Calcutta Cricket and Football Club
Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1792 as a cricket institution, the football and rugby sections were added when it merged with Calcutta Football Club in 1965. This is the oldest cricket club outside Great Britain.
Rugby section of the club made CC&FC the oldest rugby institution founded outside the United Kingdom and Ireland. Club's football section competes in the premier division of Calcutta Football League, fifth tier of the Indian football league system.
History and overview
Early years (1792–1960s)
Calcutta Cricket Club
The history of CC&FC dates back to 1792, when the club was established by the name of "Calcutta Cricket Club Clippers". It was primarily a cricket institution in the East India Company rule in India. The club was also founded as one of the earliest known gentlemen's clubs in Calcutta, then capital of British India. Recent evidence in the form of an article published in the Hicky's Bengal Gazette, suggests the club existed in 1780 – that would make it the oldest cricket club in the world. In 1792 during their tour in India, Eton cricket team appeared in an exhibition match against Calcutta Cricket Club. By 1825, CC&FC established themselves as one of the formidable sides in Bengal Presidency, alongside British Army-operated cricket teams in the country.Calcutta Football Club
Incorporated in 1872, Calcutta Football Club predominately introduced rugby in the country. Outside the United Kingdom, it is the oldest patron club that went on to form the Rugby Football Union. As per the Amrita Bazar Patrika, the club's membership was restricted to people belonging to the upper strata of British middle class. They later contributed in introducing and developing association football; Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari taught the game to his classmates of the prestigious Hare School compound in 1877, after observing British soldiers playing the game in the Calcutta FC ground. CC&FC soon emerged as one of the prestigious private members' clubs in Asia; By January 1873, nearly 137 members had enrolled, while European women were granted membership in the first half of the 19th century. The club became one of the founding members of the Indian Football Association in 1893, then headed by British administrators. The primary sport Rugby, later suffered because of the departure of British regiments. Bicycle Polo division was formed in 1901–02, and being played since then in CC&FC.Merger and later years (1960s–present)
After acquiring both "Ballygunge Cricket Club" and "Calcutta Football Club" in 1965, the institution completed all the absorptions to introduce themselves under the name of "Calcutta Cricket and Football Club". Sports still being practised at the club include: cricket, football, field hockey, rugby, cycle polo, swimming, tennis, and bridge. The football team competed in both the Premier Division A and B of Calcutta Football League. The club's cricket and football teams usually participated in their respective divisions as "Calcutta Cricket Club" for cricket and "Calcutta Football Club" for football. Their hockey and rugby teams participate under the combined name of "Calcutta Cricket and Football Club".CC&FC has been hosting various tournaments, including Merchants' Cup since 1970s for both football and cricket. Merchants' Cup in hockey hosted by the club until its discontinuation in 2005, while cricket tournaments at the club are being sponsored by the Indian Premier League outfit Kolkata Knight Riders. Other tournaments such as J. Thomas Cup in rugby, and Georgiadi 7s tournament are also hosted at the club ground. In November 2017, the club organized their 225th anniversary celebration, marking the 225 years of cricket in India, with presence of noted international cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Saurav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, VVS Laxman, and Virat Kohli. In June 2023, Indian Football Association made an official announcement of merger of the both Premier Division A and B of Calcutta Football League, ahead of 125th edition, and allowed CC&FC to compete in Group I.
Departments
Cricket
CC&FC's oldest sporting department is first-class cricket, which was incepted as the "Calcutta Cricket Club Clippers" by British expatriates who had come over with the British East India Company. Have been in existence since 1792, it is the second oldest cricket club in the world after Marylebone Cricket Club. On 23 February 1792, Madras Courier reported the schedule of a match between Calcutta Cricket Club and a team from Barrackpore, and the news was later highlighted by Irwin Rosenwater on The London Times. The club later played in annual fixtures against numerous British regimental teams stationed in both Fort William and Barrackpur Cantonment. According to The Bengal Hurkaru and Chronicle, they also played against other visiting teams, consisting Old Etonians, Old Harrovians and alumni of both the Oxford and Cambridge University.During its earliest years of existence, the Calcutta Cricket Club played its home games near river Hooghly but it was not until 1841, when the institution got land to establish its home match venue. On 19 April 1864, CC&FC was granted permission to build a pavilion at eastern end of the Eden Gardens. There, a large pavilion of 125 feet by 25 feet was built out of Burma teak, modelled after pavilions of the Lord's Cricket Ground. In 1889–90, the club came into limelight when Marylebone Cricket Club came to play in Calcutta by responding to the club's invitation, which was the first visit of a foreign team to play cricket in India. In 1889–90 cricket season, another English team named "G. F. Vernon's XI", managed by George Vernon and captained by Martin Hawke, toured to Ceylon and India; played against Calcutta Cricket Club at the Eden Gardens on 23 December, under the "Laws of Cricket". In 1892–93 cricket season, an English team led by Martin Hawke, came to India and played against Calcutta Cricket Club.
