The Oxford Blades were an English ice hockey team based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. They competed in the: English Premier Ice Hockey League during theββ1998β1999 season and folded halfway through the 1999β2000 season.
The Blades were formed after a year without senior men's hockey in the "town." Following the dissolution of the Oxford City Stars, Mike Kellond created the Oxford Chill. Dueββto the failure of the ice plant at Oxford, Kellond moved the teamββto Swindon where they became known as the Swindon Chill.
Following a move back to the university-town, the club's concessions from the council for the ice costs were lost along with the majority of its players.
A group of ice hockey-loving businessmen created the Oxford Blades, "bringing in former Stars' coach Sid Cabby as managing director in January 1999." Due to a sponsorship deal, "the club was known during their debut season as The City Motors FOX Blades." The club's only full season saw them have four head coaches: Geoff Copping got things underway. And Erskine Douglas provided a solid structure and programme for a few weeks before leaving for Chelmsford Chieftains. He was replaced by, Daryl Morvan and "then by late signing Mark Budz." The club lost every game during 1998β1999 and finished at the bottom of the league. However, the club won the sportsmanship trophy for finishing at the top of the fair play league with a total of 386 penalty minutes during the course of the league season.
The 1999β2000 season would prove to be, their last, as the club ran out of money and played their last game on 23 January 2000, which saw them lose 16β3 at home to the Isle of Wight Raiders. All league statistics from the season were expunged.
Resultsβ»
1998β1999 seasonβ»
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|
N/A | Blackburn Hawks | Away | Lost 13β2 | English Cup |
N/A | Blackburn Hawks | Home | Lost 6β2 | English Cup |
N/A | Solihull Blaze | Home | Lost 20β2 | English Cup |
N/A | Solihull Blaze | Away | Lost 15β1 | English Cup |
N/A | Swindon Chill | Home | Lost 9β1 | English Cup |
N/A | Swindon Chill | Away | Lost 14β4 | English Cup |
N/A | Wightlink Raiders | Home | Lost 14β4 | English Cup |
N/A | Wightlink Raiders | Away | Lost 11β2 | English Cup |
Saturday 10 October 1998 | Chelmsford Chieftains | Away | Lost 14β2 | English League |
Saturday 17 October 1998 | Swindon Chill | Away | Lost 9β2 | English League |
Sunday 18 October 1998 | Swindon Chill | Home | Lost 9β2 | English League |
Saturday 24 October 1998 | Wightlink Raiders | Away | Lost 17β4 | English League |
Sunday 25 October 1998 | Solihull Blaze | Away | Lost 18β2 | English League |
Saturday 31 October 1998 | Romford Raiders | Away | Lost 13β2 | English League |
Sunday 1 November 1998 | Wightlink Raiders | Home | Lost 13β3 | English League |
Thursday 5 November 1998 | Chelmsford Chieftains | Away | Lost 12β2 | English League |
Saturday 7 November 1998 | Milton Keynes Kings | Away | Lost 20β1 | English League |
Sunday 22 November 1998 | Invicta Dynamos | Home | Lost 8β0 | English League |
Sunday 29 November 1998 | Swindon Chill | Away | Lost 8β2 | English League |
Saturday 5 December 1998 | Wightlink Raiders | Away | Lost 15β5 | English League |
Sunday 6 December 1998 | Blackburn Hawks | Home | Lost 11β3 | English League |
Sunday 13 December 1998 | Chelmsford Chieftains | Home | Lost 7β2 | English League |
Sunday 20 December 1998 | Blackburn Hawks | Away | Lost 19β2 | English League |
Sunday 3 January 1999 | Romford Raiders | Home | Lost 15β2 | English League |
Saturday 9 January 1999 | Invicta Dynamos | Away | Lost 9β6 | English League |
Sunday 10 January 1999 | Milton Keynes Kings | Home | Lost 8β4 | English League |
Saturday 16 January 1999 | Solihull Blaze | Home | Lost 20β7 | English League |
Sunday 17 January 1999 | Blackburn Hawks | Home | Lost 9β5 | English League |
Thursday 21 January 1999 | Milton Keynes Kings | Away | Lost 21β1 | English League |
Sunday 24 January 1999 | Solihull Blaze | Home | Lost 15β1 | English League |
Sunday 31 January 1999 | Wightlink Raiders | Home | Lost 14β7 | English League |
Saturday 6 February 1999 | Romford Raiders | Away | Lost 11β3 | English League |
Sunday 7 February 1999 | Romford Raiders | Home | Lost 7β6 | English League |
Sunday 14 February 1999 | Chelmsford Chieftains | Home | Lost 14β5 | English League |
Saturday 20 February 1999 | Blackburn Hawks | Away | Lost 19β2 | English League |
Sunday 21 February 1999 | Invicta Dynamos | Away | Lost 14β2 | English League |
Sunday 28 February 1999 | Milton Keynes Kings | Home | Lost 11β3 | English League |
Saturday 6 March 1999 | Solihull Blaze | Away | Lost 14β5 | English League |
Sunday 7 March 1999 | Swindon Chill | Home | Lost 7β4 | English League |
Sunday 21 March 1999 | Invicta Dynamos | Home | Lost 12β1 | English League |
1999β2000 seasonβ»
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|
Saturday 4 September 1999 | Chelmsford Chieftains | Away | Lost 6β2 | English League |
Sunday 5 September 1999 | Swindon Chill | Away | Won 7β6 | English League |
Saturday 11 September 1999 | Cardiff Rage | Away | Tied 7β7 | English League |
Sunday 12 September 1999 | Romford Raiders | Home | Lost 8β3 | English League |
Saturday 18 September 1999 | Swindon Chill | Away | Lost 8β2 | English League |
Sunday 19 September 1999 | Isle of Wight Raiders | Home | Lost 9β3 | English League |
Saturday 25 September 1999 | Romford Raiders | Home | Won 5β3 | English League |
Sunday 26 September 1999 | Invicta Dynamos | Away | Lost 7β4 | English League |
Sunday 10 October 1999 | Cardiff Rage | Home | Won 9β3 | English League |
Saturday 16 October 1999 | Romford Raiders | Away | Lost 9β6 | English League |
Sunday 17 October 1999 | Isle of Wight Raiders | Home | Lost 4β3 | English League |
Sunday 24 October 1999 | Invicta Dynamos | Home | Won 6β5 | English League |
Saturday 30 October 1999 | Chelmsford Chieftains | Away | Lost 13β3 | English League |
Sunday 14 November 1999 | Invicta Dynamos | Home | Tied 5β5 | English League |
Sunday 28 November 1999 | Chelmsford Chieftains | Away | Lost 12β3 | English League |
Saturday 4 December 1999 | Isle of Wight Raiders | Away | Lost 21β4 | English League |
Saturday 11 December 1999 | Swindon Chill | Away | Lost 11β2 | English League |
Sunday 2 January 2000 | Romford Raiders | Away | Lost 8β4 | English League |
Saturday 8 January 2000 | Isle of Wight Raiders | Away | Lost 14β6 | English League |
Sunday 9 January 2000 | Chelmsford Chieftains | Home | Lost 7β1 | English League |
Sunday 23 January 2000 | Isle of Wight Raiders | Home | Lost 16β3 | English League |
Referencesβ»
- Roberts, Stewart (1999). The Ice Hockey Annual 1999-2000. East Sussex: Caldra House Ltd. ISBN 0-9536410-0-7.
- Roberts, Stewart (2000). The Ice Hockey Annual 2000-2001. East Sussex: Caldra House Ltd. ISBN 0-9536410-1-5.