Ridgman Trophy Striking Competition 2011
April 12, 2011 8:14 am | by admin | Posted in Ridgman Trophy
Ridgman Trophy Success
A representative Association band once again entered the Ridgman Trophy Striking Competition, which this year was held at St Mary le Tower, Ipswich. A healthy entry of eight teams confirmed the enduring popularity of this event and ensured that there would be plenty of strong competition. The test piece was 180 changes of Grandsire Caters, relatively simple at first sight, but challenging enough to strike on a meaty ring of bells with a 35cwt tenor.
Our band represented six different towers from the Bedfordshire Association and included three ringers with little prior experience of this competition. We got together to ring the test piece on several occasions beforehand and brushed up our striking to a level were we felt confident that we could acquit ourselves well on the day. Our ringing at Ipswich was probably even better than we had achieved during our practices, so we left the tower well satisfied with our performance.
The judges, Jeremy and Ann Pratt, commented that the overall standard of ringing throughout the competition had been very commendable and we were delighted to hear that we had been awarded second place. The eight teams were placed as follows:
| Team | Faults | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwich | 75 faults |
| 2 | Bedfordshire | 96 faults |
| 3 | Essex | 108 faults |
| 4 | Peterborough | 135 faults |
| 5 | Suffolk | 156 faults |
| 6 | Cambridge University | 183 faults |
| 7 | Lincoln | 194 faults |
| 8 | Ely | 223 faults |
My thanks go to the ringers who gave up their time to represent the Association at this important regional event, and to the organisers, helpers and other participants who continue to make the Ridgman Trophy such an enjoyable fixture. I’d also like to thank our President, Sue Silver, who supported us during our campaign.
Martin Whiteley Organiser