James Oswald Anderson (18 March 1872 – 21 July 1932), also known as Juan O. Anderson, was an Argentine sportsman. He played football for Lomas between 1895 and 1902, and participated in Argentina's first official match against Uruguay in 1902, where he scored one of six goals for his team. Additionally, he was President of the River Plate Rugby Union between 1904 and 1905, and later played cricket for Hertfordshire between 1906 and 1912.[1][2][3][4][5]

James Oswald Anderson
Personal information
Born(1872-03-18)18 March 1872
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died21 July 1932(1932-07-21) (aged 60)
Reading, Berkshire, England
Association football career
Position(s) Striker
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1895–1902 Lomas 37 (31)
International career
1902 Argentina 1 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Cricket information
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1906–1912Hertfordshire
Career statistics
Competition Minor Counties
Matches 27
Runs scored 754
Batting average 19.33
100s/50s 1/2
Top score 101
Catches/stumpings 18/–
Source: CricketArchive, 17 June 2022

Life

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James Oswald Anderson was born into a British family in Buenos Aires on 18 March 1872 and educated in England at Bedford Modern School where he was in the First XI and the First XV.[1][6]

Anderson played football as a striker for Lomas between 1895 and 1902, scoring 31 goals in 37 appearances.[7] He was the top goal scorer in the 1896 season.[8] He helped organise and participated in Argentina's first official match against Uruguay in 1902 where he scored a goal for his country in its 6–0 victory.[3][4] The previous year, he was behind the first football match in South America against the same opposition, losing 3–2 in Montevideo. However, this match is not recognised as part of Argentina's history, as the Argentina line-up was known as the "J. O. Anderson XI Team".[9] In 1893, he co-founded the Argentine Association Football League (AAFL), the precursor to the Argentine Football Association (AFA). He served as secretary, and later as vice-president of the AAFL.[9]

James Oswald Anderson was also a pioneer in cricket, a sport he practiced from a very young age.[10]

Anderson encouraged the development of all sport in Argentina, and founded the River Plate Rugby Union in 1889, which would go on to become the Argentine Rugby Union.[9] He was the President of the governing body between 1904 and 1905.[5][11] He moved to England to play cricket for Hertfordshire between 1906 and 1912.[2]

Anderson died in Reading, Berkshire on 21 July 1932.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Victoria History of the County of Bedford". Mocavo. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b "JAMES ANDERSON". cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b Argentina Association Football League, Le Regine, 1895, p. 2
  4. ^ a b "Uruguay v Argentina, 20 July 1902". 11v11.com. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  5. ^ a b "UNION - UAR - UNIÓN ARGENTINA DE RUGBY". uar.com.ar. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  6. ^ H.E. Vipan, A Register of the Old Boys of the Bedford Modern School, Bedford, 1901, p. 5 OCLC 557698898
  7. ^ "Argentina - List of Champions and Runners-Up".
  8. ^ "Argentina - List of Topscorers". Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  9. ^ a b c "Anderson, Argentina prophetic pioneer". FIFA.com. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  10. ^ Sócrates (15 September 2023). "James Oswald Anderson". Por la Pelota (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  11. ^ "La pasión cumple cien años". lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  12. ^ England & Wales, BMD Indexes