Newbury Road Club – The Early Years 1925 – 1935

David E. Portwood and Brian Tate

Formation of a New Cycle Club in Newbury

With the passage of time, the story behind the creation of Newbury Road Club has like many slipped into folklore.  However, what little we do know from the Newbury Weekly News and the club archives, gives us some great pointers; the club was very fortunate in having secretaries who documented the activities of the club first hand.  Whilst these riders may have passed and are now riding the great cycle path in the sky, their memory lives on, in many cases in the trophies that carry their names; their achievements led to the establishment of a great community cycle club for the benefit of all in the community around Newbury, of which they can be justly proud.

The story begins in November 1924 when Mr E.L. Bance (Edwin Lovett) of 3, Prospect Terrace Road, Newbury placed a short column in the Newbury Weekly News; he was only seventeen at the time!  He invited members of the Cyclists’ Touring Club, C.T.C., in Newbury, and the neighbourhood “who had not enjoyed club riding, on account of the nearest district association was in Reading”, to communicate with him with the intention of forming a local C.T.C. section of the club and to establish a runs list.

There was clear evidence that the formation of a club, or C.T.C., section would have been popular, Newbury cyclists had been attending rallies during the previous years and the last cycle club in the town had disappeared in the early 1900’s, apparently due to lack of enthusiasm and not due to lack of cyclists in the town.  So, Edwin Bance, and brother Ernest, were on to a winner.  A traffic census in St John’s Road and Shaw Cresent in Newbury in August 1926 showed between 500 and 1000 cyclists passing by each day, comfortably more than the number of motor vehicles, in stark contrast to today.

Records of the Newbury C.T.C. section seem to be thin on the ground. However, the Newbury C.T.C. section was clearly taking part in runs during 1925. There was a column in the Reading Standard describing how a “large contingent of C.T.C.-ites from Newbury” met up with Reading members at Avebury, in December, and spent time together visiting the stones before climbing Silbury Hill and eventually returning home via Hungerford “along ice- and snow-covered roads”.

Membership numbers were also up and down in the early years.  In 1925 membership of the club totalled 17 riders and they were clearly struggling to gain traction in the first few years.

Year	Members
1925	17
1926	11
1927	12
1928	10
1929	17
1930	17
1931	20
1932	22
1933	22
1934	24
1935	27

Membership numbers 1925 to 1935

The first club event for which there are records was a 25-mile time trial on the July 5th, 1925, which was won by F. Parker.

Rider	Time
F. Parker	1:14:5
Sid Smith	1:16:0
Albert J Tarrant	1:16:3
T. Jones	1:16:3
E. Smith	1:16:3
Reginald Churches	1:18:3
S. Stroud	1:21:1
Les Jones	1:23:5
R. Legg	1:31:4
E. Gulliver	1:35:0

Results from the club's first time trial.

Reports of the activities of Newbury Road Club didn’t start to appear in earnest in the Newbury Weekly News until 1927.  The first club run of that year took place on Sunday May 1st, leaving the Marketplace at 8.30am, although it’s not clear how many members were on the ride.  The run was for members of both the road club and the local C.T.C. group and went to Bagshot in Surrey.  The route was via Brimpton and Basingstoke, where they had a short stop, and then through Hook, Hartley Row and Camberley before arriving at Bagshot at 12.30 for lunch.  The riders then appear to have split into two groups with a slow group riding to Reading followed by the faster riders, eventually meeting up at Whitley Wood (south of Reading) for tea.  The cyclists returned via the Bath Road to Newbury arriving at 8.45pm having completed a total of 85 miles.  At the end of the newspaper report there was an appeal for “unattached cyclists” who were invited to take part in an all-night ride to Meriden for the Cyclists’ Memorial Service on Saturday 21st May; they were requested to contact the honorary secretary, S.J. Smith of 18 Derby Road, Newbury if interested.

The first race of the 1927 season was held on Sunday 8th May, a 50-mile time trial on the Bath Road.  The winner was A.H. Tarrant in 2 hours 28 minutes 18s, second was S. Harrington in 2 hours 41 minutes 28s and third, W. Chivers in 2 hours 46 minutes 30s.  The race was a handicap race, but it appears the handicap finishing order was also the same as the scratch order.  The “touring section” then rode to Avebury and Silbury Hill after the race, returning to Marlborough where nine members stopped for tea.  At 7.00pm the riders left for home, riding over Savernake Forest near Marlborough.  Race and run were a pretty typical pattern of events.

Club Runs

As mentioned, in the early days, club rides (runs) were often branded as joint Newbury Road Club and Newbury C.T.C. section rides and it was common for two runs to leave Newbury and whilst both were long the “longer” ride was commonly more than 100 miles and tended to arrive back in Newbury quite late in the evening after at least one, two or even three refreshment stops!  They would often include some sight-seeing, for example visiting the village of Castle Coombe; “considered the prettiest in Wiltshire, indeed a prettier village would be hard to find in the South of England” or a guided tour of the Roman Baths, exploring Stratford-on-Avon, or walks in Blenheim Palace as well as a little off-roading along the Ridgeway; and don’t forget the occasional cricket or baseball game!  As mentioned, runs would usually include both a lunch and a tea stop where they would meet up with other club members on the shorter ride.

Cyclists Memorial Service

The weekend of May 22nd, 1927 was the first recorded occasion of club riders holding an all-night ride to attend the annual cyclists’ memorial service at Meriden in Warwickshire.  This was an event the club would support for many years to come.  The ride would leave Newbury, from the Broadway, at 10pm, reaching Dorchester at midnight and Oxford shortly after for a refreshment break.  Warwick was eventually reached at 6.30am and Kenilworth for 7am, where they had breakfast.  The club proceeded to Meriden for the service at 10am, when they were joined by 7,000 fellow cyclists.  The return journey was via Stratford, Shipston and Woodstock, returning to Newbury later in the evening.

The description of the route followed each year appears to have been broadly similar in all the reports that have been found.  In 1932 the intrepid cyclists encountered very heavy rain on their journey which had caused severe flooding in places on the roads, such that they were forced to carry their machines and wade through knee deep water.  However, the service was conducted in brilliant sunshine by the Rev. Canon Claud Russell of Coventry, with many thousands of cyclists in the congregation once again.  The return route was again similar with the riders stopping off for tea in Eynsham before heading home and completing 170 miles with no sleep!

