The Founding

It is told, that some time during the period between September to May 1875-6 a group of then future Stockport Lacrosse Club Players, who were travelling on the London and North Western Railway from Manchester's London Road station to Stockport Edgeley station on their way home from playing a rugby game in which a fellow team member had been seriously injured, saw from the carriage window, whilst the train had stopped at a signal, the spectacle of a running game with players waving strange sticks around their heads and encircled by a large crowd. The seed was sown at this moment and soon after Lacrosse was established in Stockport.

A colourful and perhaps embellished description of the events leading up to the forming of the Club, however the players were members of Stockport Rugby Club which was to be, or had just been disbanded due to a fatal accident, and whatever the size or actual spectacle of the lacrosse game they saw, its impact was such that it inspired the formation of a Club for a sport that had hardly been seen before. The Lacrosse game being played along side the railway line was between the teams of the Canadian Montreal Club and Caughnawaga Indians.

Their tour to the British Isles took place during April 1876 and was part of a revival that was occurring in southern England. The Montreal and Caughnawaga teams had received an invitation from a Dr. T Archer, who had played in Montreal but In 1876 was in Wimbledon and having formed a Club there, wished to promote the growth of lacrosse in England. Exhibition games were played in Birmingham, Belfast, Dublin Edinburgh, Newcastle, and Sheffield as well as Manchester. The Illustrated London News reported that lacrosse was "received with the greatest favour" and recommended ft as an 'antidote to football' which was considered too rough.

The Stockport Club was probably the sixth club to be formed, those earlier being London, Manchester, Sheffield, Biackheath(London) and Broughton(Salford). Manchester played at Old Trafford Cricket Ground and Broughton at Broughton Cricket Ground. 411 these Clubs have now ceased to exist, thus Stockport is the oldest remaining club. The inaugural meeting of Stockport Lacrosse Club took place at the house of Or. Massey in Greek Street, Stockport. The first game was played on a field in Shaw Beath, now built over by Beaconsfield Villas, Ahich continued to be used for some games until the early 1880's, following which the playing venue was moved to the Stockport Cricket Club Ground, then at Charles Street, Billgate. The earliest game for which records exist is against Broughton played at Stockport Cricket Club on March 17th 1877, the result oeing five goals to nil to the visitors. The early playing years were not by all accounts very successful. Stockport was not able to beat any of the earlier formed Clubs, and not very often against the later formed Clubs of Cholton, Heaton Mersey, Cheetham and Cheadle either. The Jubilee booklet records 'that in one season the only match won was the very last one of the season, and the players returned home very depressed. We are notinformed, however, whether it was the reaction after the excitement of their unusual experience, (in winning) or whether it was the breaking of their unique record that caused the depression.' This, however seemed to be the turning point and in the following season the Stockport players began to win matches. There being one memorable occasion on the 19th November 1881 when the three teams in existence won their games with a total of 30 goals against 3. 1st beat Widness 15-1; A beat Withington B 12-0; B beat Fairfield Wells A 3-2.

Playing standards however, had not sufficiently risen in time for the first season of the Senior Flags competition in 1883-4, in which Stockport played against Heaton Mersey in the first round and were beat two goals to one. Mersey did reach the final but lost against South Manchester eight goals to five. It was not until 1895-6 that a semi final place was reach and this was against Cheetham on the Didsbury ground. At full time the score was even and an extra thirty minutes was played in which Stockport took and held a one goal lead to qualify for the final for the first time. Their opponents in the final were the seven time winners South Manchester but their hope for an eighth victory was dashed by what was recorded as a 'magnificent exhibition' to provide a nine goals to five victory for Stockport, and the Flags for the first time.

The second of the 'all conquering' periods commenced in 1910 and spanned three seasons to 1913 during which the Iroquois Cup and Flags were won each year and the League twice. A record of success, albeit not for as long a period as from 1896 to 1903, but considered an excellent one at the time, given the vast improvement in the standard of the games being played during those and the preceding years. This was due to development that had come about with the help of visiting teams from across the Atlantic. Other notable visits were Toronto in 1902, and the Capitals of Ottawa in 1907 and the participation of Lacrosse in the 1908 Olympic Games in London. The playing skills learnt were accurate and hard passing movements and judicious dodging, and when used in a more direct line to goal proved to be an effective style of play.

The 1912 Flags Final was won seven goals to three against Albert Park, and the following season provided a rematch which was won fifteen goals to two. The resulting Iroquois Cup match, to become the Champions of England was won twenty two goals to four against Lee for the third year in succession.

At the end of the following season other greater events were to take place and those loyal to the Club, and the world of sport in general proved themselves to be equally loyal to their Country in her hour of need. Eighty seven of the Clubs total membership of one hundred and sixty or so members gave their services to King and Country in the 'Great War' of 1914-18. The names of all these members are recorded on the Roll of Honour Memorial Tablet erected to their memory, and it is still there to be viewed today at the Club's Headquarters. The motto inscribed reads,

'Patrla Cara Carlor Llbertas'
(One's Country is Beloved, Friendship is More Precious)

With the passing of the War years, Stockport, along with other clubs struggled in the recomnencenent of the peace time lacrosse through a lack of experienced players, and it was not until 1923 when Stockport commenced a run of four consecutive first division league championship wins, that once again Honours were attained. This success coincided with the celebration of the Clubs Jubilee Anniversary for 50 years of lacrosse at Stockport, celebrated by a dinner held at the Pendlebury Hall Memorial Hall, on Saturday 13th March 1926. Guests included The Mayor, Councillor J Greenhalgh J.P; and Mr A.E.Townend MP. This event was recorded in an extensive article in the Cheshire Daily Echo, dated Monday 15th March 1926, which quoted the dinner as being 'a re-union of stalwarts who had made Stockport the premier Lacrosse club of the country'.