first-class appearances against Jamaica.