Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club, sometimes known simply as Buenos Aires, is an Argentine sports club based in San Fernando, Buenos Aires. Having set its official date of foundation on 8 December 1864, the club claims to be the oldest club still in existence in Argentina, according to reports of a cricket match played by the club in Recoleta, Buenos Aires, in 1831.[note 1]
A highlight of club's history was in 1951 when the Buenos Aires FC (established in 1886 as a rugby union club and founder member of the "River Plate Rugby Championship" (now the Argentine Rugby Union[6]) merged to BACC, renaming "Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club". Since then, rugby union has been the main sport of the institution.[1]
Other sports played at BACRC are football and golf.
History
Cricket origins
Buenos Aires C.C. team of 1867
The BACC clubhouse in 1868 (left); location of the BACC in Palermo from a 1895 map (right); the first association football and rugby union matches in Argentina were played there
The exact date of establishment of the "Buenos Aires Cricket Club" is not clear because of the fire that destroyed most of the club's facilities and its archives. Nevertheless, there are records of a cricket match played by members of the club in the Recoleta district of Buenos Aires in 1831, where a flag with the legend "Buenos Aires Cricket Club" was displayed. That match was covered by English language newspaper The British Packet, published in Buenos Aires.[3][1]
The first president of the club was British consul Frank Parish, named in 1858. In April, 1868, BACC played its first club match facing Montevideo Cricket Club (MVCC) in the city of Montevideo. BACC won by 156–124. The rematch was played in Buenos Aires in 1869, where BACC defeated Montevideo again by 174–121.
The game was such a success that some members would go on to found the Buenos Aires Football Club, which would be the first football club in South America. For years to come both clubs would share facilities and members with the BACC playing cricket in the summer and BAFC playing football in the winter.[8][9]
Rugby union rules were first adopted by Buenos Aires FC in 1874[1] but the club was dissolved one year later.[3][10]
Buenos Aires and Rosario A.C. players posing together during a cricket match, 1916
In 1886, a new a new "Buenos Aires Football Club" was founded as a rugby union club exclusively. The club played against Rosario AC, being the first time two different clubs ever met for an interprovincial rugby game in the country.[11]
In 1899, along with Rosario AC, Belgrano AC and Lomas, Buenos Aires FC became a founding member of "The River Plate Rugby Championship", which would later become today's Argentine Rugby Union.[citation needed]
The first Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires championship was created the same year. Buenos Aires won eight of the first 17 editions of this tournament. During the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, the club did not win any title, encountering strong resistance from younger clubs, such as CA San Isidro and San Isidro Club, which have won most of the URBA titles to date.[citation needed]
A new foundation
In 1948, the facilities of the BACC were destroyed by the fire (some sources affirm it was intentional although those versions could never be confirmed). The fire destroyed most of the archives and documents of the club. Three years later, on 4 May 1951, both the BACC and BAFC decided to merge, under the name "Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club".[12][13] The recently created club did not have definitive location until 1952, when it moved to the Don Torcuato district, where Buenos Aires CRC established its headquarters. The club stayed there until 1987, when the lands were sold to Hindú Club. That same year, Buenos Aires moved to San Fernando, Buenos Aires, where it has remained up to the present day.
In 1997, BACRC inaugurated the first purpose-built rugby union stadium in Argentina, erected in Los Polvorines, Greater Buenos Aires. A total of nine international games were played there by the Argentina national team. In 2005, the land where the stadium had been built was sold to a Germany-based company.[14]
Field hockey
The "Surí Hockey Club" was established as a women's field hockey club by a group of former students of the Northlands and St. Hilda's schools. In 1945, Surí ("rhea" in the Quechua languages) began to play in tournaments organized by field hockey association, starting in the third division. After many years playing its home games at different venues, due to Surí not having a stadium, the team finally joined BACRC in 1966, changing its name to Buenos Aires.[1]
Buenos Aires and its predecessor Surí have been successful teams in Argentine hockey, winning a total of seven Metropolitano championships between 1962 and 1988, two by Surí and five by BACRC.[15]
In 2007, the club inaugurated its synthetic grass hockey field in San Fernando. The women's field hockey team has played its home games there since then.[16][17]
^ abBACRC's itself states the date of foundation "before 8 December 1864".[1] This date has been recognized by the Buenos Aires Rugby Union.[2] It is believed that the club was founded in 1831, with existing documentary evidence about a cricket match played by Buenos Aires that same year.[3][4]