In May 1933 they followed a similar program, this time meeting up with more club members in Oxford, before eventually reaching Meriden at 9.45am where glorious sunshine met the reported 15,000 cyclists attending the service.  The service was conducted by the Bishop of Coventry, Dr. Mervyn George Haigh.  After, the Newbury riders headed for home with lunch close to Shipston-on-Stour.  The going being tough as the riders climbed into the Cotswolds.  They met more club members at Long Compton and had tea together in Eynsham.  This time a favourable wind helped their progress, and they reached Newbury at 9.45pm.

The Newbury Weekly News reported that the service in May 1935 was the nineth occasion members of the Road Club attended the memorial service.  The ride left Newbury at 10.30 Saturday evening.  Apparently, it was extremely cold, and the club had a coffee in Oxford where they also met with members of the Reading C.T.C. D.A.  Progress was nonetheless good, and they reached Banbury before 3am, where they stopped for food.  It became colder and the fields and hedgerows were covered in frost as they made good headway to Warwick at 5am, reaching Kenilworth for breakfast, with a temperature of 2 degrees being noted en-route.  The riders eventually reaching Meriden in good time for the service at 9.45am.

The service was attended by eight thousand cyclists. This was the fifteenth annual service for the cyclists who gave their lives in the Great War and was conducted by the Rev. Tom Bracebridge, vicar of Meriden, with the Rev. Richard Lee a Unitarian minister at Coventry.  “Peace” was the subject of the address; appropriate given what was happening in Europe at the time.  Both the “Last Post” and “Reveille” were sounded and in conclusion the National Anthem.

The riders left for Newbury in the rain, back through Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon.  The rain eased soon after lunch and they stopped on the way for tea in Eynsham again.  They arrived back in Newbury after 23 hours and 175 miles of riding.

First Touring Weekend to Cheddar

The earliest record of the club holding a touring weekend was on the Sunday and Monday of Easter in 1928 when four club members had a tour to Cheddar in the west country.  The night was spent in Axbridge with the run back via Wells, Frome, Trowbridge, Devizes and Marlborough, before heading back to Newbury and 160 miles.

Run to Stonehenge

A report of a club run on Sunday February 19th, 1928, described a ride which seven club riders took to Stonehenge via Whitchurch, Andover and Amesbury, where they had lunch.  After visiting the stones, the riders returned via Amesbury again, Netheravon, Pewsey, Oare and Marlborough for tea, before eventually arriving back in Newbury at 8 o’clock after 80 miles.

All Night Run to St. Albans

At the end of June 1928, presumably to take advantage of the short night, the club held an all-night ride leaving the marketplace at midnight for a run to St Albans for breakfast.  After spending a couple of hours visiting the cathedral, clock tower and Round House (“said to be the oldest Inn in England”), the return route was via Watford, Rickmansworth, Uxbridge, West Drayton, eventually arriving in Newbury after 150miles.

Club Run to the Chilterns

Mid-September 1929 the club’s Sunday run was to the Chilterns, again turning in a ride of 80 miles.  Leaving Newbury at 9.15am they returned at 10pm, having lunch at the Fleur-de-Lys Hotel in Stokenchurch and tea at Sonning on the way home. A total of seventeen turning up for tea; presumably the “short” ride also met up with the “longer” ride.

Camping Weekend to Bucklebury and Hayling Island

The camping section of the club held a week-end camp at Southend, near Bucklebury a few miles from Newbury at the end of June 1929.  The cyclists left camp at 8.30am on the Sunday morning to meet other members for a run to Woodstock in Oxfordshire.  After lunch the cyclists took a walk in the grounds of Blenheim Palace before leaving at 3pm for home.  Tea was at Dorchester, a popular stop for the club, arriving back at 9pm having covered 82 miles.  The following weekend the camping section left Newbury at 3pm on Saturday afternoon for a run to Hayling Island on the south coast with Saturday night spent camping at Bishops Waltham.  The club had split into two groups, the first group arrived at the campsite and pitched in the early evening with the second pitching at midnight, which must have meant a short night’s sleep as they had to rise for breakfast at 6am.  After breakfast the riders continued to Fareham and Havant reaching the island at 11 o’clock.  The riders started their return journey at 2.30pm via Havant and Portsdown Hill eventually reaching Newbury at 10 o’clock after 126 miles.

Last Club Run of 1930 Season

The last club run mentioned in the Newbury Weekly News in 1930, was a ride at the end of September to “Old Sarum” and Salisbury.  The run left Newbury at 8am along the Bath Road to Hungerford, then taking the road to Shalbourne, Garfton, Collingbournes and Tidworth.  After riding through the park, the cyclists went on to Cholderton and Winterbourne Gunner.  They arrived at Old Sarum having covered 35 miles and refreshments.  After spending time to visit the Cathedral in Salisbury the group left for home at 3.45pm, calling at Middle Wallop for tea.  Following a 27-mile ride into the wind they arrived home at 9.15 pm and 76 miles.

Club Run to Hampton Court

On April 3rd, 1932, the club run went to Hampton Court.  Arriving at Hampton Court the cyclists entered via the Lion Gate and followed a walk around the maze.  On the return journey they visited Waltham Church completing an unspecified milage before their return.

Cotswolds All Night Ride

Newbury Road Club held an all-night ride to the Cotswolds in August 1933.  Starting at 11pm on Saturday 20th, the ride from the marketplace went to Bidford-on-Avon in Warwickshire.  The route went via East Ilsley to Oxford, then passing through Witney and to Burford and then Stow-on-the-Wold where they stopped to admire the sunrise.  Following a route through Morton and Burton-on-the-Hill, a glorious panorama met the cyclists before they dropped down to the Avon Valley and Bidford for breakfast.  Following breakfast, the cyclists went to Stratford where they rested up taking in the sights including a trip on the river.  The return journey took them via Shipston-on-Stour, Long Compton and Chipping Norton, Woodstock and eventually Eynsham where other members of the club met them for afternoon tea.  From there they enjoyed a ride home to Newbury having completed 155 miles and arriving back at 8.45pm.

Cheddar Touring Weekend

Touring has always been a popular activity for club members and the connection with the C.T.C. in the early years reinforces that.  At the end of April in 1935 the club had a two-day tour to Cheddar.  The cyclists left Newbury at 8 o’clock on Easter Sunday reaching Cheddar at 5 o’clock.  After tea some of the club climbed to the highest point of the Gorge to enjoy the views of the Mendips and the Bristol Channel.  Riders then went into Gough’s Caves famous for its stalactites and stalagmites.  At 9.30pm the cyclists found their lodgings for the night having covered 80 miles.

The second day the riders left Cheddar for Wookey Hole to investigate the caves after which they rode to Wells and climbed the Cathedral Tower.  After 160 miles the club arrived back in Newbury on Monday evening.

