The 2010 District Striking Competition will take place at Hollingbourne on Saturday 12th June (please note change of venue from provisional programme). The bells will be available from 3.30pm, the draw for order of ringing will take place at 3.45pm and the Competition will start at 4pm. Tea will be provided.
The rules were amended slightly at the January Quarterly Meeting. Please click here to see an updated version.
This year’s Call Change Striking Contest was held at Ightham on 15th November with seven bands taking part, the best entry for many years. Local tower Captain Richard Abnett was the perfect host, having arranged for the lovely warm hall to be available for us with hot tea and a selection of cakes made by his wife. We are very grateful to them both. We are also grateful to our judges, David and Pam Manger from Ashford District.
The winners this year were All Saints', Maidstone, and the trophy for the band with most ringers who had not taken part in a striking competition before went to Marden. The full results were:
Position |
Band |
Rang |
Faults |
1st |
Maidstone, All Saints’ |
1st |
32 |
2nd |
Aylesford (scratch) |
6th |
38 |
3rd |
Leeds |
3rd |
40 |
4th |
Staplehurst |
4th |
41 |
5th |
Aylesford & Stansted |
7th |
53 |
6th |
Chart & East Sutton |
4th |
71 |
7th |
Marden |
5th |
74 |
For a full report on the contest, including pictures of all the bands, please click here. Thanks to Daniel Brady for providing these.
The 2009 County 6-bell Striking Contest was held at Lynsted (Canterbury District) on 26th September with five of the six Districts being represented. Our representatives this year were Staplehurst who won the District Striking Contest in June. In a close contest we came 4th, but only 4 faults behind winners Willesborough of the Ashford District. We might have done even better, had it not been for the fact that a rope broke halfway through the last band's test piece and it was therefore agreed that only the first 120 changes of each band's test piece be marked. The judges commented that this was unfortunate as our ringing improved in the second 120! We shall never know....
The full results were:
| Position | Band | Representing | Rang | Score |
| Winners | Willesborough | Ashford District | 2nd | 24½ faults |
| 2nd | Bobbing | Rochester District | 4th | 25½ faults |
| 3rd | Chelsfield | Lewisham District | 5th | 26½ faults |
| 4th | Staplehurst | Maidstone District | 3rd | 28½ faults |
| 5th | St Dunstan, Canterbury | Canterbury District | 1st | 38 faults |
This year’s District Striking Contest was held at Barming on 13th June with just three bands taking part, plus a "scratch" band which included some of those present who were not ringing in other bands.
Last year's winners, All Saints' Maidstone, did not enter this year, so the way was open for a new name to be added to the recently enlarged shield. The name was that of Staplehurst, who are pictured right with the winners shield and the judges. They finished with 43 faults, some 9 less than runners up Aylesford with 52. Leeds were third, followed by the scratch band. The full results appear below. Staplehurst now go forward to represent our District at the County 6-Bell Competition at Lynsted in September.
Our judges were our Diane Reynolds and Ian Mills from Surrey and we are particularly grateful to them for coming over to judge the contest for us. We are also grateful to the Barming ringers for hosting the contest and providing refreshments.
| Winners | Staplehurst | 43 faults |
| 2nd | Aylesford | 52 faults |
| 3rd | Leeds | 102 faults |
| 4th | Scratch band | 153 faults |
