The Blues have been hard at work in laying the groundwork for looks to be a very promising year.

The first fixture was a preseason clash with Oxord and Durham in the annual Doxbridge match held at Aldeburgh Golf Club. The final score was Oxford 12, Cambridge 11 and Durham 4.

 It was a good effort to show Oxford that the club has recovered well since its 9-6 defeat in Varsity last year. Durham were unable to keep pace with the Oxbridge teams, despite having recently been promoted to the Northern Premiership. Cambridge rarely get the opporunity to play other university sides, with their only fixtures usually being against Oxford and golf clubs, and so competing against a rival university was greatly relished by the players.

It was an extremely promising performance from a team that has benefited from an influx of talent and enthusiasm into a club that has become truly international. Last year’s Varsity disappointment seems a long way away as the team has changed significantly from last year.

The new star of the team is undoubtedly Ben Wescoe, former Captain of Yale golf team, who plays of +3 and recently shot level par at Augusta. His love of golf stretches beyond the golf course and into his studies as his M.Phil in History of Art and Architecture allows him to give presentations on "golf course architecture and the picturesque."

The Club is also fortunate to have Paul Schoenberger, from Germany; Geordie Ting, from Singapore; Lucas Birrell-Gray from Holland and Louis Caron, also from the States. The core of the team is as strong as ever with Ruaraidh Stewart, a Scotsman and four time Blue, going strong and looking for a fifth Blue, a remarkable achievement in any sport.

The result of this new found strength has been a solid performance so far with two wins, two draws and four very narrow losses. "It’s tough for the guys as we have to get up at 5.30am both Saturday and Sunday to play against teams on their home track and they often have a much wider and more experienced pool of players to choose so to get a win is really a great result." Alex Silver, the Secretary of the Club, said.

The team spirit this year is high and although Varsity is a long way off at the end of March, the prospect of victory in the oldest match in golf keeps the guys grinding hard at their game. At times it can be tough during the early morning practice sessions and what can only be described, at times, as an SAS survival mission in the lashing winter wind and rain, but the end goal is always in the forefront of the team’s mind.

With the end of the term looming the team is looking for a couple of big wins to finish, which should inspire them to practice hard over the break. It would be just reward for the effort that they have put in so far this year. Next year will see the 122nd Varsity Match, which is to be played at Royal Cinque Ports this year, a former British Open course, and will be a perfect location to show Oxford the light.

It is without a doubt the best Cambridge team in years and the prospect of a Varsity victory is very real indeed. If the Blues are able to keep their level of performance high there is no reason why they cannot defeat a very similarly talented Oxford side.