All Night Ride to Wye Valley

Night rides by the road club were common, as has been reported earlier.  On Saturday August 24th, 1935, at 11pm the club started an all-night ride to the Wye Valley.  The route took the riders through Hungerford, Aldbourne, Cricklade and Cirencester, which they reached in the early hours of Sunday morning.  After a steady climb of Birdlip Hill they arrived in Gloucester for refreshments.  They put their lights out at Ross where a further stop was made beside the Wye, eventually arriving at Symonds Yat at 6.30am for breakfast.

After Symonds Yat the cyclists went on to Newnham, dropping from a height of 650ft they descended to the town and the River Severn where they crossed the estuary in a ferry.  The group then struggled through wet sands, a farmyard and fields before emerging on the main road from Bristol to Gloucester.  Lunch was taken in Stroud and after climbing over the Cotswolds they reached Cirencester 13 hours after their first visit.  Tea was taken in Lechlade before returning home via Wantage and Shefford, eventually covering 160 miles.

Castle Coombe Winter Run

The first run of Winter 1935 was held on October 6th with a ride to Castle Coombe.  The ride was predominantly along the Bath Road via Hungerford, Marlborough, then via Silbury Hill and on to Beckhampton over the Downs via the Calne White Horse and on to Chippenham, before eventually taking a swift descent to Castle Coombe which was described as “the most beautiful village in England”. After lunch the riders visited the church, decorated for the harvest festival, dating from 1207, and did some site seeing of the ancient houses and the triple stone arched bridge over the River Wavering, the village being screened from the “busy” Bath Road.  The return journey was by way of many minor roads through Laycock and other small “hamlets” until reaching West Lavington for tea.  Lights up soon approached and the cyclists enjoyed a moonlight journey back to Newbury.

Reliability Trial - 100 miles in 8 Hours

Sunday 15th June 1929 Newbury Road Club and local members of the C.T.C. held their first reliability trial, the challenge being to cover 100 miles in eight hours with compulsory stops.  Reliability trials were a test of the reliability of both rider and machine and are still actively promoted by many clubs today.  The trial started on the Bath Road at a point nine miles east of Newbury at 9.00am.  The first part of the route was through Pangbourne, Wallingford, Dorchester and then on to Oxford after 30 miles.  The riders completed this first stretch 30 minutes inside their schedule.  After a 25-minute stop in Oxford, the route then went through Abingdon and Steventon, before ending up in East Ilsley for lunch after 47 miles.  The route then took the riders south back to Newbury where they struggled against a strong south westerly making the ride quite tough going.  The riders were now two minutes behind schedule and had to repair a puncture, which they seemed to repair in record time as they only lost a further eight minutes!  The route then took them west along the Bath Road through Hungerford to the Savernake Forest, just east of Marlborough, and after 73 miles the riders were now 20 minutes behind schedule.  The return to Hungerford was very quick, presumably aided by a strong westerly, as they were now only two minutes behind time and after a twenty-minute stop at the Red Lion Hotel they were now just five minutes behind schedule, they continued at pace arriving in Newbury after 90 miles with five minutes in hand.  The pace continued until the finish at Aldermaston with seven riders out of the nine who started completing the ride in the allotted time.

Once again in 1930 the club held its hardriders reliability trial, in July, with six members taking part.  The route followed was the same as the previous year and again the wind seemed to impact progress on the stretch to Savernake Forest, but the riders made up their losses on the return leg to Newbury and the finish, where the riders completed the test twenty-two minutes inside the qualifying time.

In 1933 the annual reliability trial was held a little earlier in June.  The riders left from the first milestone west of Newbury and under favourable weather were able to reach Pangbourne ten minutes inside schedule.  The riders following the route as previously before eventually being afflicted by the puncture bug at Hungerford and after a break to repair punctures they continued to the 17th milestone west of Newbury at Savernake Forest, still well ahead of schedule.  The cyclists finally completed the ride in seven hours and twenty minutes, with all those who started finishing the ride.

In 1934 the event was held on August 12th.  The ride started from the sixth milestone east of Newbury at 8.30am.  The route once again taking riders through Pangbourne, Wallingford and Dorchester to Oxford where they were 24 minutes inside schedule.  They were met by a strong head wind and heavy rain on the leg back to Newbury but a stop in East Illsley saw them only a minute outside their schedule.  After a twenty-minute stop for refreshments they continued to complete the leg back to Newbury which was at 59 miles.  The second outward leg from Newbury took the riders through Hungerford to the turn at Savernake Forest at the 17th milestone west of Newbury which was reached at 2.30pm, 13 minutes behind schedule.  The turn home saw the wind in their favour, passing Hungerford two minutes outside schedule before passing the “Halfway” Inn where they were now four minutes inside.  After a twenty-minute rest for tea they finished at the seventh milestone west of Newbury 24 minutes inside their scheduled time.

Time Trial Results 1925

Whilst few records of club runs exist for 1925 and 1926, records are available for the time trials the club promoted within the club archive.  During the early years the club held a handful of races but given the membership numbers this was something of an achievement; a total of ten riders turned out for the first race on July 5th, however, in the first few years the club would typically have had a maximum of six riders at the start line, and in many cases fewer, possibly only two or three starters.  E.L. Bance would often act as timekeeper for these events in the early years.

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
5th July	25 miles	F. Parker (1:14:55)	S. Smith (1:16:00)	E. Smith & A.J. Tarrant (1:16:30)
	Handicap	F. Parker (6:00)	S. Smith (3:30)	R. Churches (6:00)
5th August	5 miles	E.L. Bance (13:34)	T. Jones (14:08)	S. Smith (15:07)
18th October	25 miles	T. Jones (1:16:00)	E. L. Bance (1:16:15	S. Harrington (1:18:30)

Time Trial Results 1926

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
25th April	25 miles	L. Towner (1:10:28)	A.J. Tarrant (1:11:47)	E.L. Bance (1:13:07)
	Handicap	A. Tarrant (6:00)	E.L. Bance (5:45)	L. Jones (10:30)
9th May	10 miles	A.J. Tarrant (28:04)	T. Jones (28:26)	E.R. Bance (31:41)
13th June	50 miles 1	A.J. Tarrant (2:27:30)	E.L. Bance (2:30:23)	S. Smith (2:36:11)
4th July	25 miles	A.J. Tarrant (1:10:31)	E. L. Bance (1:11:30)	T. Jones (1:12:23)
3rd October	25 miles	S. Harrington (1:10:32)	E.L. Bance (1:11:22)	A.J. Tarrant (1:13:08)

During 1926 Sid Smith and S. Harrington also rode the West London Cycling Association 12-hour time trial, each riding 125 miles, setting a club record.

