LEEK Hockey Club is special. We may not have the most up to date facilities for socialising, but we make up for it by the welcoming atmosphere, the camaraderie and our encouragement and support of young players.'

Leek Hockey Club was formed in 1922 with all games during that inaugural season being played on 'Little Birchall' on the Cheddleton Road for a rent of £4. That followed a public meeting at the Labour Church on August 25 when it was decided to form a club. The following season, the club moved to Beggars Lane sports ground where it played for many years. During the Second World War, a few stalwarts, kept the club going, sometimes combining with Leek Park Ladies and also Cheddleton Ladies. Over the years, the club has gone from strength to strength and gradually additional teams have been added.

As part of our celebration for the 75th Anniversary we staged two matches at our Millwards headquarters in Leek when a Present Veterans XI took on a Past Members XI and a Club 1st XI met a Staffs President's XI. In the evening, the annual dinner took place in a luxury marquee at the club and that was followed by more games the following day. Special anniversary club ties are available for sale as well as an anniversary polo shirt. A special Commemorative Brochure, tracing the history of the club from that first meeting in 1922, right through to the present day is on sale at £5.

The brochure contains messages from lmran Sherwani, Howard Davis CBE, former captain of Great Britain and England and the Chairman Basil Pickering. It looks back at the early games played by the club, the scorers the characters and there is also a picture of the team dating back to its formative years.

The silver jubilee was celebrated at the Red Lion Hotel in 1948 where members were advised of the following rule:

The food shall not be Picked up or propelled in any, manner or direction, except with the fork.

The special anniversary booklet goes into more details of the club's achievements and is packed with facts, stats, pictures and tributes, researched and written by Mick Pointon and compiled by John Edwards and is available from the hockey club.

The playing membership of the club is around 125, which is roughly split 50:50 between senior and junior members.

The Club owns its freehold property at Bridge End, Leek, which forms part of an area designated for industrial use and known as Whites Bridge Industrial Estate. There are four grass pitches on the site that, in the past, have served us well. As all league Hockey is now played on synthetic surfaces, we have our own astro-turf pitch at Leek High School training. For the coming season 2001/02 with nine teams, and four or five home and still use the facilities at Holden Lane.

In the meantime our grass pitches are not lying idle. Two are let for soccer - the Royal Oak and Dyers Arms sharing one pitch and Leek CSOB junior teams the other. The Dyers Arms play cricket there during the summer and Leek Archery Club also hold sessions on the grounds.

Above all, however, the club is renowned for its off the pitch activities as much as its on the pitch success, with members of all sides contributing regularly to the profits of the Dyers Arms and the Mucky Duck.

The club is always on the look out for new members of any ability, if you are interested please visit the club on match days and make yourself known.