Oxford cantered to a 71-run Varsity victory after a devastating bowling display saw Cambridge crumble to 58 all out. The light blue attack fought admirably to restrict Oxford to 129-4, their spinners quite superb – only for their foes to flip the script in the most resounding and ruthless way imaginable. Lethal new ball bowling from Evie Mayhew killed off the Cambridge top order, before Hannah Davis’s wicked leg breaks stomped out any rays of hope that remained.

They say cricket is a team game, but at Lord’s Hannah Davis produced the most sensational one-woman show on cricket’s greatest stage. Cambridge had the misfortune of being Davis’s audience as she blasted her way through a 34-ball half century, before the light blues were uprooted by the Oxford protagonist’s near-unplayable spell of 4-9.

With Lord’s bathed in blue sky, Oxford won the toss and unsurprisingly elected to bat first. Perhaps inevitably given the occasion, nervy opening exchanges ensued; though Lali Rhydderch’s zip and bounce induced numerous swishes in vain from the struggling Oxford openers, wides also abounded. By just the fifth over, the extras count had already rattled up to 23, causing captain Ciara Boaden to take a punt on her southpaw spin twins.

“Hannah Davis produced the most sensational one-woman show on cricket’s greatest stage”

For all the chances the pacers had created, Charlottle Payne and Robinson’s left arm orthodox finally brought the consistency Cambridge had been craving, and then some. Both spinners refused to yield an inch, stifling Oxford with relentless accuracy and turning runs into a scarcity. Payne’s spell was especially excellent: having begun with a maiden over – a near extinct occurrence in T20 cricket – she then claimed the first scalp of the day, ending Annys Thirkell-Jones’ torrid time at the crease.

By the time the dynamic left-arm duo had finished an outstanding day’s work, Oxford had stuttered to 68-1 from 13 overs – having shot out the blocks to 36-0 off the opening 30 balls. But for all Cambridge’s miserly bowling, Oxford still had the most potent of trump cards at the crease, as number 3 Hannah Davis patiently waited for an opportunity to whip out her aces.

Having watchfully accumulated 18 off 21, Davis – who had represented Middlesex in the County Cup just five days prior – unleashed a power-hitting explosion in the final five overs, plundering 37 runs off her next 15 deliveries. Even more remarkably, while Davis smoked a trio of sixes and peppered the cover boundary with some imperious stroke play, her partners remained tied down by Sarah Hofmann and Cerys Brown’s indefatigable bowling.

Brown’s left-arm leg breaks finally broke the back of Hannah Sutton’s 52 ball vigil after some quick hands from keeper Kelly completed a neat stumping, before Hofmann rearranged Chloe Thomas’s stumps to send her packing for just three runs. Davis remained undeterred amidst the wreckage however, smashing a full toss ten rows deep into the stands to bring up a breakneck half century off just 34 balls. It took a nerveless final over from Brown to finally sever Davis’s magnificent lone hand, in which the light blue spinner conceded a mere 4 runs and dismissed Davis with a top edge off a ripping delivery.

Despite Oxford only losing 4 wickets across their 20 overs, a stellar Cambridge bowling performance had pinned their score down to 129, which looked well within the light blues’ grasp at the halfway mark. With an especially short boundary to one side and the sun beating down, conditions looked glorious for batting, but Evie Mayhew clearly disagreed.

The spearhead of the Oxford attack wreaked immediate havoc, beating vice-captain Kelly with a nip-backer off her second ball and then striking decisively two balls later with a full inswinger that struck Kelly plumb on the pads. In the face of Mayhew’s early storm, number 3 Ciara Boaden seemed to be Cambridge’s best hope of weathering it out, having recently racked up scores of 98* and 111* in a stunning start to the season. But Mayhew – ignoring the form book – proceeded to peg back the Cambridge captain’s off-stump, the light blues in the lurch at 5-2 after the first six balls.

In her next over the irrepressible Mayhew continued to run riot, cleaning up Emma Furness to claim her third luckless victim before striking Sophie Harper on the pads and fizzing one past the batter’s outside edge. This was new ball bowling at its unplayable finest; Mayhew’s appreciable seam movement and artful use of the iconic Lord’s slope made her near impossible to handle.

After five overs, Cambridge were crying out for a lifeline at 15-3; Oxford had previously made it to the same stage unscathed, having notched 36 runs. Yet offspinner Sutton opted to inflict yet more pain on the light blues, snagging Grace Langley’s wicket. Next over Sophie Harper appeared to have landed a much-needed Cambridge counterpunch via a sumptuous straight drive, the first and only four of the innings, just for the magnificent Mayhew to respond with a knockout blow – dismissing Harper lbw with a hooping inswinger.

After Mayhew’s super spell bulldozed Cambridge’s top order, who should step up to complete the demolition job, but Hannah Davis? Cambridge were well within their rights to finally expect some respite, though Oxford’s attack proved to be simply relentless, and their brightest star bowled Cerys Brown third ball. Now 27-6, Cambridge were firmly in Oxford’s clutches, and Davis was – unfortunately for them – only just getting started.

“The death rattle of leather on timber confirmed a result that had long been inevitable”

The county pro’s second wicket was leg spin perfection: flighted teasingly, before dipping late, ripping past Sarah Hoffman’s outside edge and clattering into the stumps. In her third over, a merciless Davis pounced not once but twice, making a mess of Greenwood’s stumps with a quicker ball before castling Rhydderch with a fuller, flighted delivery. In a display of sheer brilliance, Davis had blasted her way through what remained of the Cambridge batting line up, and at 43-9 an Oxford triumph was all but confirmed.

Although their cause was long since lost, the light blue’s final pair of Robinson and Charlotte Payne showed tremendous fight in a spirited last stand. Plucky number 11 Payne came to the crease after 11.5 overs, but she and Robinson stubbornly refused to subside until the 18th over, suspending Oxford’s victory march with a display of guts and grit. Eventually Sophie Goodman managed to sneak a full delivery past Payne’s attempted sweep – the death rattle of leather on timber confirming a result that had long been inevitable. This was a Varsity thrashing, executed ruthlessly; Cambridge bundled all out for 58 by bowling wizardry.

It will undoubtedly be a difficult day for the light blues to swallow: they came into the game ranked above their rivals in BUCS and put in a brilliant effort with the ball – but ultimately left shellshocked. Although a destructive Davis and co may have ripped their Varsity T20 ambitions apart, on the 28th May a wounded Cambridge will have the opportunity to exact swift revenge, as the two foes re-enter the fray at Fenners.