Club History

The Far from the MCC are a centrally based Oxford cricket team which began life back in 1998 under the different name of Jude the Obscure. There have been a couple of histories written chronicling the birth of the club – the first, a short and whimsical account written by founding member Ed Lester towards the end of 2004, and the second a short novel by Antony Mann entitled ‘Misremembered Days’. The latter, an excellent literary work from a seasoned novelist, summarised a decade of tribulations both on and off the field which formed the backbone of The MAD’s first ever book entitled ‘Not At This Level‘ – released during 2008 to commemorate the club’s first ten years in existence. Links to both are provided below – but if you are interested in a copy of the original 148-page A5 paperback book, then you’ll be awaiting the unforthcoming reprint as they’ve all (a) been sold (b) been lost (c) given away on Tour.

A decade after that literary tribute came a follow up entitled ‘Never at This Level’. Commemorating the twenty-year milestone of the club, it was authored by several hands in 2017, none of whom were seasoned novelists and an excerpt written by Jan Webster can be found below. Copies of the book are still available, and details can be found on the home page.

Additionally, at the footer, you will also find a link to some verses penned by Mr A. Morley back in the day. A club regular who slipped in and out of the team whilst juggling extra strength lager and a quart of whisky, Andrew was an award-winning poet and a character of seemingly limitless depth.

Other options include the Matches tab which lists every match played and associated scorecards and reports. Memorable matches are exactly that, with the Tour tab honours everything MAD Tours. Lastly, there is a small shrine located for certain MAD Tributes.

Essays

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"Ignoble Strife and Why I Love It" (by Jan Webster)

"Misremembered Days" (by Antony Mann)

"A Brief History" (by Ed Lester)

"Mad World" (by Andrew Morley - Poet)

Previous Incarnations of the Cricket Team

Team Name	From	To
Jude the Obscure	1998	2001
Far from the Madding Crowd	2002	2004
Far from the MCC	2005	n/a

Home Ground	From	To
Council Pitches*	1998	2000
Pembroke College Sports Ground	2000	2007
Stratfield Brake, Kidlington	2008	2009
Brasenose College Sports Ground	2009	n/a

* - Cutteslowe Park, Cowley Marshes, Horspath Recreational Ground and other soulless environs