Oxford Blades

The Oxford Blades were an English ice hockey team based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. They competed in the English Premier Ice Hockey League during the 1998–1999 season and folded halfway through the 1999–2000 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. Due to the failure of the ice plant at Oxford, Kellond moved the team to 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 1998–1999 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 1999–2000 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 16–3 at home to the Isle of Wight Raiders. All league statistics from the season were expunged.
==Results==
===1998–1999 season===
Date 	Opponent 	Venue	Result 	Competition
N/A 	Blackburn Hawks 	Away 	Lost 13–2	English Cup
N/A 	Blackburn Hawks 	Home 	Lost 6–2 	English Cup
N/A 	Solihull Blaze 	Home 	Lost 20–2	English Cup
N/A 	Solihull Blaze 	Away 	Lost 15–1	English Cup
N/A 	Swindon Chill 	Home 	Lost 9–1 	English Cup
N/A 	Swindon Chill 	Away 	Lost 14–4	English Cup
N/A 	Wightlink Raiders 	Home 	Lost 14–4	English Cup
N/A 	Wightlink Raiders 	Away 	Lost 11–2	English Cup
Saturday 10 October 1998 	Chelmsford Chieftains	Away 	Lost 14–2	English League
Saturday 17 October 1998 	Swindon Chill 	Away 	Lost 9–2 	English League
Sunday 18 October 1998 	Swindon Chill 	Home 	Lost 9–2 	English League
Saturday 24 October 1998 	Wightlink Raiders 	Away 	Lost 17–4	English League
Sunday 25 October 1998 	Solihull Blaze 	Away 	Lost 18–2	English League
Saturday 31 October 1998 	Romford Raiders 	Away 	Lost 13–2	English League
Sunday 1 November 1998 	Wightlink Raiders 	Home 	Lost 13–3	English League
Thursday 5 November 1998 	Chelmsford Chieftains	Away 	Lost 12–2	English League
Saturday 7 November 1998 	Milton Keynes Kings 	Away 	Lost 20–1	English League
Sunday 22 November 1998 	Invicta Dynamos 	Home 	Lost 8–0 	English League
Sunday 29 November 1998 	Swindon Chill 	Away 	Lost 8–2 	English League
Saturday 5 December 1998 	Wightlink Raiders 	Away 	Lost 15–5	English League
Sunday 6 December 1998 	Blackburn Hawks 	Home 	Lost 11–3	English League
Sunday 13 December 1998 	Chelmsford Chieftains	Home 	Lost 7–2 	English League
Sunday 20 December 1998 	Blackburn Hawks 	Away 	Lost 19–2	English League
Sunday 3 January 1999 	Romford Raiders 	Home 	Lost 15–2	English League
Saturday 9 January 1999 	Invicta Dynamos 	Away 	Lost 9–6 	English League
Sunday 10 January 1999 	Milton Keynes Kings 	Home 	Lost 8–4 	English League
Saturday 16 January 1999 	Solihull Blaze 	Home 	Lost 20–7	English League
Sunday 17 January 1999 	Blackburn Hawks 	Home 	Lost 9–5 	English League
Thursday 21 January 1999 	Milton Keynes Kings 	Away 	Lost 21–1	English League
Sunday 24 January 1999 	Solihull Blaze 	Home 	Lost 15–1	English League
Sunday 31 January 1999 	Wightlink Raiders 	Home 	Lost 14–7	English League
Saturday 6 February 1999 	Romford Raiders 	Away 	Lost 11–3	English League
Sunday 7 February 1999 	Romford Raiders 	Home 	Lost 7–6 	English League
Sunday 14 February 1999 	Chelmsford Chieftains	Home 	Lost 14–5	English League
Saturday 20 February 1999	Blackburn Hawks 	Away 	Lost 19–2	English League
Sunday 21 February 1999 	Invicta Dynamos 	Away 	Lost 14–2	English League
Sunday 28 February 1999 	Milton Keynes Kings 	Home 	Lost 11–3	English League
Saturday 6 March 1999 	Solihull Blaze 	Away 	Lost 14–5	English League
Sunday 7 March 1999 	Swindon Chill 	Home 	Lost 7–4 	English League
Sunday 21 March 1999 	Invicta Dynamos 	Home 	Lost 12–1	English League
===1999–2000 season===
Date 	Opponent 	Venue	Result 	Competition
Saturday 4 September 1999 	Chelmsford Chieftains	Away 	Lost 6–2 	English League
Sunday 5 September 1999 	Swindon Chill 	Away 	Won 7–6 	English League
Saturday 11 September 1999	Cardiff Rage 	Away 	Tied 7–7 	English League
Sunday 12 September 1999 	Romford Raiders 	Home 	Lost 8–3 	English League
Saturday 18 September 1999	Swindon Chill 	Away 	Lost 8–2 	English League
Sunday 19 September 1999 	Isle of Wight Raiders	Home 	Lost 9–3 	English League
Saturday 25 September 1999	Romford Raiders 	Home 	Won 5–3 	English League
Sunday 26 September 1999 	Invicta Dynamos 	Away 	Lost 7–4 	English League
Sunday 10 October 1999 	Cardiff Rage 	Home 	Won 9–3 	English League
Saturday 16 October 1999 	Romford Raiders 	Away 	Lost 9–6 	English League
Sunday 17 October 1999 	Isle of Wight Raiders	Home 	Lost 4–3 	English League
Sunday 24 October 1999 	Invicta Dynamos 	Home 	Won 6–5 	English League
Saturday 30 October 1999 	Chelmsford Chieftains	Away 	Lost 13–3	English League
Sunday 14 November 1999 	Invicta Dynamos 	Home 	Tied 5–5 	English League
Sunday 28 November 1999 	Chelmsford Chieftains	Away 	Lost 12–3	English League
Saturday 4 December 1999 	Isle of Wight Raiders	Away 	Lost 21–4	English League
Saturday 11 December 1999 	Swindon Chill 	Away 	Lost 11–2	English League
Sunday 2 January 2000 	Romford Raiders 	Away 	Lost 8–4 	English League
Saturday 8 January 2000 	Isle of Wight Raiders	Away 	Lost 14–6	English League
Sunday 9 January 2000 	Chelmsford Chieftains	Home 	Lost 7–1 	English League
Sunday 23 January 2000 	Isle of Wight Raiders	Home 	Lost 16–3	English League
==References==
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Category:Ice hockey teams in England