Times have certainly changed from when the founding fathers, many of them involved with agriculture, first took their post-match pints and pies in a local pub and played on a hired pitch.

Dudley Hallwood went on to become a successful businessman and newspaper cartoonist and the club's principal Sevens trophy still bears his name.

Apart from the interruption of the Second World War, Canterbury built steadily over the years and boasted one of the strongest fixture lists in the county.

They produced a number of fine players who represented Kent but the only tangible reward came in the 1974–75 season when the club beat old rivals Maidstone to win the County Cup.

They fell as low as Kent Division 2 at the start of the 1990s but from that unpromising position a revival was born, which included the expansion of the junior and colts section.

Throughout the next decade they climbed steadily up the league ladder and made it their ambition to be a London Division One club by the millennium.

The demands of the higher league, which subsequently became National 2 South, increased every season but Canterbury responded to the challenge and were consistently in the top half of the table, despite the presence of many clubs with heavy financial backing.

The race for the play-off spot was a thrilling one with Henley Hawks and local rivals Tonbridge Juddians pushing hard until an away victory over Barnes RFC guaranteed the opportunity.