The Great Years

The Senior Flags victory of 1896 was the start of the first of two all conquering periods. For eight consecutive seasons from 1896 to 1903 Stockport swept aside all opposition to win the Flags, a record that has not been equaled since. In the same period the Iroquois Cup and First division Championship were both won six times.

The Club has to thank in particular two families, the Masons and Johnsons who's family members made up between them nine out of the total of twenty who played on the team during that period. The Mason family alone accounting for six of the players.

A major trophy of the period remains in the possession of the Club. This is the Flags Final Challenge Flag, which was won outright in 1898. The flag is a large, finely detailed embroidered Trophy depicting two lacrosse players dressed in the kit of the period stood on each side of a shield, with the winning Clubs of the previous seasons scrolled on each side. The Challenge Flag is permanently on display at the Club's Headquarters.

With the close of the 1902-3 season saw the beginning of the retirement of some of the best players of the previous decade and the introduction of a policy of rebuilding. However the next few years were not to be without success, in particular in seasons 1904/5, 1905-6 and 1908-9. The main adversary during this period was South Manchester against whom there were many clashes of which the 1906-7 Flags Final was considered the toughest and was won by South Manchester three goals to two. Such was the determination of both teams that it went to two extra periods, amounting to a total playing time of two hours.

The consensus of the Lacrosse administrators of the day was that match periods of this length, especially of such strenuous encounters were far to long, and for future seasons should a draw occur then a replay would take place. This was a rule that was to stand until the 1980's when the greater involvement of match Sponsors decreed that a result on the advertised day was desirable and therefore extra periods were reintroduced followed by a sudden death period if there was still no outright winner.