In 1926–27 season during winter, CC&FC played the key role in bringing Marylebone Cricket Club, which was their second tour to India, and MCC was then led by former England captain Arthur Edward Gilligan. On 15 August 1950, then club president T. C. Longfield handed over the ownership of Eden Gardens to then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy. In December 1962, the club made history, when its members announced and conducted a 5-match series between Calcutta Cricket Club and Merchants' XI, introducing "limited over cricket format". It was later merged with the Calcutta Football Club and the Ballygunge Cricket Club over the years to become the "Calcutta Cricket and Football Club" in 1965. CC&FC is currently under the jurisdiction of Cricket Association of Bengal, and competes in the CAB First Division League, J.C. Mukherjee T-20 Trophy, N.C. Chatterjee T-20 Trophy, and other regional tournaments. Later in the 1970s, wooden pavilion of Calcutta was demolished, while the construction of the new club house began, which was named after Bidhan Chandra Roy. Club's cricket section is currently headquartered in 19/1, Garcha 1st Lane, Ballygunge, Kolkata. In 2021–22 season, CC&FC ended their CAB Second Division League achieving runners-up position which resulted the promotion to First Division League.
Rugby union
In the British Raj, Rugby union was introduced and emerged as second most popular winter sport after association football. For the first time in the country, a scratch match or two played in Calcutta and Madras during the visit of MS Galatea in 1871. At the ground of CC&FC, first recorded match was played, on Christmas Day. The incident paved the way for growth of the British sport in India, and foundation of "Calcutta Rugby Football Club" in January the following year by expats, former students of Rugby School and soldiers of the Royal East Kent Regiment – which was stationed in the 1870s. In 1874, Calcutta Football Club joined the Rugby Football Union. After departure of British troops, and recreational facilities became disbanded, club's rugby section was discontinued in 1878. Members decided to keep the memory of the club alive by having the remaining 270 silver rupee coins in their bank vault melted down and made into a trophy by W.E. Jellicoe Silversmith & Watchmaker from the Esplanade Row, which was then presented to the Rugby Football Union. The sport came back at the CC&FC in 1884. In 1890, an inter-club tournament was incepted by the CC&FC, named Calcutta Rugby Union Challenge Cup, and its second division trophy was clinched by the club. Later in 2007, they emerged as runners-up in that tournament.As one of the most successful Indian rugby teams, CC&FC is a regular participant of the prestigious All India & South Asia Rugby Tournament. The championship has been hosted by the club on multiple occasions. Women's rugby team of CC&FC also participate in that tournament. The club also hosts Georgiadi Club Rugby Sevens tournament, in which CC&FC's men's and women's teams compete. The club later became affiliated to the Indian Rugby Football Union, which was incorporated in 1995. In June 2013, CC&FC's affiliate club Hong Kong FC's rugby team "HKFC Vandals" toured to Kolkata and played against CCFC Reds. At the 87th edition of All India & South Asia Rugby Championship in Mumbai, CC&FC won the plate final, defeating Magicians Foundation 28–5. The club also hosted 'Asia Rugby Division 3 – South Region Championship', with backing from Bengal Olympic Association.
Association football
Run by the British officials since its inception in 1872, "Calcutta Football Club" became the first of the three European football clubs, others being Calcutta Rangers and Dalhousie AC. They soon emerged as one of the leading football teams in the Bengal Presidency. It was then consisting of European players, and enjoyed fierce rivalry predominantly with indigenous outfit Mohun Bagan. Calcutta Football Club stayed away from Trades Cup, the country's first open football tournament because members felt that their "enjoyment of the sport would be impaired if they join the competitive fray", it was instrumental in instituting the Indian Football Association in Calcutta very much on London lines. The team for the first time was defeated by Mohun Bagan in 1923 in the return leg of CFL, but managed to clinch both the league and IFA Shield titles in that season.Calcutta FC was the most successful team in prestigious Calcutta Football League in pre-independence era, oldest league in Asia, in pre-independence era, clinching eight titles. The team is also nine-time winners of IFA Shield. In 2004, the club emerged victorious in historic Trades Cup, defeating Eastern Railway 2–1 in final. In 2022, they roped in noted Indian-Iranian footballer Jamshid Nassiri as head coach.