2016 London Twelve Bell Competition
SRCY are placed 2nd in this years competition
Now a well-established fixture on the calendar, this year's competition was held at Holborn, St. Sepulchre. Designed to be more relaxed than the National competition, there is nevertheless pressure to put in a good performance. Despite a relatively disappointing fifth place at Aston in June, I was optimistic that we could perform well at St. Sepulchre, a venue that has served us well in the past and one where we consistently produce some of our best Wednesday night ringing.
The judges were John Loveless and Linda Garton, assisted by Simon Read, all members of this Society. The test piece: six leads of Cambridge Surprise Maximus (for a change!).
Drawn third, we produced a really solid piece of ringing. This was reflected in the judges' comments in what had clearly been a closely fought competition. In the end, this translated to another second place finish, 2% behind the winners – St. Paul's Cathedral. Being as competitive as I am, I was left with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was extremely pleasing to beat both ASCY teams and to ring to such a high standard. On the other hand, it was frustrating that this still wasn't enough to win!
Nonetheless, given the undoubted improvement in our competition ringing this year and progress on Wednesday nights in general, I am cautiously optimistic about what we can achieve in both the National and London 12 Bell competitions next year. The 2017 London 12 Bell Competition will be held at Shoreditch, hosted by us. No pressure…!
Results
| Position | Rang | Team | Mark | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9th | St Paul's Cathedral | 89% | 3h37 |
| 2 | 3rd | Society of Royal Cumberland Youths | 87% | 3h33 |
| 3 | 1st | Ancient Society of College Youths (Alpha) | 86% | 3h31 |
| 4 | 7th | Middlesex County Association and London Diocesan Guild | 83% | 3h31 |
| 5 | 2nd | University of London Society of Change Ringers | 78% | 3h39 |
| 6 | 4th | St Michael's, Cornhill | 75% | 3h32 |
| 6= | 5th | Ancient Society of College Youths (Aleph) | 75% | 3h37 |
| 8 | 6th | Southwark Cathedral | 73% | 3h34 |
| 9 | 8th | Croydon (Surrey) | 65% | 3h24 |
Band
- Joanna K Dorling
- Shirley E McGill
- Heather M Forster
- Michael R Crockett
- Geraldine R Forster
- Mary E Holden
- Ian G Mills
- Douglas J Beaumont
- Stephen J Bailey
- Benjamin D Constant
- Alan Regin
- Thomas B Mack (C)
Recording
The band representing the Society, ringing six leads of Cambridge Surprise Maximus