The Kimpton Cup this year returned to Kimpton. This was a bumper year for entries with 10 teams competing; this has been the best turnout in many years. The day was bright and sunny which allowed everyone to stay outside during the contest. The draw was held the week before at Tewin and bands were informed, allowing them to arrive near to their allotted time. The judges were John and Cathy Hughes D’Aeth, both of whom have judged the contest before. They were sat in a room above the vestry and with the window open, the bells were very clear. There were no mishaps with any of the bands who all arrived on time and the competition went smoothly. The competition started at 10am.
Drawn first to ring were Hitchin, who rang call changes; band 2 were Bengeo who also rang call changes; band 3 were Redbourn. ringing Plain Bob Doubles; the 4th band were Tewin who rang Cambridge Surprise Minor; Last band to ring before the break were St Peter St Albans, ringing Plain Bob Doubles; there followed a short break before continuing with band 6 who were Hemel Hempstead, last year’s winner, they rang Plain Bob Doubles; band 7 were Thorley ringing call changes, next were Bishops Stortford ringing Plain Bob Doubles; following them were St Albans Abbey also ringing Plain Bob Doubles; Last team to ring were Sandon ringing Plain Bob Doubles.
On completion of the ringing the ringers retired to the Cross Keys at Gustard Wood for an excellent lunch and results.
John Hughes D’Aeth thanked the Association for the invitation to judge and said he and Cathy were well looked after by the local ringers and that the bells were clearly audible for their position in the room above the vestry. The scores were finally decided by adding their two scores and dividing by 2, he also commented that the bands who rang more rounds at the start tended to have a better rhythm and hence less faults and so it might be a good idea to revisit the rules so that the initial rounds are not marked, but said that there was a clear winner although the runner up bands were very close. The following comments and results were then read out:
| Score (faults) | Band | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1st (36) | Hemel Hempstead | The ringing was consistent and measured. |
| 2nd (54) | St Peter’s St Albans | This was brisker and very positive, the rounds at the start were very nice, the ringing tailed off to the end. |
| 3rd (56) | Tewin | Ringing was hesitant with unsettled leading, but improved through the piece. |
| 4th (57 | St Albans Abbey | This ringing was brisker so faults were easier to mark, backstroke leads tended to be slow, the queens was very nice to listen to but the tittums was a bit syncopated |
| 5th (68) | Bishops Stortford | This was ambitious; the front bells were sometimes slow, but improved in the second half. |
| 6th (70) | Hitchin | Surprised they were ringing call changes , the ringing was steady and delivered, they rang number of rounds at the start and repeated the rows a number of times. |
| 7th (75) | Redbourn | Ringing was positive but the leading was variable, the back rounds were not rhythmic, ringing tailed off toward the end. |
| 8th (78) | Thorley | This could have been good, but there was some concertinering, it improved toward the end. |
| 9th (90) | Bengeo | This ringing had a good frame and solid tenoring, some slow backstroke leads, this improved in the second extent. |
| 10th (98) | Sandon | This band seemed more inexperienced and leading tended to be an issue, but improved toward the end. |
So for another year the winners were Hemel Hempstead and awarded the trophy. Congratulations to them and thank you to Kimpton ringers for hosting the competition, and thank you to John & Cathy Hughes D’Aeth for judging the contest.
1st Hemel Hempstead
Su Gambling, Ros Garrett-Bowes, Carolyn Crawley, Brian Crawley, Stephen Crawley, David Gambling
2nd St Peter St Alban
James McGauhey, Ann Evans, Rosemary Sales, Richard Butler, Richard sales, Robin Teasdale
3rd Tewin
David Rawlins, Julie Grimwade, David Hall, Kevyn Hopkins-Hall, Mark Hopkins-Hall, Graham Lay
4th St Albans Abbey
Jonathon Humbert, Deirdre Watson, Jennifer Johnson, Brian Watson, James Crawley, David Hodgskin
5th Bishop Stortford
Paul Shinkel, Andrew Westwood, Claire May, Jerry Piron, Stephen Bailey, Ben Gaigher
6th Hitchin
Carole Kendal, Elizabeth Cranfield, Rachael Levy, Mark Seaman-Hill, David Kemp, Peter Cranfield
7th Redbourn
Pauline Ridgwell, Liz Middleton, Richard Espley-Jones, Mary Espley-Jones, Ben Edwards Andrew Farnham
8th Thorley
Barbara, Jack, Ali, Gary, Steve, David
9th Bengeo
Claire Chase, Donna Matthews, Sonia Gupta Roger Pascoe, Kevyn Hopkins-Hall, Mark Hopkins-Hall
10th Sandon
Debbie Williamson, Margaret Horritt, Emma Bailey, Bob Weedon, Geoff Horritt, Philip Bailey