5 teams descended on Shoreham on Saturday 24th June to take part in the Association 8-bell striking competition. The weather was pleasant – luckily not as hot as it had been during the previous week!
The draw was taken at 9.45am once the judge, Tom Lawrance from London, had been settled in a good spot in the churchyard. The test piece was a plain course of Yorkshire Surprise Major, and the results are were as follows:
| Position | District | Rang | Percentage Score | Comments |
| 1st | Lewisham | 2nd | 72{639658ef89bdc5de27b5eb53e049096238667aa7b20a9fe16a207da8f55b25c6} | Settled very quickly, good leading and very good 4-bell runs (8765s, 5678s). Peal speed: 3h 7m. |
| 2nd | Maidstone | 4th | 67{639658ef89bdc5de27b5eb53e049096238667aa7b20a9fe16a207da8f55b25c6} | Had the makings of a good performance but didn’t quite achieve it. A mistake at the 5th lead end, but good finish. Peal speed: 3h 9m. |
| 3rd | Tonbridge | 5th | 65{639658ef89bdc5de27b5eb53e049096238667aa7b20a9fe16a207da8f55b25c6} | A bit rushed, but consistent all the way through. Peal speed not noted by judge. |
| 4th | Canterbury | 3rd | 63{639658ef89bdc5de27b5eb53e049096238667aa7b20a9fe16a207da8f55b25c6} | Very few rounds at the start which hadn’t settled, mixed performance overall. Notable trouble for 5th, but good finish. Peal speed: 2h 41m |
| 5th | Rochester | 1st | 59{639658ef89bdc5de27b5eb53e049096238667aa7b20a9fe16a207da8f55b25c6} | Rushed handstroke leads, not bad ringing but never really settled. Peal speed: 3h 7m. |
Congratulations to the Lewisham District who took back the trophy from last year’s winners Canterbury. Also many thanks to Nick Wilkins & Philippa Rooke for organising the event on behalf of the Lewisham District, Shoreham for allowing the use of the bells & church, and Tom Lawrance for agreeing to judge for us. Photos of the teams and winners are below.
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- The Lewisham District band
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- The Canterbury District band
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- The Rochester District band
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- The Maidstone District band
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- The Tonbridge District band
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- Nick Wilkins collecting the certificate & trophy from Tom Lawrance