Time Trial Results 1927

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
3rd April	25 miles	A.J. Tarrant (1:11:18)	W. Chivers (1:12:29)	T. Williams (1:13:32)
8th May	50 miles	A. J. Tarrant (2:28:18)	S. Harrington (2:41:28)	W. Chivers (2:46:30)
26th June	100 miles	A.H. Tarrant (5:40:57)	S. Harrington 1 (5:50:26)	T. Williams (6:28:14)
	Handicap	S. Harrington (10:00)	A. J. Tarrant (scr)
7th August	50 miles	T. Williams 2 (2:27:42)	S. Harrington (2:35:24)	Two starters
	Handicap	T. Williams (14:00)
9th October	25 miles	A. H. Tarrant 3 (1:9:23)	T. Williams (1:9:46)	S. Harington (1:11:34)
	Handicap	T. Williams (1:00)	A. J. Tarrant (scr)	S. Harrington (1:00)

1 First Handicap 

2 First Handicap

3 First NRC rider under 1 hour 10 minutes, new club record

Sunday May 15th,1927 riders went to the dinner of the West London Cycling Association, WLCA, in Woodley near Reading, where A.H. Tarrant attended having had a good ride in the WLCA 50 recording a time of 2 hours 32minutes 12s although slower than his previous club ride due to a strong westerly wind and rain.

Time Trial Results 1928

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
17th June 1	25 miles	T. Williams (1:10:13)	E.R. Bance (1:13:46)	B. Starkey (1:13:50)

1 The order on handicap was E. Bance, B. H. Starkey and S. Smith

12-Hour Time Trial

Sunday 12th August 1928, Reading Wheelers C.C. promoted a 12-hour time trial, and B. H. Starkey of Newbury Road Club recorded 201 ½ miles, beating the previous club record held by Sid Smith, of 125 miles.  He also took second place in the handicap competition and qualified for the “silver standard”.

Time Trial Results 1929

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
11th August	25-miles	T. Williams (1:9:9)	B.H. Starkey (1:10:32)	F. Page (1:11:34)
	Handicap	A. Page (5:00)	E. Thorn (9:00)	S. Harrington,(3:00) T. Williams (scr)
6th October	25 miles	A. Page (1:08:03)	B. Starkey (1:09:36)	W. Butler 1 (1:11:26)

1 First Handicap

T. Williams 1hr 9min 9sec, N.R.C. 25 1929

Photograph courtesy Mark Letters, Banjo Cycles

Starkey Rides 100-Mile Time Trial

July 14th,1929, B.H. Starkey rode a 100-mile time trial promoted by the Reading Wheelers C.C. recording the third fastest time of 5:18:32, which with a handicap of 38 minutes was enough to give him the first handicap prize.

Time Trial Results 1930

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
27th April	25-miles 1	C. Westripp (1:07:36)	A. Cushing (1:08:04)	B. Starkey (1:09:04)
	Handicap	B. King (4:10)	B. Starkey (2:15)	A. Cushing (1:00)
1st June	50 miles 2	A. Page (2:27:24)	B. Starkey (2:29:08)	C. Westripp (2:31:22)
14th September	25 miles 3	A. Page (1:07:52)	A. Cushing (1:10:15)	C. Westripp (1:11:18)
	Handicap	E. R. Bance (7:00)	A. Cushing (1:00)

1. B. King first handicap with a plus of 4mins 10s and an actual time of 1:10:45

2. Starkey Challenge 50-mile time trial

3. Championship 25-mile trial

The Championship 25-mile race held in September took place on the Bath Road, as indeed were most clubs races, the conditions were fast but several riders, including the Starkey brothers and Westripp suffered punctures, causing the brothers to retire and Westripp’s time to suffer accordingly.

In addition to the scratch race, there was a handicap event, won by E.R. Bance, and a novice race, won by G. Wickens (1:12:17) set to become a star in future years.

Time Trial Results 1931

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
29th March	25-miles	C. Westripp (1:09:37)	B. Starkey (1:12:26)	G. Starkey 1 (1:14:07)
	Handicap	G. Starkey (5:00)	C. Westripp (scr)	B. Starkey (2:00)
16th August	50 miles	B. Starkey (2:25:23)	A. Cushing (2:31:45)	J. Nelson (2:35:12)
20th September	25 miles 2	B. Starkey (1:10:35)	C. Westripp (1:11:22)	P. Green (1:13:15)
	Handicap	P. Green (8:00)	F. Morgan (13:00)	B. Starkey (2:00)

1. Also won first handicap

2. Championship 25-mile time trial

Racing reports in the Newbury Weekly News were scarce in 1931.  The only report related to the 25-mile time trial held at the end of March.

Time Trial Results 1932

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
20th March 1	50-miles	B.H. Starkey (2:27:24)	E.R. Bance (2:33:38)	C. Westripp (2:35:40)
4th  September 2	25 miles	P. Green (1:09:26)	J. Nelson (1:11:29)	B. Starkey (1:12:06)
	Handicap	J. Ball (14:00)	P. Green (5:00)	J. Nelson (4:30)
25th  September 3	25 miles	P. Green (1:09:10)	B. Starkey (1:09:41)	F. Pomroy (1:13:35)
	Handicap	F. Pomroy (5:00)	B. Starkey (1:00)	F. Morgan (6:00)

1. Starkey Challenge 50-mile time trial

2. Championship 25-mile time trial

3. Burns Handicap 25-mile time trial

Burns Handicap Cup/ Guildhall Trophy

In 1891 the Rt. Hon. The Earl of Carnarvon (Patron of the Guildhall Club) presented the Guildhall Cycling Club with a three-guinea silver Challenge cup which was awarded to the winner of a two-mile handicap race for club riders held on the grounds of Newbury Cricket Club.  This was competed for by the Guildhall Cycling Club until it folded in the early 1900’s. The Challenge cup was once again brought into use by the cyclists of Newbury Road Club in 1932 when they held a 25-mile handicap time trial.  The trophy having been presented to the Club by Councillor C.W. Burns, who had been actively involved with the Guildhall Club and indeed won the trophy himself in 1894.

The first instance of the cup being competed for was in 1932.  Riders started at 7.30 am on September 25th.  Mr E.L. Bance was the timekeeper and P. Green was off scratch.  The wind was a southerly, so the riders had no benefit in either direction, but nonetheless they achieved good times for the conditions.  F. Pomroy won first handicap and was the first Newbury Road Club winner of the trophy.  P. Green was fastest scratch rider with a time of 1:09:10.

