The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has been forced to make what is widely seen as a “humiliating climbdown” and has reversed its earlier decision to get rid of the annual Oxford vs Cambridge and Eton vs Harrow matches which have been played since 1827 and 1805, respectively.

Many Indians have played in the Oxbridge “Blues” match over the decades, among them the Nawabs of Pataudi, Prince Ranjitsinhji, his nephew Duleepsinhji, and Abbas Ali Baig.

Fearing defeat, the MCC’s executive committee called off the special general meeting (SGM) just before it was due to be convened on Tuesday, with members in India able to take part in the online voting.

The committee’s decision to get rid of the historic fixtures, once an important part of the London social calendar, was challenged by a group of 212 rebels who were supported by, among others, the former England captain David Gower, and the former BBC commentator, Henry (“my dear old thing”) Blofeld. Commenting on the committee’s U-turn, Daily Telegraph columnist Simon Heffer, a grammar school boy himself, wrote: “There is a supposition that the SGM was abandoned because the committee was going to lose….the stupid decision of the committee to chuck the fixtures in the bin without asking those who actually own the club has sparked anger and resentment among members who have seldom been angry about or resented anything in their lives.”

In an email to 23,000 members, Guy Lavender, chief executive of the MCC, announced the about turn: “I write to advise you that the Special General Meeting scheduled for 18.00 tomorrow will not now take place. The MCC Committee has agreed to a request, received from the requisitionists this morning, to withdraw the Resolution and cancel the SGM, in the best interests of the Club.“Both the committee and the requisitionists continue to believe in their respective points of view, but we will now work together on next steps, to include a consultation process with Members with a view to considering the future of the two fixtures at the 2023 AGM. Noting the time needed for this consultation,it has been agreed by both parties that the Club will invite the four institutions to play their respective matches (Oxford v Cambridge and Eton v Harrow) at Lord’s in 2023.”

In its most recent message circulated to members, the rebel “Committee for the Reinstatement of the Historic Fixtures at Lord’s” took issue with the MCC, saying its decision was prompted to allow “all genders, abilities and backgrounds” to“potentially play at our wonderful ground”.

“In our view, the email seemed to suggest that such a future could not become a reality if the historic fixtures were to be reinstated,” the rebels argued.

“We think this is misleading, for two reasons: first, because those wishing to reinstate the historic fixtures actually applaud these initiatives and would not wish such a future to be put at risk in any way.”

The rebels also took aim at corporate sponsor matches that still go ahead. “We also note that the MCC Committee has stayed silent about three fixtures that take place at Lord’s every year: the ones that the club’s sponsors, including JP Morgan, are allowed to host for clients and staff as part of their sponsorship deals.