THE NEWING SHIELD
1. All ringers must be paid up members of the Four Shires Guild of Bell Ringers
2. Tower Captains are asked to comply with the spirit of the following requirements, which are intended to make sure bands are representative as possible of the tower:
i) The core of the band should be regular Sunday Service ringers at the tower;
ii) If the team cannot reasonably be raised from regular Sunday Service ringers it may be augmented with others who ring at the tower regularly;
iii) If the band is still short it may include one ringer who is not attached to the tower;
iv) Each team shall consist of not more than 8 ringers and ringing shall be performed on 6 bells.
3. A joint team representing two towers may enter where there are not sufficient members to raise a team from each tower, and where the two towers regularly co-operate.
4. A Tower may enter more than one team.
5. A ringer may ring with a maximum of two teams but only one team from each tower.
6. The competition will be divided into three categories:
i) Raising the bells in peal, no false starts allowed.
ii) EITHER call changes of approximately 5 minutes duration containing at least 10 different changes and finishing in rounds, no false starts allowed;
iii) OR 120 changes in any method. One restart before the first 30 changes will be permitted with cancellation of faults recorded during those changes.
iv) Falling the bells in peal, no false starts allowed.
7. Certificates will be awarded to each team taking part in the competition stating the faults awarded in each category and the order of merit.
8. Faults will be awarded by the Judges, their decisions on the account will be final. On all other matters the decision of the Committee will be final.
9. The team having the lowest number of faults in the categories used to assess the order of merit for the competition will be awarded the NEWING SHIELD and the second placed team the SPENCER JONES CUP, which may be held by their representatives for 11 months, after which they must be returned to the Guild Master. In the event of a tie the custody of the Shield and Cup will be decided by the Committee.
10. The method ringing should not include unintended duplication of changes and the conductor should minimise this if errors occur. Should unintended rounds be rung in the middle of the test piece, the band will forfeit this part of the competition unless they start the piece again, in which case the whole of the method ringing will be marked (unless it occurs within the first 30 changes when the faults within that length will be cancelled; see rule 6ii).
JUDGES will take into accounts the following points in preparing the competition results:
a) An emphasis on good striking, eg open handstroke leads and rhythm in category ii) especially with call change ringing.
b) The selection of methods used in method ringing.
c) That the time taken to complete categories i) and iv) shall be appropriate to the bells
d) The rounds before and after the test piece shall not be marked.
2. Tower Captains are asked to comply with the spirit of the following requirements, which are intended to make sure bands are representative as possible of the tower:
i) The core of the band should be regular Sunday Service ringers at the tower;
ii) If the team cannot reasonably be raised from regular Sunday Service ringers it may be augmented with others who ring at the tower regularly;
iii) If the band is still short it may include one ringer who is not attached to the tower;
iv) Each team shall consist of not more than 8 ringers and ringing shall be performed on 6 bells.
3. A joint team representing two towers may enter where there are not sufficient members to raise a team from each tower, and where the two towers regularly co-operate.
4. A Tower may enter more than one team.
5. A ringer may ring with a maximum of two teams but only one team from each tower.
6. The competition will be divided into three categories:
i) Raising the bells in peal, no false starts allowed.
ii) EITHER call changes of approximately 5 minutes duration containing at least 10 different changes and finishing in rounds, no false starts allowed;
iii) OR 120 changes in any method. One restart before the first 30 changes will be permitted with cancellation of faults recorded during those changes.
iv) Falling the bells in peal, no false starts allowed.
7. Certificates will be awarded to each team taking part in the competition stating the faults awarded in each category and the order of merit.
8. Faults will be awarded by the Judges, their decisions on the account will be final. On all other matters the decision of the Committee will be final.
9. The team having the lowest number of faults in the categories used to assess the order of merit for the competition will be awarded the NEWING SHIELD and the second placed team the SPENCER JONES CUP, which may be held by their representatives for 11 months, after which they must be returned to the Guild Master. In the event of a tie the custody of the Shield and Cup will be decided by the Committee.
10. The method ringing should not include unintended duplication of changes and the conductor should minimise this if errors occur. Should unintended rounds be rung in the middle of the test piece, the band will forfeit this part of the competition unless they start the piece again, in which case the whole of the method ringing will be marked (unless it occurs within the first 30 changes when the faults within that length will be cancelled; see rule 6ii).
JUDGES will take into accounts the following points in preparing the competition results:
a) An emphasis on good striking, eg open handstroke leads and rhythm in category ii) especially with call change ringing.
b) The selection of methods used in method ringing.
c) That the time taken to complete categories i) and iv) shall be appropriate to the bells
d) The rounds before and after the test piece shall not be marked.
