BATSMAN Freddie Coleman will miss Oxford MCCU’s opening fixture against Gloucestershire in the Parks tomorrow with a broken finger.

The 21-year-old Oxford Brookes University student suffered the injury in training while on tour to Barbados with Warwickshire, for whom he has recently signed a professional contract.

Coleman, who made a first-class century with 110 against Worcestershire in the Parks last April, is expected to be out for up to a month.

Seamer Charlie Ellison is another who will be missing as he is in the combined MCC Universities squad, who are playing in the United Arab Emirates.

Their fixtures include a 40-over match against Lancashire at the Emirates 7evens Ground in Dubai on Saturday.

Oxford will also be without Sam Agarwal, Ben Williams, Owain Jones and Johnny Marsden, who are on tour with the Blues in South Africa. They have won two of their seven matches, with both victories coming at Newlands in Cape Town, against Cape Town University of Technology and Cape Cobras Combined Emerging XI.

Oxford are captained by Charlie Morris this season, and their side for the opener includes Banbury batsman Lloyd Sabin, who is one seven possible debutants.

Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the game will go ahead.

Despite the bad weather, the ground was reported to be in a good condition yesterday, although the forecast is poor.

The 40-over friendly starts at 11.30am.

Oxford MCCU: from L Sabin, T Fell, W Marriott, H Edwards, S Davidson, C Bodenstein, C Morris (capt), A Neale, J Thompson, B Kemp, M Kidd, A Martin.