History of Oriel College AFC
Oriel are the most successful college in the history of Cuppers claiming the trophy on no less than 18 occasions although many of these were in the trophy's early years. Oriel won the trophy 4 times in succession between 1899 and 1902 and then after a break of a single season, won it a further 3 times in a row between 1904 and 1906. The dominance of Oriel in these early days is reflected in the large number of Blues - 52 Oriel players gained at least 1 Blue prior to the 2nd World War, just over 1/7 of the total number of players awarded Blues in that time.
Since World War II, Oriel have not dominated in the same way, with only 4 Cuppers victories - the most recent being in 1995/96. There was, however an extended period in the late 1970s and 1980s when Oriel threatened to emulate their successes of yesteryear, Oriel won the inter-college league 7 times in 12 seasons between 1977/78 and 1988/89 - a title they have not won since - and twice during this period achieved the elusive double in 1978/79 and 1984/85. They are one of three colleges to have won the double twice, and are the only college to have won the double on two non-consecutive occasions.
Recently, Oriel have spent much of their time outside the top-flight, however, last season's runners-up finish in division 1 will see them playing in the top division of college football for the first time since 1997/98.
