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The Cherwell guide to watching sports in Hilary Term

Are you looking for a better method of procrastinating? We have created a simple summary of the upcoming major sporting events over the course of the term, to help you while away your time, isolated from essays and problem sheets.

The American Football Season will come to an exciting close with Super Bowl XLIX, the 45th edition of the Super Bowl, where the American Football Conference champion will face the National Football Conference champion on February 1st. Do not be put off by the late kick-off time (23.30 GMT) – this spectacle is an incredible way for all members of college to come together, pretend to be as American as possible and experts on the convoluted, yet highly enjoyable, sport. Expect lots of booze, Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz providing halftime entertainment, and unacceptable amounts of snacks and unhealthy food – think American-style Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one.

The crowd-favourite football season continues as usual, with the race for the Premier League looking like a two horse match between Manchester City and Chelsea. The two square off on Saturday of 1st Week at Stamford Bridge, with many more high-profile clashes over the course of the term.
With the Rugby World Cup coming up this Autumn, this Six Nations will be a key indicator of how the preparations are going for the major northern hemisphere teams. We will see World Cup group rivals, Wales and England, going head-to-head in what is sure to be a tense, but no doubt great, encounter. Expect fierce rivalries to show themselves in your JCRs as supporters of all nations get behind their team.

2015 means it is World Cup year for cricket, with the competition taking place in New Zealand and Australia. In total, 40 matches will offer cricket connoisseurs across Oxford plenty of opportunities to watch live matches to pass the time – it seems unlikely, though, that this event will be able to draw the same crowds that Super Sunday football matches might. Nevertheless, given the loyalty many Oxonians have to their respective home countries (no matter how tenuous the connection they have with the countries in question), these matches are sure to provide hours of entertainment. English cricket fans will watch with trepidation to see if the decision to axe Alistair Cook as captain of the ODI squad pays dividends, and whether they can overcome their especially poor World Cup record in recent years, having not made it to the semi-finals for more than two decades.

To make sure you enjoy all of these sports as a college, talk to your JCR Sports and Entz Reps, get the JCR-funded snacks ready for the big match days, and make sure your work is done so you can really enjoy what is sure to be a great term of sport.

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