65th ANNIVERSARY

Last Friday marked the 65th anniversary of a historic date, 65 years since CEU’s first game. On October 25, 1959, at the Foixarda field, CEU played its first documented match, a friendly game against the now-defunct Club Natació Montjuïc. The club’s birth has a clear reason and moment. In the late 1950s, the University of Barcelona decided to create the rugby section of the University Sports Club, then known as Club Deportivo Universitario, to compete as a federated team and, at the same time, structure and unite university rugby. The inauguration of the sports facilities on Diagonal Avenue in Barcelona, which included a rugby field, was the defining factor to officially form and federate a team to compete in official championships. On November 7, they played their second friendly against Picadero, and on November 15, they played against RC Cornellà, their last match before beginning their first official competition at the end of November, the “Federation Tournament,” a preliminary championship created by the Catalan Federation to organize the official competitions that would follow. In that initial league, their rivals were UE Santboiana, CN Barcelona, FC Barcelona, BUC, Joventut, Picadero, Poble Nou, La Maquinista, CN Montjuïc, and CR Cornellà. The club’s first official match took place in Sant Boi on Sunday, November 22, 1959, ending in a 14-0 loss to the Baix Llobregat team. According to reports, “The enthusiastic players of Universitario posed more difficulties than expected for the well-regarded Samboyana team, who could not win by the wide margin anticipated.” This first competition was a string of defeats, with CEU finishing near the bottom of the standings, meaning they would play in the second division in the 1960 Catalonia Championship that started in February. In this second category, with a more seasoned team, the situation changed drastically. Most matches ended in victory, and CEU finally ranked in first place, meaning as the Second Division Champion of Catalonia, they qualified to play in the “Spanish Second Category Championship.” The national championship semifinal was held in Valencia in a single match against Valencia Medicine and was won handily, securing a spot in the final, which was played in Madrid on May 15 against CADU from Seville. The Barcelona team’s victory was clear, 19-6, making them, in a highly commendable way, Spanish champions in their first year of competition.