Just two weeks before Harvard decided to try cricket again after a lapse of 43 years, Oxford and Cambridge Universities crossed paths for the first time in, of all things, a game of American softball. The "fixture," as Cambridge's Varsity Newspaper chose to call the contest, was staged at Grange Field Rugger Ground and it was largely the work of David E. McGiffert '49 which made the game possible. McGiffert, something of a fixture himself as left-fielder on the Eliot House softball team for three years, is now studying history at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, on a Lionel de Jersey Scholarship and recently organized the C. U. Amateur Baseball Club. It is not clear which game the two schools were playing-two stories appearing in Varsity say "baseball," although a letter received from A. C. Barrington Brown, of the Varsity staff mentions "softball." The photograph, which shows batter J. J. Londinsky (Trinity College, Cambridge, and New York), wearing a false moustache, and catcher D. Schwayder (Oxford and Deaver), with a genuine beard, would indicate softball.

Part of Mr. Brown's letter follows: "We regret that we cannot supply a report on the play in technical terms, as the game is unfamiliar to us, but we hope that you will be able to gather the important facts from the following.

"Under appalling conditions, Oxford beat Cambridge by 16 runs to 6. Oxford had 23 hits to Cambridge's 15, and scored two whole (sic) runs. The rain came down continuously during the first three innings and the sky was overcast until the close of play. The rain made the turf slippery and many players fell; the crowd was particularly amused at the downfall of a 250 lb. Oxford players, who in failing dug a large grave for himself. Both teams were composed of Americans; seven of the Cambridge, and at least three of the Oxford side being Harvard men. Playing for Oxford was George Monroe, formerly a professional basketball player for Boston Celtics. Over half the crowd were American, and they soon had the others taking part in the heckling in the proper manner. Cambridge scored first, but they were soon overtaken by Oxford, who held their lead to the end."

Varsity's story on the game carried a few more observations:

"When the Oxford Dodgers went in for the second time, however, they provided the real excitement of the day, for they managed to make all their bases 'loaded,' and then one of their players hit a beautiful 'homer.' As an American woman said: 'He fair picklel that ball.'"

"Much of the skill in this game seemed to be the ability to intimidate your opponents by 'keeping the chatter up.' Every member of a team, whether on or off the field, appeared to be offering a constant supply of advice or ridicule, and if this did not achieve its original object it certainly kept the crowd amused.