Mr C.W. Burns with the Guildhall Challenge Cup at a Newbury Road Club Dinner (Newbury Weekly News, March 1959)

Time Trial Results 1933

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
2nd April 1	25 miles	G. Wickens (1:12:31)	P. Green (1:15:12)	B. Starkey (1:15:30)
	Handicap	G. Wickens (3:00)	J. Ball (4:30)	C.N. Gerhardt (5:00)
14th May	30 miles	P. Green (1:21:52)	B. Starkey (1:25:41)	J. Ball (1:27:13)
	Handicap	J. Ball (6:00)	P. Green (scr)	F. Pomroy (3:00)
2nd July 2	50 miles	P. Green (2:23:44)	F. Pomroy (2:31:07)	N. Gerrard (2:34:10)
	Handicap	P. Green (scr)	N. Gerrard (9:00)	F. Pomroy (5:00)
30th July 3	25 miles	G. Wickens (1:08:34)	P. Green (1:08:41)	J. Ball (1:10:31)
	Handicap	G. Wickens (3:15 mins)	N. Gerrard (5 mins)	J. Ball (3:30 mins)
27 August 4	25 miles	G. Wickens (1:07:08)	P. Green (1:07:11)	J. Ball (1:09:03)
	Handicap	J. Denness (6:30)	G. Wickens (scr)	P. Green (scr)

1. Low gear time trial restricted to 63 inches, held on the Bath Road

2. Starkey Challenge 50-mile time trial

3. Burns Handicap 25-mile time trial

4. Championship 25-mile time trial

Bath Road 100-Time Trial, 1933

A 100-mile time trial was promoted by the Bath Road Club and held on the “Bath Road” included many members of the Road Club.  The race was won by the legendary F. W. Southall (Norwood Paragon) who won for the fifth time in four hours 30 minutes 10s, which was a record time!  No times were reported for Newbury riders in the newspaper.

Time Trial Results 1934

The first time-trial of the year was the early season low gear 25-mile time trial.  The gear was restricted to 63 inches and the course was on the Bath Road from the Swan Bridge to one mile east of Theale and back.  The outward leg was wind assisted so conditions were tough.  The winner was G. Wickens. In 1934 the club held a full calendar of events during the season and B. White won his first ever club time trial on 19th August.

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
15th April	25 miles 1	G. Wickens (1:11:07)	C.N. Gerhardt  (1:13:14)	J. Prior (1:15:55)
	Handicap	C. N. Gerhardt (3mins)	G. Wickens (scr)	J. Prior (4:30 mins)
13th May	30 miles	G. Wickens (1:23:38)	B. Starkey (1:25:18)	F. Pomroy (1:26:16)
	Handicap	F. Pomroy (5:30)	R. Tull (6:00)	J. Prior (7:00)
15th July 2	50 miles	G. Wickens (2:26:04)	J. Ball (2:33:20)	J. Prior (2:34:10)
	Handicap	G. Wickens (scr)	J. Prior (8 mins)	J. Ball (6:30)
19h August 3	25 miles	B. White (1:09:26)	G. Wickens (1:09:31)	J. Ball (1:09:36)
	Handicap	B. White (5:00)	J. Prior (7:00)	R. Tull (5:00)
9th September 4	25 miles	B. White (1:09:18)	R. Birks (1:12:02)	J. Ball (1:12:58)
	Handicap	B. Birks (3:15)	B. White (scr)	T. Nelson (5:00)

1. Low gear time trial restricted to 63 inches, held on the Bath Road between Swan Bridge and Theale

2. Starkey Challenge 50-mile time trial

3. Burns Handicap 25-mile time trial

4. Championship 25-mile time trial

West London Cycling Association (WLCA) 100 TT

Newbury riders enjoyed time trialling at all distances, and in August 1934 both Wickens and Gerhardt completed the West London C.A. 12-hour time trial, recording 214 and 203 ¾ miles respectively.

Time Trial Results 1935

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
14th April 1	25 miles	R. Birks (1:10:10)	B. Starkey (1:11:49)	F. Pomroy (1:12:43)
	Handicap	R. Birks (3:00)	F. Pomroy (4:30)	B. Starkey (2:00)
2nd June	30 miles	R. Birks (1:23:06)	F. Pomroy (1:24:55)	C.N. Gerhardt (1:26:01)
	Handicap	R. Birks (0:30)	F. Pomroy (1:30)	C.N. Gerhardt  (2:15)
14th July 2	50 miles	B. Starkey (2:25:08)	R. Birks (2:26:58)	R. Tull (2:28:48)
	Handicap	B. Starkey (2:00)	R. Birks (scr)	R. Tull (4:00)
11h August 3	25 miles	B. Starkey (1:08:59)	C.N. Gerhardt (1:10:27)	R. Tull (1:10:38)
	Handicap	B. Starkey (2:00)	C.N. Gerhardt (3:00)	R. Tull (2:00)
15th September 4	25 miles	G. Wickens (1:08:20)	B. White (1:09:57)	R. Birks (1:10:33)
	Handicap	T. Perring (9:00)	G. Wickens (scr)	B. White (1:00)

1. First awarding of the Smith Handicap Shield, presented by the secretary Mr. S.J. Smith

2. Starkey Challenge 50-mile time trial

3. Burns Handicap 25-mile Cup

4. Championship 25-mile time trial

Starkey Trophy 50-mile Time Trial

In 1935 the 50-mile time trial for the Starkey Cup was held in July and a detailed report of the race was written up in the Newbury Weekly News.  The course started from a point half a mile west of Newbury, travelling east along the Bath Road to the turn at Theale at (12 ½ miles).   The riders retraced along the Bath Road with the second turn two miles west of Froxfield and then the course took them back to the start.

Burns 25-mile TT 1935

The Burns Handicap 25-mile time trial took place on August 11th, the course was the “usual” one starting at a point a mile east of Newbury on the Bath Road and continuing to Calcot (12 ½ miles), where they turned and retraced back to the start.

Great West Road Time Trial and other Place-to-Place Records

The club first held a race to the Great West Road and back, a daunting 90 miles, in 1925 on 4th October.  The race was won by S. Harrington who recorded a time of 5:07:52.

The first brief report in the Newbury Weekly News, however, was in 1927, which was won by T. Williams in 4:59:31 with A. Tarrant two minutes behind also beating the previous years’ time.

In 1928 the race was held a little earlier on August 26th.  B.H. Starkey put up a great ride, there being competition with last year’s winner, Williams, who was leading for much of the race, but when 30 miles from home Williams had an attack of cramp of which Starkey was able to take advantage.  At 20 miles Starkey had a lead of 6 ¾ minutes, Williams then punctured one mile from Newbury, which lost him more time and Starkey was once again able to take advantage of his misfortune, finally recording times of 4:47:46 and 4:57:19, both riders beating the previous club record.

