ANFIELD BICYCLE CLUB F'ORMED MARCH 1879 PRIVATE AND OON FIO ENTI AL. Monthly Circular Vol. XXII. No. 251. A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. FIXTURES FOR JANUARY, 1927. Light up at Jan. 1 Wrexham (Talbot). Lunch 1-30 p.m. or Tea 6 p.m 5-2 p.m. Halewood (Derby Arm=). Annual General Meeting. Tea 5-30 p.m. 5-10 p.m. Committee Meeting, 7 p.m. (Angel Hotel, Dale Street, Liverpool). Northop {Red Lion). 6 p.ni 5-22 p.m. Pulford (Grosvenor Arms). 6 p.m 5-35 p.m. Sankey (Chapel House). 6 p.m. 5-48 p.m. Feb. Ha'ewood (Derby Arms). 6 p.m. Lantern Evening 6-2 p.m. ALTERNATIVE RUNS FOR MANCHESTER MEMBERS : Tea at 5-30 p.m. Jan. 1 Alderley (TraHord Arms) 5-2 p.m. „ 15 Goosetrey (Red Lion) 5-22 p.m. „ 22 Northwich (Crown and Anchor) 5-35 p.m. Feb. 5 Allostoek (Three Greyhounds) ... 6-2 p.m. Full Moon ... 17th inst. The Hon. Treasurer's address is R. L. Knipe, 108, Moscow Drive, Stoneycrott, Liverpool, but Subscriptions (25/-, under 21 15/-, under 18 5/-, Honorary a minimum Qt 10/-) and Donations (unlimited) to the Prize Fund can be most conveniently made to any Branch of the Bank of Liverpool for credit of th« Anfield Bicycle Club, Tue Brook Branch. 13 Wither* Avenue, © Anfield BicycleRock Ferry, Club Cheshire. COMMITTEE NOTES. January 1st. being a whole holiday for many members, it has been decided that those attending Wrexham on that day for either lunch or tea will count a Club run. As noted above, tea on January 8th. will be at 5-30 p.m. instead of at 6 p.m. A Lantern eveningis being arranged for February 8th. at Halewood, when it is hoped to show a seriesof slides of Airfield doings in the past. Messrs. F. Beckett and A. Crowcroft have been transferred to the Honorary list. Applications for Membership : A. Hancock, Brookhead Farm, Cheadle, Cheshire. Proposed by R. J. Austin. Seconded by G. B. Orrell. E. Shone, 21 Newtown, Whitchurch, Salop. Proposed by N. Turvey. Seconded by H. Austin. Change of Address : N. Turvey, 2 School Terrace, Ackworth, near Pontefract. N. Turvey, Hon. General Secretary. As we go to press we learn with deep regret of the death of Tom Webster on the 27th. December. Webster had undergone an operation for some internal growtli in a nursing home and was believed to be progressing favourably, so that the news of his death came as a great shock. Though joining our ranks only about a year ago, he will be greatly missed. ITEMS. A contemporary announces (in huge black capitals on a blood- red background) : " Jerome K. Jerome on Hell." Of course this is pure pfagairism, at once flagrant and feeble ; for did we not, iu April last (and sober black and white letterpress) present to our subscribers an authoritative report from Our Special Correspondent IX Hell. "'The Owls ' gave a concert to a large number of sailors in the Gordon Smith Institute. The audience were very enthusiastic."— Daily Courier, December 10th. This is distinctly " one up " on Ye Froth Blowers, whose counter move we await in a state of (more or less) breathless anticipation. We purloin the following extract from a letter received by the President from Frank Chandler :— "Ihave found the trike almost as good value relatively as we did last Christmas. The quantity of sand on the roads is more than before, and several times the front wheel has ' given ' without anything © happening.AnfieldIt is also a great Bicycleadvantage with regard to the Clubcutting-in habit and all motors are kept in their place. The pace can be put down as a mile per hour faster than at home, owing to a lighter atmosphere, and an average of 15 m.p.h. over a 25-mile run is quite easy. My usual ride is out to a Japanese hotel on the N.-B. corner of the island. A 4-50 p.m. start brings me the 12£ miles distance in nice time to enjoy the sunset over the Johore Straits, accompanied by a bottle of beer and a pipe. The return journey is made under acetylene ; getting back at 7-45 p.m., just in time to cool down prior to bath and dinner .... The velocipede causes a tre mendous sensation on the island, and I understand the editor of the local Punch is seeking information and an opportunity of making a sketch. The roads are good (though not so good as before) ; mostly tarred and treated with sand and a proportion of bitumen ; the result being a good hard road under a sun's radiation of 150-160 degrees F." December 18th. (Pulford) was an off day for the Club ; two of Ours being involved in crashes—luckily, we are glad to say, without any Very serious consequences (at any rate to the Anfield half of the smash) in either case. Ven was fouled by a cart proceeding lightless after dark and in anything but its right line on the road. The cart attempted to mount Yen's bonnet and biff him in the eye, but Anfielders are not so easily over-ridden and Ven was a comfortable victor in the encounter ; his main casualty being a burst radiator which necessitated his being towed home, as against the complete capsizing of his opponent. The second " affair " was the running down from behind of Lucas shortly after leaving Pulford on the homeward trek. We gather that some brain}' motor-cyclist, after hooking up a local cyclist on his front number plate and heaving him into the ditch, tried an encore oil Lucas, who cer tainly went into the ditch, but nobly guarded the rear of the party and rendered the juggernaut artist hots de combat. Lucas was ha.A\y shaken up and suffered one or two minor injuries, but nothing of a grave or lasting nature. Heading from the C.T.C. Gazette: "Our Growing Strength." And we were really awfully disappointed, y'know, when we found that this wasn't a dissertion on physical fitness by Hubert Roskell. Also from the C.T.C. Gazette : " Three Headquarters Funds." Ye Gods ! We have only one and that's an overdraft. Competition amongst cycle manufacturers has always been keen, even to bitterness, but we have the Editor's authority for saying that, even allowing for a deep and rankling animosity, it is unlikely that the Saxon innovation of wood-plugged fork blades will be countered by certain other makers using steel in the construction of their frames. Messrs. Terry announce that their patent spring saddle " offers no resistance when pedalling." We should like a Terry bicycle. " Hills in 1927," says Cycling, " will be the same as in 1920 and all previous years." Sounds a rather doleful outlook, doesn't it ? There was quite a good Airfield representation at the F.O.T.C. Dinner on December 15th., and our own W.P.C. was responsible for the toast of " The Fellowship," anent which Cycling remarks :"Cook © Anfieldis usually a man of fewBicyclewords ...." 'STREWTH Club! How The Rag Is Run. (With apologies to the Editor of " Cycling.") Unfortunately, a number of present-dav cycling clubs possess a GAZETTE or CLUB CIRCULAR. Among these clubs (most unfortun ately of all) is numbered ours. There is a good deal to be said against the Circular—for details see the Editor's waste paper basket. Apart from the Circular's obvious disadvantage of keeping the Club in a state of ferment borderingon riot, it advertisesthe fixtures and enables various members to make perfectly sure of avoiding a run or helping in a race, it runs up the Club's printing bill and runs down the Editor's health and nervous system, and is a most useful medium for offending members' susceptibilities and brewing trouble of all sorts. The Circular never lives up to its name : it is published in the orthodox rectangular form ; it is not an official organ, and can never be regarded seriously. The Editor is a bumptious, bullying jack-m- office, elected by himself to represent himself, and is an irresponsible young devil to boot. (Anybody trying to boot me will get hurt.—Ed.) Cycling says that the readers of a paperare as much responsible for its quality as is it's Editor. This is a gratuitous insult to the main body of Anfielders. Once the Editor has set aside space for unofficial announcements by various members, spiteful jibes at exalted dieties by obscure but vin dictive misanthropic monomaniacs, and sundry other rubbishy contribu tions, there is no room for sensible accounts of runs or official items of any sort. The result is that only three people read their Circular : (!) TheEditor (because he's iollv well got to). (2) W. P. Cook (to see if he can find any mistakes—so 'that he can gleefully call the Editor's attention to them, and then go hoirie and eat a big dinner). (3) Jim Long(toseeif he canfindanythinginteresting—and of course he is never successful). It has been estimated by a statistician that 97-} % of each issue of the Circular is used solely for pipe lighters, shaving paper, and. other base domestic purposes ; while to add foul insult to wanton injury, BobKuipeis now using the scurrilous sheetas a handy andsolidmounting for his detestable red slips. To A Bicycle BelL The above is the title given to a column of verse in Punch of Decem ber 22nd., and we recommend its perusal to all readers of the Circular.