Welcome to the website for the Ridgman Trophy Ten Bell Striking Competition
The Ridgman Trophy is awarded to the winner of a striking competition on ten bells, held annually in May or June. The territorial associations in East Anglia (including the Lincoln Guild) often enter teams, and others are welcome as space permits. Badges of participating Guilds and Associations are shown below; click a badge to go to the website for the organisation.
The 2024 competition will take place in the morning and early aftrenoon of Saturday 8 June in Biggleswade.
The method will be Grandsire Caters, and Graham and Wendy Bloom have agreed to act as judges. Lunch will be available (advance booking required, details to follow). The 2024 competition will use this touch - it has an odd start in which bells 45 and 67 lie still for one blow at the start but after that it is purely Grandsire Caters. The special start makes it possible to ring a tittums course-end and finish at handstroke within the practicable length for the competition. We rang this touch in 2021.
The draw will be at Biggleswade on Wednesday May 22nd at the Biggleswade practice. The rules allow teams to bid for an early or a late slot in the ringing programme. Teams are also allowed to bring in up to three ringers who would not normally qualify (though not then to win the trophy) and these "borrowed" ringers may ring for more than one team. The purpose of this arrangement is to enable associations to take part who are slightly short of available members, but it is hoped that this will be used very sparingly. A stated purpose of the competition is to be accessible to slightly less-experienced ringers.
About Bell Ringing
For more information about ringing church bells and learning to ring: the website of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers has information about bell ringing and learning to ring; Discover Bell Ringing is a website which includes country-wide contacts with local Associations and Guilds.
2023 Ridgman 10 bell striking competition
On Saturday 17 June, the Peterborough Diocesan Guild of Church bellringers hosted the Ridgman trophy, a 10 bell striking contest for associations that border the Ely DA. The competition was held at Towcester and the test piece was 216 changes of spliced Plain and Little Bob Royal. The judges were Andrew and Joanne Wilby.
The results were as follows:
1st Essex (49 faults)
2nd Lincon (81 faults)
3rd Ely (88 faults)
4th Cambridge University (105 faults)
5th Suffolk (110 faults)
6th Peterborough (115 faults)
Bedford did not complete the test piece.
Any queries to Alan Winter, alanwinter_at_cantab.net.
St Laurence, Towcester
Revd Challen presenting the trophy to the Essex Association
The Essex Association band with the trophy
Contact Us
For more information about the Ridgman Trophy, contact Alan Winter (alanwinter_at_cantab.net). For queries, comments or suggestions on this website, contact webmaster_at_elyda.org.uk.
Guilds and Associations