The 1929 race was held at the start of September.  The field included the winners from the two previous years T. Williams (1927) and B.H. Starkey (1928), although it was expected that a new club rider C.D. Westripp may spoil the party.  Riders were despatched at 3-minute intervals.   At the Great West Road, Williams had a minute lead over Starkey with Westripp leading the field by three minutes.  After the turn they faced a strong westerly wind on the way home which was to the benefit of Starkey who started to pull away from the rest.  One competitor got lost ending up in Ascot, however the rest managed to follow the course without a hiccup. Mr. E.L. Bance was timekeeper.

The annual Great West Road and back time trial was held in August in 1930.  This year there was a close finish between B. Starkey and C. Westripp, with the latter winning by one second! 

There was no report of the Great West Road time trial of 1931 in the Newbury Weekly News, but there appears to have been only one rider making the effort to turn up for the race.

At the AGM in 1932, there was a “strong protest” against the Great West Road 90-mile time trial and this race was discontinued and substituted with a 30-mile race. 

4th October 1925	90 miles	S. Harrington (5:07:52)	E.L. Bance (5:09:17)	A. Jerrald (5:13:54)
12th September 1926	90 miles	A.J. Tarrant (5:25:30)	F. Parker (5:27:13)	T. Jones (5:29:46)
11th September 1927	90 miles	T. Williams (4:59:31)	A.H. Tarrant (5:1:31)	S. Harrington (5:8:36)
1st August 1928	90 miles	B. Starkey (4:47:46)	T. Williams (4:57:19)	S. Smith (6:00:00)
18th August 1929	90 miles	B. Starkey (4:38:00)	T. Williams (4:43:00)	C. Westripp (4:59:06)
17th August 1930	90 miles	C. Westripp (4:34:26)	B. Starkey (4:34:27)	A. Page (4:42:10)
6th September 1931	90 miles	B. Starkey (4:39:08)	Only rider

Place -to-place records were popular within the club, although the Great West Road and back stopped in 1931, club members continued to challenge the Reading or Hungerford and back records pre-war.  Record attempts were made on solo and tandem.  These days few attempts are made and indeed the traffic and road furniture may preclude attempts being made on these records going forward into the future.

1926	Newbury to Hungerford & Back	Eddie Bance	48:03
20/06/1927	Newbury to Hungerford & Back	S. Harrington	45:12
18/9/1930	Newbury to Hungerford & Back	C. Westripp	43:57

20/06/1927	Newbury to Hungerford & Back	A.J. Tarrant & E.L. Bance	42:15 (Tandem)
08/06/1930	Newbury to Hungerford & Back	E.R. Bance & A. Page	40:50 (Tandem)

11/07/1926	Newbury to Reading & Back	L. Towner	1:38:50
01/07/1930	Newbury to Reading & Back	C. Westripp	1:29:14
05/06/1933	Newbury to Reading & Back	P. Green	1:27:08

First Hill Climb Championship

The first report of a club hill climb championship being held was reported in the Newbury Weekly News on January 16th, 1930.  The club used the climb at Elm Down Hill, which has an average gradient of one in eight, (also known as Spring Hill by Club members today) near Ramsbury, west of Hungerford.  Apparently, the race in 1930 was not well supported with only the Starkey brother taking part and in 1933 there were only three competitors.

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
12th January 1930	560 yards	B. Starkey (2:29)	G. Starkey (5:58)
23rd October 1932	560 yards	B. Starkey (2:23)	G. Starkey (2:29)	P. Green (2:30)
24th September 1933	560 yards	P. Green (3:15)	J. Nelson (3:24)	A. Cushing (3:25)

Rough Riders

According to the Newbury Weekly News The club started its annual “rough-riders” event in March 1931.  The course varied from year to year but in 1932 the organisers had arranged a new course which had some “stiff gradients” to test the climbing skills of the competitors.  The route started from Long Lane, Hermitage, taking them to Yattendon via Frilsham, along the Pangbourne Road to Slade Gate and then via various lanes to Stanford Dingley.  The competitors then rode up a steep hill to Bucklebury Common, crossing the road to the “Blade Bone” Inn and then taking the lane to Upper Woolhampton finally finishing near the Bath Road.  The winner was G. Wickens in 49 minutes 15s, followed by C. Westripp in 53 minutes 10s.  The club then had tea in Sonning.

In 1933 the clubs Rough Riders event was held on Sunday 5th March. This was a seven-mile cross country course held in Hampshire, south of Newbury.  There were eight competing.  The course was held over Newtown Common, Penwood and Burghclere fully testing the rough riding capabilities of the riders. The winner was G. Wickens in 28minutes 36s, second P. Green in 29 minutes and third A. Page in 29minutes 50s. Following the trial, the riders held a short run to Kingsclere for tea.

Date	Distance	First	Second	Third
22nd March 1931	Rough Riders	C. Westripp (53:30)	B. Starkey (55:00)	B. King (58:00)
20th March 1932	Rough Riders	G. Wickens (49:15)	C. Westripp (53:10)	Ed Bance (54:39)
5th March 1933	Rough Riders	G. Wickens (28:36)	P. Green (29:00)	A. Page (29:50)
25th March 1934	Rough Riders	G. Wickens (22:25)	C. Gerhardt (24:00)	E. Nelson (25:00)

Annual General Meetings

In 1927 a brief report of the annual general meeting can be found in the Newbury Weekly News.  At the meeting the cup for the winner of the race from Newbury to the Great West Road and back was presented to the winner, T. Williams.  Certificates were also handed to the club’s record breakers and prizes for club run attendance.  E.R. Bance was first with 47 points, S.J. Smith second with 46 points and third was L. Mason with 45.  They concluded the meeting with a “singsong” and arrived back in Newbury at 10.45pm.

The 1928 the club annual general meeting was held in Reading in February.  Mr Towner was elected chairman; Mr Smith honorary secretary and treasurer and Mr Sharman runs secretary.  E.L. Bance and L. Jones were also elected to serve on the committee.  Afterwards the club held a social evening arriving back in Newbury late once again.

The annual general meeting in 1930 was held at the end of January at the Red Lion Hotel, Theale with most members attending.  The secretary spoke positively about the status of the club in his report and the accounts showed a surplus of £3, up from 15s the previous year, expenditure for the year had been £6.  The officers elected for the year were E.R. Bance, captain, J. Nelson, vice-captain; Starkey, Page, Gerrard and Westripp, were elected committee members with S.J. Smith re-elected to the post of Honorary Secretary and presumably treasurer.

The annual meeting of 1931 was held a little closer to home at the “Angel” Hotel in Woolhampton.  Mr C. Luff was elected chairman in place of Mr. L. Dawes.  The “report” was passed but showed a balance in hand of only £1, down on last year, but apparently there were membership fees to come in.  Officers elected for the year were Mr. C. Luff, chairman, Mr. R. Sharman, honorary runs secretary, Mr. E.R. Bance, captain; and committee members were Nelson, Gerrard and Wickens; Mr. S. J. Smith was again elected honorary general secretary.  The cup for the 50-mile time trial, which had been given by Mr. Starkey, was presented to Mr A Page.

Starkey 50 Trophy

The membership also discussed finding a club room for a weekly meeting, and to publish a “small” magazine but no evidence of this remains today.

It was not until 1932 that the club held its annual meeting in Newbury, on this occasion at the “George and Dragon” Hotel in Northbrook Street at the end of January.  It was well attended.  One of the main events of the meeting was the election of the first president of the club Mr. R. Clifford, a local councillor who would later become Mayor of Newbury in 1936.  Mr. C. Luff was re-elected chairman and the club decided to have joint secretaries, Messers. Bance and Smith.  George Wickens was elected club captain with P Green as his vice-captain.  R. Sharman, N. Gerrard and F. Morgan were also elected to the committee.  Apparently, there was a “strong protest” against the Great West Road 90-mile time trial, and this would subsequently be substituted with a 30-mile event with a “cup to be awarded”.  Two 25-mile time trials and a 50-mile event would also be held the following season with a 15-mile “rough riders” test to be held on March 20th.

In 1933 the club AGM was held at the start of February at the “George and Dragon” Hotel again.  At the start the chairman, Mr. C. Luff, gave a presentation of a silver cigarette case, to Mr. S.J. Smith on behalf of the club members for his services to the club.

The secretaries report showed the club had a “good balance”, but full details were not presented in the newspaper.  Councillor R.C. Gifford was elected president again, and Councillor C.W. Burns, who had presented the Guildhall Trophy to the club, was elected vice-president as indeed was Mr Starkey who had also given a 50-mile trophy.  The chairman being re-elected into his post; G. Wickens was re-elected as captain and N. Gerrard as vice-captain.  E.L. Bance, P. Green and J. Dennes were elected to the committee.  The club decided that they would hold three 25-mile time trials, a 50 a 30 and 15-mile rough riders’ event.  Finally, the season would finish with a hill climb.

The 1934 AGM of Newbury Road Club was again held at the “George and Dragon” Hotel in Newbury.  Councillor R.C. Clifford was again appointed club president and Councillor C.W. Burns vice-president.  Mr. C. Luff was re-elected as chairman with Messers. Bance and Smith as joint honorary secretaries.  Club captain was C.N. Gerhardt and F. Morgan vice-captain with the remainder of the committee, Wickens, Green and Prior.  E.L. Bance and R. Sharman were elected as timekeepers.  Although no specifics were given apparently the club was in good shape and had a “good balance in the bank”, although it sounds as though there was less interest in the “road sport”.  At the meeting close the Chairman stated that “he hoped the membership would improve in 1934 and that the club would have full local support”.

The 1935 AGM was also held at the end of January at the “George and Dragon” Hotel in Newbury.  The balance sheet showed that the club was £2 better off than 1933.  R. C. Clifford and C.W. Burns were re-elected as President and Vice-President respectively.  C. Luff was elected chairman and E.R. Bance and S. Smith joint secretaries.  Other committee members were F. Morgan, J. Ball and N. Gerhardt with G. Wickens as captain and R. Tull vice-captain. The club decided to affiliate to the N.C.U. and the West London C.A. 

Annual Prize Presentation

At the end of November 1929, the Road Club held its prize presentation at the Red Lion Hotel in Theale.  Unfortunately, the Chairman, Mr L. Towner, was unable to attend due to illness and so Mr L. Dawes gave a speech to thank all the prize winners of 1929.  The prizes were presented by Miss Drew of Reading who had been attending the club run during the year, although at this time ladies were not admitted to membership of the club. The cyclists left at 8.30pm and arrived home at 10 o’clock.

In 1934 the annual prize presentation was held at the “George and Dragon” Hotel at the end of November.  Proceedings started when the President Councillor Clifford and the Vice-President, Mayor C. W. Burns arrived.  The mayor then took over the proceedings for the evening.  The most notable prize winner for the year was Mr. G. Wickens who won two cups, two certificates and three medals. The cups were for the 30-mile and 50-mile time trials, a certificate for a rough rider’s test and the other for his 12-hour ride (214miles). Other prize winners were Mr. B. White who, in his first season, won the Burns Handicap Cup and the Championship Cup. 

At the end of August 1935, ten years since the formation of the cycling club, and six years since Miss Drew of Reading, who had presented the annual prizes in 1929, and taken part in club rides – but who was not a club member – Mr S.J. Smith put a short note in the Newbury Weekly News paving the way for ladies to become full members of the club.

Newbury Weekly News, August 29th, 1935

Club Social Activities

Winter Treasure Hunt

The winter season of 1927 began in earnest with a treasure hunt in October organised by the touring section of the club.  Competitors, in pairs, were given a route card with the name of an Inn in the villages they passed through.  The task was to collect the names of the landlords of these establishments.  The course included some of the best-known hills over the Newbury Downs, including Ham, Faccombe and Ashmansworth as well as the villages of Woodhay, Inkpen Common and Ham amongst others.  The winners were E.L. and E.R. Bance in a time of 2 hours 11minutes 50 seconds for the 26-miles.  It was noted that some members felt it necessary to go into the pubs to collect the names of the landlords!  Afterwards the club went on a run via Whitchurch and Basingstoke and then onto Reading for tea.

Paperchase

In April 1927 the club also organised a paperchase.  E.R. Bance and S.J. Smith laid a paper trail over the local fields and ditches for the “hounds” to follow, but the “hares” were obviously too cunning and finished 40 minutes ahead of the chasers.  In the afternoon the club members rode to Reading for the annual prize giving.  The championship prize went to A.H. Tarrant with S. Harrington second and T. Williams third.  The paperchase was obviously quite popular, so one was held the following year on Sunday April 1st, 1928, the route taken being through Speen, Stockcross and across the fields and through the woods to Boxford.  Afterwards there was a run to Lambourn for tea.

Map Reading Competition

Sunday 11th March 1928 the winter events continued with a “speed judging” competition following a run to Marlborough.  F. Williams was the winner.  Afterwards the cyclists visited the “Devil’s Den” and the Marlborough White Horse returning to Marlborough for tea.

