Despite the weather, wet and cold, twenty two riders 'competed' in the Boxing Day Ten. Fortunately the rain stopped at 2 minutes to eleven and a more than usual number beat the hour this year; the first time for many. The cause was a pompous landlord at the Bay Horse in Arnold. He wouldn't let anyone in before half eleven and it was cold outside - especially for Don Wilkinson who turned out as a bare-back rider. He gets dafter as he gets older. But Lyn Lockwood did a splendid job again with the whisky and mince pies - what a larker.

Difficult job once more to pick out the fancy dress winners, they were all so good. Judges claimed Neil Cleminshaw but I reckon Paul Kilvington's tiger outfit which he ran up on his sewing machine from some material takes some beating. There was some material left over so he ran one up for Giorgia as well, as a tiger cub. Clowns there were a plenty with Jim and Neil and Graeme and Gil and Brian and Dennis. Three strong men in John Galbraith, Ron Nozedar and Roy Harvey, Roy's getting on a bit, no match for Ron's 7000 kg, he could only lift a large christmas cracker. Ron keeps his strength up at the bar, he only drinks the heavy stuff. Lyn Gay came as the ringmaster, or should it be ringleader (I don't know), and Don came as a bare back rider. I've never seen Don take his shirt off in the summer, whatever possessed him to do it at this time of the year? Most unusual was Rob Stones who came as the Dead Parrot act from Monty Python. He said I didn't tell him what kind of a circus it was but I'm sure I saw the parrot move whilst we were in the pub.

Thanks again to Roy Irvin of Star bikes for the Fancy Dress prizes, and Lyn Lockwood for refreshments.  Also to Paul Kilvington and Mike Frow who both donated to the prizes.

Oh, nearly forgot, the winner was Geoff Rawson, followed by Rob Stones, John Lockwood and Paul Kilvington. All drawn out of a hat of course.

And the result: