The family of former club champion Ken Figg have got in touch to share some amazing mementoes of his time with Balham CC. Pictured below are 14 medals, 2 club record plaques, a photo, certificate, club badge, a 1932 Club Handbook and one great photo.
As the medal haul and details from the handbook indicate, 1931 was a stellar year for Ken. The two shields are for the 50 mile and 100 mile records – 2.16 18 and 4.55.40 respectively. The medal shown in detail is for Best Aggregate Club Championship. The club badge we’ve written about before but seeing this one means we can work out the longevity of the design. It was certainly being presented to members in the 20s and 30s. The certificate is for hitting 205 miles on the Anerley BC 12 hour ride, 16 August 1931. The photo above shows Ken finishing the 1931 Westerley Road Club 100 in Pangbourne Lane, Theale, Berkshire where he set a club record of 4.55.40.
Here’s the full list of his achievements taken from the handbook:
Club Road Championship Gold Medal
- 50 Miles, any course: 2.16.18
- 50 Mile, club course: 2.20.16
- 100 Mile, any course: 4.55.40
- 12 Hours, any course: 217 Miles
Aggregate Time 25, 50 and 100 miles
- 8.25.19
Aggregate Points
- 45
1931 Handicap Winners
- 29 March 25 Miles: 1.10.54
- 31 May 50 Miles: 2.20.16
- 12 July 100 Miles: Fastest Loser 4.56.38
- 20 September 25 Miles: 1.08
Record Plaques
- 50 Miles: 2.16.18
- 100 Miles: 4.55.40
Standard Medal Winners
- 25 Miles Gold Standard: 1.07.55
- 50 Miles Gold Standard: 2.21.45
- 100 Miles Gold Standard: 4.55.40
- 12 Hours Gold Standard: 205 Miles
Club Records – Singles
- 50 Miles: 2.16.18
- 100 Miles: 4.55.40
The other medal is for the 1930 Uxbridge unattached novices 25 fastest unpaced not on sprints: Time 1.10.48
The 1932 Handbook is the earliest we’ve seen to date having got our hands on our first and only one back in August 2016 for the 1949 season. It’s the first time we’ve seen Ivydene, Epsom and Tom Smith’s, Crawley listed as Country Quarters and Clarence Hotel, Clapham as Club Room HQ. The handbook also has some intriguing Vice-Presidents, most notably HW Bartlett, WJ Pett and JCP Tacagni which you can read about here.
ADDENDUM 2 March 2018
Photo circa 1935 at 18 Green Wrythe Lane, Carshalton showing Dorothy Figg and her father Sidney Figg with possibly her mother, Beatrice, in the doorway to the flat above their bicycle shop where they lived.
Sources
A big thank you to Martin and Gareth Figg for sharing such a wonderful collection
Further information
The reverse of the photo shows a Cycling Magazine copyright stamp and reference number 3579. If anyone has a copy of the magazine get in touch with us and we’ll pass the info to the Figg family. It would be much appreciated.
Have you or any family members got any club memorabilia from the Balham years? Email me at balhamcyclingclub@btinternet.com or drop me a line in the comments box. I would love to hear from you.
Balham Cycling Club 
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