Torquay Athletic RFC is an English rugby union team formed in 1876 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 Cornwall/Devon following their relegation from Tribute Western Counties West at the end of the 2017-18 season. Nicknamed the "Tics", the first team's kit is black and white hoops and they play home games at the Recreation Ground. They have a local rivalry with Paignton RFC. History Early days There is some debate over when Torquay Athletic formed. The club has for many years used 1875 as the official date based on the recollections of founder Harry Gray whose memories formed the basis of a publication in 1925. Gray actually said that he attended regatta sports in Brixham in 1875 which “eventually” led to the formation of the club. The actual formation of the Torquay Athletic and Football Club was announced in the Torquay Times of 19 August 1876, the announcement signed by H.J. Gray 15 August 1876. Ray Batten's book "A History of Torquay Athletic R.F.C." implies that the club not formed until 1886 because the earlier incarnation was a different organisation. He is correct in the strictest interpretation. The old club became defunct in 1885, with the Excelsior and Ellacombe clubs coming together to form a “phoenix club” in 1886. The club was commonly known by the same name, played at the same ground - Plainmoor - and had the same club president Dr Hamilton Ramsey. Reports of annual dinners make it clear that Hamilton Ramsey regarded the two clubs as one entity. 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 since 1926, with occasional Devon CCC cricket games also played there. The Recreation Ground itself remains relatively unchanged since it first opened back in the 1888 and remains a great example of the grounds of