North West Twelve-Bell Striking Competition

for the Westminster Shield

2026 Competition

The 2026 competition was held on Saturday 31st January at Chester Cathedral.

Seven bands took part ringing Plain Bob Cinques (plain course)

The competition was won by Manchester.

Results:

Pictured: Manchester team captain Rebecca Davey, along with Judges David Hull, Logan Anderson and Francis Gilruth.

Team A - Chester (Addleshaw - Sunday band)

This team gave us a good start to the day, with some really positive ringing. There was some slightly inconsistent leading, and occasional minor hesitations and clips..

1. Mark Humphreys (C)

2. Joanne Holden

3. Jenny Christian

4. Carrie Rawlinson

5. Paul Hunter

6. David Jones

7. George Basford

8. Ray Helliwell

9. Philip Grover

10. Harry Stephenson

11. Peter Furniss

12. Stephen Aldridge

Team B - Chester (Deva - Monday band)

There was some fast-paced front bell ringing in this piece, which the back bells struggled somewhat to match. However, there was some good, consistent leading and the band seemed comfortable when the front and back bells were together, often a challenge in higher-number ringing.

1. Jenny Christian

2. Sacha Jonas

3. Paul Hunter (C)

4. Sam Harrison

5. Jo Dowson

6. Ben Kivi

7. Heather Grover

8. Simon Christian

9. Michael Allen

10. David Jones

11. Ben Kellett

12. Philip Grover

Team C - Liverpool

This team's front bells were rung consistently well, and there were some good little-bell rollups. There was some trouble, however, agreeing the speed although there were patches of good ringing.

1. Mungo Stacy

2. Elle Buttery

3. Daniel Hughes

4. Jo Dowson

5. George Basford

6. David Jones

7. Robin Daw

8. Adam Bennett (C)

9. Matt Warburton

10. Harry Stephenson

11. Len Mitchell

12. Mark Humphreys

Team D - Wirral

This team set off with real purpose and had a good structure, but in the end they struggled with keeping the ringing accurate at this brisk speed.

1. Ruth Blackwell

2. Mark Humphreys

3. David Jones (C)

4. Mark Collings

5. Jo Dowson

6. Steve Hughes

7. Randle Tinkler

8. Sam Harrison

9. Adam Bennett

10. Michael Allen

11. Harry Stephenson

12. Len Mitchell

Team E - Macclesfield

This was a real case of "what could have been". There was a strong structure and lots of good rows, and the ringing started really well. However, the 8th lead accumulated a lot of faults, though the band got it back together for the final lead.

1. Jo Holden

2. Kath Hinchliffe

3. Sarah Jacot

4. Helen Foster

5. Sam Martin

6. Stephen Aldridge

7. Andy Vernon

8. Graham Jenkins

9. Steve Stoker

10. Mel Curwen (C)

11. Andy Ingham

12. Mark Jacot

Team F - Manchester

This was a controlled piece of ringing, which set off with a deliberate plan to ring at a particular speed and pretty much stuck to it. After the first lead, which was a bit choppy, the ringing settled, and there were patches of very good ringing.

1. George Lee

2. David Lacy

3. Rebecca Davey (C)

4. James Hibbert

5. Tom Britten

6. Rachel Arnold

7. Sacha Jonas

8. Kath Hinchliffe

9. Ian Jorysz

10. Mungo Stacy

11. Stephen Aldridge

12. Andy Ingham

Team G - Stafford (and Friends!)

This team would probably have benefitted from ringing more rounds before going into changes. The piece started well, and showed promise but it seemed to lose confidence after the first lead end and didn't quite reach early expectations.

1. Ray Helliwell

2. James Hibbert

3. Mark Collings

4. Sam Martin

5. Richard Harris

6. Scott Wheaver

7. Ben Kivi

8. Steve Stoker

9. Mel Curwen

10. Robin Daw

11. Mark Adams

12. Nigel Horritt (C)

Team H - Cheshire and North Staffs Young Ringers (ringing rounds and call changes)

A really strong pulloff is really important in setting the tone and rhythm for striking contest pieces, so we'd really encourage these young ringers to practice this to help settle the bells into rounds more quickly. But, as you got going, your confidence grew and the ringing improved as you went on. Well done!

Thanks

Many thanks to Paul Hunter, Ben Kellett, Peter Barker, and all of the Chester ringers for their hospitality, and to the Dean and Chapter of Chester Cathedral for the use of the Cathedral and bells.

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