Torquay Athletic RFC
| Full name | Torquay Athletic Rugby Football Club |
|---|---|
| Union | RFU |
| Nickname(s) | Tics |
| Founded | 1875 |
| Region | Devon Rugby Football Union |
| Ground(s) | Recreation Ground, Torquay (Capacity: 3,000) |
| Chairman | Chris Edwards |
| President | Charlie Wakeham |
| Coach(es) | James Wood |
| League(s) | Tribute Western Counties West |
| 2015-16 | 5th |
| Official website | |
| www |
|
Torquay Athletic RFC is an English rugby union team formed in 1875 that is based in Torquay, Devon. The club operates 5 senior men's teams as well as youth and mini teams, with the men's first team currently playing in Tribute Western Counties West. Nicknamed the "Tics", the first team's kit is black and white hoops and they play home games at the Recreation Ground.
There is some debate over when Torquay Athletic formed. Although the club uses 1875 as the official date, Ray Batten's book "A History of Torquay Athletic R.F.C." implies that is was not formed until 1886 because the earlier incarnation "The Torquay Athletic and Football Club" was a different organization. in 1890 the club reached the final of the Devon Senior Cup losing 6-10 to Exeter at the County Ground. Seven years later the club were back in a final, this time in the Devon Junior Cup, with the Athletic reserve side winning the cup. In 1904 Torquay Athletic moved to the Recreation Ground, replacing Torquay United, who had been tenants there for the previous four years. The rugby club have occupied the ground ever since, renting it from Torquay Town Council, and sharing it with the local cricket club, with occasional Devon CCC cricket games also played there. The Recreation Ground itself remains relatively unchanged since it first opened back in the 1870s and remains a great example of the grounds of the period.
With a permanent home in place Torquay Athletic would establish itself as one of the better sides in the county and in 1907 the club won the Devon Senior Cup for the first time in the club's history. Winning the cup, would not however prove to be a catalyst for success, as Athletic would fall behind the dominant sides of the time, Devonport Albion and Plymouth RFC (parent clubs of Plymouth Albion). The club had to wait 63 years for their next senior cup win, eventually reclaiming it for the second time in 1979.
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