The drive to succeed is as great now as it has been over its 100 year history, and is evident in the commitment of players throughout the Club from the National League squad to the Under 9’s.

We now put out eight men’s teams, two badgers teams, and numerous representative sides for the different age groups – even up to Vintage!!!

This success is borne out of many years of hard work by generations of families

When it comes to determining the spirit, or essence of the Club, what is most noticeable in early photographs is the continuing involvement of family groups - especially Spencer and Linford. Despite the club’s exponential expansion, this family involvement has remained central feature.

Three generations of families including Mayer, Alcock, and Craddock are still actively involved today and huge numbers of second generation families are also represented including Gooderham, Prince, Sharpe, Pritchard, Thomas, Macpherson, Warrender, Abrahams, Hubert and Harris.

However, the greatest contribution to the spirit of the club was made by the now defunct Rugeley Grammar School (RGS), whose boys played hockey in the spring term. Most of the post war pupils were first generation grammar school boys, whose fathers worked in the Cannock Chase Coalfield. They joined the school playing soccer, but many came out eager to enjoy hockey too.

Tom Smart, Senior English Master at the time, and later Headmaster was a Cannock and Staffordshire player and he saw to it that a steady supply of players came to Cannock.

His brother Joe also a Cannock player gave the boys the spirit, grit, determination and will to win, which we like to think is a central feature of Cannock’s ethos.

Perhaps the Club’s motto could be paraphrased to sum up its ethos.

Wouldn’t our ‘founding fathers’ be both proud and astonished?

GRAHAM CRADDOCK