Inter Branch Striking Competition 2017

The Inter Branch Striking Contest was held at Malvern on Saturday 7th October.

There was a full complement of teams from all three Branches for both the 6, 8 & 10 bell contests and was judged by Becca Meyer & Simon Ridley.

The Website Administrator has edited part of the judges full report circulated by Robin Walker by replacing anonymous team numbers with the branch name to create this news item.

6 bell trophy:

1st Position (NORTHERN) 47 Faults. This was a fast paced performance with consistent leading. There were patches of excellent ringing in the middle of the touch. Low level faults were accumulated when it began to trip, possibly due to pushing a touch too fast. Queens executed especially well.

2nd Position (SOUTHERN) 64 Faults. A good pull out from this team was followed by a variable pace. Patches of good ringing when all the band rang at a consistent speed. Significant faults were picked up from method errors and inaccurate leading.

Failed to complete touch (WESTERN) 37 Faults to stand. This was a steady and very controlled piece of ringing with a good pace and no significant faults. Marred however by significant method mistakes resulting in it being stood before the test piece was complete. Had these mistakes not occurred, and the team completed the test piece at that same standard as they began, they would have been in for a good chance of winning this stage of the competition. Nonetheless, initially a very enjoyable piece of ringing.

8 Bell trophy:

1st Position (WESTERN) 31 faults. This team began with open backstroke leads, however no faults were incurred since they were consistently accurate. We were impressed with how well this team got to grips with the bells right from the outset - especially the front bells which were controlled and accurately placed. We were disappointed the tenor failed to stand at the end - this was the only significant fault for this band. The tenor was rung steadily and consistently, and for a majority of the piece the ringing was of an excellent standard. Best ringing of the day.

2nd Position (SOUTHERN) 48 faults. This team rang at a steady and consistent pace, and the leading was generally good. The ringing got better and better, and there was a phase of about 80 changes in the middle that was of the same standard as the winning team. There was a slight loss of momentum towards the end resulting in some trips and a significant method error in the last 10 rows created several faults. This was disappointing, as the rest of the ringing was good with few errors.

3rd Position (NORTHERN) 58 faults. This piece started with a clean pull out. Tenor ringing was consistent and pace was steady. Faults were incurred due to the bells spreading out in the middle of the change, and front bells clipping when front and back bells were working around each other. One method error took a few rows to recover. The ringing improved as it went on, and there was some very accurate striking when the front bells came together.

10 bell trophy:

1st Position (WESTERN) 64 faults. A crisp and confident pull out was followed by lots of rounds, which helped the band to settle into a rhythm. This rhythm was maintained throughout, and we thought bells 7, 8 and 9 were rung especially well. The front bells were placed and controlled and the piece got better and better, finishing in style. Most faults came from slight inconsistency in tenor ringing and a few rushed handstroke leads.

2nd Position (NORTHERN) 78 faults. After the dropped backstrokes at pull out, this team rang consistently throughout. Faults incurred due to the middle of the change spreading out at handstroke - well done to the tenor ringer for maintaining the tempo. Some inconsistent leading lead to a loss of structure, but the team settled back quickly into a rhythm after trips.

3rd Position (SOUTHERN) 83 faults. Very nicely controlled and well struck opening and closing rounds by this team. Once in method, the team struggled placing the little bells over the big - often backstrokes were dropped and clipping occurred. The best stretch of ringing was in the second half when the back bells worked together. An effort was made to keep the bells moving and the middle of the change was kept tight, which ensured a good tempo was maintained.

Document last modified 25-Oct-2017