Competition rules

Devon Association Festivals, Rules and Conditions of Entry Confirmed at the AGM November 18th 2023

  1. The Honorary Secretary (or Competition Secretaries) must receive written invitations from potential competition towers by the committee meeting immediately preceding the Annual General Meeting (thereafter AGM) when competition venues for the following year will be discussed.
  2. Towers selected at the AGM will be closed to competing teams from a date eight weeks prior to the

date of the competition.

  1. The Novice Competition shall be the first competition held in a year. It will only be open to affiliated towers.
  2. An Intermediate Competition shall be held to progress teams from the Novice Competition to Devon Association Festivals.
  3. Affiliation fee to The Devon Association of Ringers should be paid annually by the date of the AGM.
  4. The Scrutineer shall use a stopwatch provided by the Association to time each peal. He will be elected independently of the judges at the previous AGM.
  5. All trophy winners will hold their award for 12 months. The Association will insure these trophies against fire and theft
  6. In addition to the trophies, all placed teams will be awarded a certificate.
  7. The highest placed five teams from the North & South Devon Qualifiers qualify for the Major Final. The teams placed 6th to 10th in the North & South Devon Qualifiers then qualify for the Minor Final. Subsequently, the top two teams from the Minor Final also qualify to ring for the Major Final.
  8. Any protest must be lodged with the Competition Secretary within 10 minutes from the completion of the competition, who together with the committee shall be responsible for all decisions and discretions exercised on that day
  9. The Devon Association of Ringers will not be held responsible for any accident or loss occurring to any person or their property attending a competition organised by the Association

Rules

All Devon Association Festivals

  1. All competitors must be present at the tower prior to the commencement of the competition, in order to make the draw. Teams failing to be present to ring in the order drawn will be disqualified from the competition.
  2. Eight bell towers may borrow three ringers, and six bell towers may borrow two ringers. No ringer may ring for more than one team in any competition. The Six Bell Qualifier and Finals are deemed as one competition.
  3. At the discretion of the Committee, a team may have a strapper. In any one competition any competing ringer may ring once and strap once.
  4. Only the bare Six or Eight Ringers for that competing team may enter the church and belfry when taking part in the contest. The only exceptions to this rule are where a strapper is permitted or where a novice ringer requires assistance.
  5. All changes in a competition must be called by one of the competing ringers.
  6. Competing teams in the Eight Bell Competition shall ring for a minimum of 20 minutes, and teams competing in the Six Bell Competition shall ring for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Novice Competition

  1. The aim of this competition is to encourage and have fun.
  2. Teams should consist of 6 ringers who are committed church service ringers of the competing team. Where a tower wishes to enter two teams it is suggested that there should be at least 10 ringers.
  3. Teams may borrow one ringer.
  4. Teams may request a competent ringer to call the changes
  5. Practice will be allowed until a date eight weeks prior to the date of the Competition
  6. Three sections are available: Rounds (7 minutes), Call Change 5 – 10 minutes (first to last change) of the peal Sixty on Thirds, and Intermediate – the full peal of Sixty on Thirds including a rise and lower.

Conditions of Entry

  1. Entry to the Six and Eight Bell Competitions is confined to towers affiliated to The Devon Association of Ringers. The Six Bell Competition is open to towers with six bells or less, and the Eight Bell Competition is open to towers with more than six bells. Entry fee will be set at AGM each year.
  2. All competitors must be committed church service ringers of the competing team and at the time of entry to the competition, Tower Captains shall confirm that this condition applies to all its team members.
  3. In the event of any team entering these competitions and finding themselves short of a ringer, they may borrow a substitute except to ring treble or tenor; from any affiliated tower provided they haven’t rung in the competition already.
  4. The decision of the scrutineer, judges and committee shall be final.