At the end of September 1929, the club held a map reading competition over a 22-mile course.  Riders started from the Broadway, teams in pairs leaving at five-minute intervals, The first check was at Greenham Common, and then on to Ashford Hill, Woolhampton. Aldermaston, Sulhampstead and Theale (Pangbourne Lane), with the finish on the way back on Bucklebury Common.  After lunch the club then held a cross country run to Kingsclere, the winner the beneficiary of a free meal with the losers paying!

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the secretaries and press secretaries of Newbury Road Club who have submitted copy to the Newbury Weekly News, which has been abstracted from microfilm copy held at the Newbury Library, in part to provide many of the stories in this chapter.  Time trial results have been abstracted from club records and a debt is owed to the secretaries who have maintained these records which are held in the club archive.  The authors would also like to express gratitude to Gordon Fry for reviewing and proofing the content.

Appendix

Club run list for 1927 abstracted from the Newbury Weekly News (starting from the marketplace):

Date	Destination	Route	Refreshment Stops	Distance
May 1st	Bagshot (8.30 start)	Brimpton, Basingstoke, Hook, Hartley Row, Camberley	Bagshot (Lunch) Whitley Wood (Tea)	85 miles
May 8th	Avebury	Silbury Hill, Savernake Forest	Marlborough (Tea)
May 15th	Woodley		Woodley (Dinner after WLCA 50)
May 22nd	Meridan 1 (10pm start)	Dorchester, Oxford, Debbington, Banbury, Warwick, Stratford, Shipston, Woodstock, Eynsham, Oxford	Kenilworth (Breakfast@7.00) Meridan (Service @10am)Eynsham (Tea)
May 29th	Alton	Whitchurch, Basingstoke, Alton, Odiham, Hook, Whitley Wood	Whitley Wood (Tea)	75 miles
June 5th	Castle Coombe (8.30 start)		Castle Coombe (Lunch) Marlborough (Tea)	90 miles
June 12th	Burford (5.30am start)	Reading, Oxford, Witney	Burford (Lunch) Dorchester (Tea)	152 miles
June 12th	Faringdon (8.30am start)	Shefford, Wantage, Abingdon	Faringdon (Lunch) Dorchester (Tea)
June 26th	Hungerford Newtown	Chilton Foliat	Hungerford Newtown (Tea)	(9.00 return)
July 3rd	Burford	Oxford	Dorchester (Tea)
July 10th	Hog’s Back (8 am start)	Reading, Hook, Odiham, Farnham, Basingstoke, Kingsclere	Farnham (lunch) Odiham (Tea)
July 17th	Pickwick nr Bath	Speen	Marlborough (Tea)	100 miles (8.30 return)
July 24th	Bournemouth (1 am start)		Bournemouth (Breakfast)
August 7th	Reading		Reading (Tea)	(9.00 return)
August 14th	Lechlade 2	Hungerford, Wantage, Faringdon, Lechlade	Lechlade (Lunch) Marlborough (Tea)	80 miles (8.00 return)
August 21st	London (midnight start)
August 28th	Bath (6 am start)	Calne	Bath (Lunch) Calne (Tea)	(9.30 return)
September 4th	Bibury (7am start)	Wantage, Faringdon, Lechlade, Fairford, Bibury, Ashbury, White Horse Hill, Lambourn, Baydon, Hungerford	Bibury (Lunch) Ashbury (Tea)	(9pm return)
September 11th	No run reported
September 18th	Stratford-on-Avon (midnight start)	Abingdon, Witney, Chipping Norton, Blenheim Palace	Stratford (breakfast) Long Compton (Lunch) Woodstock (Tea)	140 miles (8.30 return)
October 9th	Ashbury	Lambourn Downs, Weylands Smithy	Lambourn (Tea)

1 All night ride

2 Curtailed ride due to rain.  Planned for Cirencester.

Club run list 1932:

Date	Destination	Route	Refreshment Stops	Distance
February 21st	Isle of Wight Hill 1, Hampshire	Andover, Middle Wallop, Stockbridge, Sutton Scotney, Worting	Stockbridge (lunch), Worting (tea)
March 6th	Woodborough	Hungerford, Garfton, Pewsey, White Horse, Fyfield, Avebury	Woodborough (lunch) Marlborough (tea)	65 miles
March 13th	Windrush Valley, Burford	Snelsmore Common, Wantage, Faringdon, Burford (Church), Minster Lovel, Witney, Eynsham, Abingdon, Dorchester, Pangbourne	Burford (lunch), Witney (tea)	95 miles (9.45pm home)
April 3rd	Hampton Court	Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Virginia Water, Egham, Staines, Hampton Court, Windsor, Waltham St. Lawrence	Hampton Court (lunch), Waltham St Lawrence (tea)
April 17th	Malmesbury	Hungerford, Swindon, Brinkworth, Malmesbury, Chippenham, Calne	Malmesbury (lunch), Calne (tea)	86 miles
May 22nd	Meridan	Oxford, Deadington, Banbury, Warwick, Kenilworth, Meridan Green, Warwick, Stratford, Shipton, Eynsham	Kenilworth (breakfast), Eynsaham (tea)	170 miles
June 12th	Cotswolds, Bourton-on-the-Water	Snelsmore Common, Wantage, Faringdon, Burford, Bourton, Stow, Burford, Witney, Eynsham, Cumnor, Abingdon, Illsley	Bourton (lunch), Eynsham (tea)	(9.30pm home)
June 19th	Coate Water 2	Hungerford, Chilton Foliat, Aldbourne, Swindon, Foxhill, Wanborough, Coate, Effington	Uffington (tea)
June 26th	St Albans (11pm Saturday)	Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Uxbridge, Watford, St Albans, Wipsnade, Princes Risborough, Watlington, Benson, Wallingford, Goring, Pangbourne	St Albans (breakfast), Benson (tea)
August 21st	Bath (8am)	Silbury Hill, Calne White Horse, Bath, Box Hill, Calne	Bath (lunch), Calne (tea)	100 miles
August 28th	Wye Valley 3	Hungerford, Wanborough, Cirencester, Gloucester, Ross-on-Wye, Symonds Yat, Wanborough, Aldbourne, HungerfordGloucester, Birdlip Hill, Cirencester,	Symonds Yat (breakfast), Cirencester (tea), Hungerford (refreshment)	160 miles
November 13th	Marlow	Maidenhead Thicket, Thames riverside, Winter Hill, Marlow, Henley, Nettlebed, Benson, Wallingford, Goring, Pangbourne	Marlow (lunch), Benson (tea)

1 Unable to climb as on Government property

2 For swimming and boating

3 All night run