- Montevideo Cricket Club
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Montevideo Cricket Club 
Full name Montevideo Cricket Club Union Unión de Rugby del Uruguay Founded 1861 Location Montevideo, Uruguay Ground(s) Solymar President Alejandro Fynn Howard League(s) Uruguayo 
1st kit
2nd kitOfficial website www.montevideocricketclub.com The Montevideo Cricket Club (MVCC) is a multisport club based in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay in South America. It was founded in the nineteenth century by English immigrants. Its predecessor was the Victoria Cricket Club which was founded in 1842.[1] The MVCC proper was founded in 1861, and within a few years of its foundation was playing rugby and association football as well.[1]
They claim to be the oldest rugby club outside Europe.[2]
Contents
Ground
The MVCC's ground is known as "La Blanqueada".[1]
Its original ground was known as "La Blanqueada" or the "English ground",[1] but in 1889, it moved from its original location to make way for a military hospital to a new site nearby.[3] This was also known as "La Blanqueada" or the "New Ground" to distinguish it from the original site.[3] The new site was purchased by debentures that members bought.[3]
The MVCC moved a third time in 1945 to near the town of Sayago.[4] It moved for a fourth time to Carrasco, in 1955, where fields were shared by The British Schools of Montevideo.[4]
In 1996, the MVCC moved yet again to Solymar on the outskirts of Montevideo.[5]
Rugby
English cricket clubs were the incubators of rugby in South America, although rugby has survived much better in these countries than cricket has.[6] It has been claimed that MVCC played rugby football as early as 1865,[6] but the first certain match was between Uruguayans and British members of the MVCC in 1880.[6] One observer, apparently disdainful of the Britons mixing with the "natives", found it:
- "...at the same time sublime and ridiculous... [that the] young sons of distinguished families practising the games of the Anglo-Saxon in their youth and young Englishmen of blond Albion, face to face ... and on all sides [were] people strangely dressed who ran and shouted, pushed, fell, rose and finished by joining to form now a circle, now a pyramid, now a compact mass in which one could only distinguish heads without shoulders, legs without bodies and hands without arms."[6]
Carlos E. Cat, also known as "Charlie", was a member of the MVCC, and was also president of the club in 1946.[3][4]
In 1950, the Campeonato Uruguayo de Rugby was inaugurated and continues today. The first game was between the MVCC, and Carrasco Polo Club.[4]
MVCC had some success in the 1950s, winning the national title 3 times. In recent years however, the club has had to live in the shadows of Montevideo's two powerhouses: Carrasco Polo Club and Old Christians Club.
Honours
- Campeonato Uruguayo de Rugby
- Winners (3): 1951, 1953, 1956
Cricket
In 1868, the MVCC played its first international against the Buenos Aires Cricket Club.[1] It is the oldest international match registered in South America and was played on MVCC's ground in La Blanqueda.[1]
Association football
The MVCC played its first soccer match in 1878, between MVCC and a visiting ship.[1] This was the first organised match in Uruguay.
In 1881, the MVCC played its first club match against the Montevideo Rowing Club.[1]
In 1983, the MVCC first played the Club Universitario de Buenos Aires (C.U.B.A.), and has played them annually ever since.[5]
Swimming
In 1974 and 1975, the MVCC swimming teams won the summer championships in swimming and diving.[5]
Field hockey
The ladies' hockey team won the local championships in 1987, 1989, 1993 and 1997, and the men won their championship in 2000.[5]
Other sports
In addition to the above sports, the MVCC also competes in athletics, cycling and tennis.
External links
- (Spanish) Official site
- MVCC on Hat-trick dot net (soccer)
- The Development of Rugby in the River Plate Region: Irish Influences by Hugh FitzGerald Ryan in "Irish Migration Studies in Latin America", Society of Irish Latin American Studies.
References
- Richards, Huw A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union (Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 2007, ISBN 9781845962555)
- ^ a b c d e f g h [http://www.montevideocricketclub.com/historia/mvcchist1_uk.html Montevideo Cricket Club in history], retrieved 31st August, 2009
- ^ [http://www.montevideocricketclub.com/historia/mvcchist5_uk.html Montevideo Cricket Club in history], p5, retrieved 31st August, 2009
- ^ a b c d [http://www.montevideocricketclub.com/historia/mvcchist2_uk.html Montevideo Cricket Club in history], p2, retrieved 31st August, 2009
- ^ a b c d [http://www.montevideocricketclub.com/historia/mvcchist3_uk.html Montevideo Cricket Club in history], p3, retrieved 31st August, 2009
- ^ a b c d [http://www.montevideocricketclub.com/historia/mvcchist4_uk.html Montevideo Cricket Club in history], p4, retrieved 31st August, 2009
- ^ a b c d Richards, p54, Chapter 2 Practising the Games of the Anglo-Saxon...
Carrasco Polo · Champagnat · La Olla · Los Cuervos · MVCC · Old Boys · Old Christians · PSG · TrébolRegional Level Lagartos · Lobos · Salto · TenisDefunct Club Trouville · Colonia Rowing Club · La CachilaRugby union in Uruguay Governing body Unión de Rugby del UruguayNational teams Uruguay • Women's • 7's • South American JaguarsCompetitions Uruguay at the Rugby World Cup • Campeonato Uruguayo de Rugby • Punta Del Este Sevens • South American Rugby Championship • PARA Pan American ChampionshipRelated articles 1960 French tour • 1985 French tour • Flight 571Related articles International playersCategories:- Sport in Montevideo
- Uruguayan rugby union teams
- Uruguayan cricket clubs
- Uruguayan football clubs
- Sports clubs established in 1861
- Multi-sport clubs
- Field hockey clubs
- 1861 establishments in Uruguay
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