Grandsire Doubles – making it come round.
If you need to call Grandsire Doubles round from any position it is theoretically possible by making one call in the right place and waiting the necessary number of plain leads. To do so you need to know the coursing order, the effect bobs and singles have on it, and what coursing order you need for rounds to occur.
Coursing Orders
In a plain course of Grandsire Doubles and other methods where the treble and the 2nd both plain hunt, the coursing order is made up of the order the other bells come down to lead. It is also the order in which the treble and the 2nd meet the bells hunting up and down to lead. Also it is the order the other bells lead, or the order they arrive in 5ths place.
Lead |
Met by treble |
Met by 2nd |
leading |
In 5ths place |
1 |
2345 2345 |
3451 3451 |
2233445511 |
4551122334 |
2 |
2534 2534 |
5341 5341 |
2255334411 |
3441122553 |
3 |
2453 2534 |
4531 4531 |
2244553311 |
5331122445 |
You will see that pattern of hunting up and down meeting the bells in the same order. To be able to spot the coursing order from the order of leading or being in 5ths place means you will have to be able to watch that as well as keep yourself always in the right place. Watching courseing orders from the treble is by far the easiest to do. Easy for the 2nd in a plain course, that becomes as hard as any other bell once a call is made.
For the 3 it goes: 12-(leading)-451245454125-(leading) – etc... take the 1 & 2 out of this and 4 & 5 are met in the same order each time. If you don't already watch the order you meet bells then practice that before you try using the rest of this article.
Calls
Bob: the coursing order changes only by swapping one working bell and the hunt bell.
Single: the coursing order changes by swapping one working bell for the hunt belland reverses the order of the other two working bellsworking bells
Calling Grandsire round using one call
Obviously(?) for rounds to occur either the 2nd or the 3rd must be in the hunt.
There are 6 possible coursing orders:
345, 354, 534, 543, 453 & 435 – look at the “met by treble” column above . . . . . . .345/534/453 all appear in the plain course, so these area all the same coursing order.
The other coursing order is 354/543/435 where 4 & 5 have crossed and rounds doesn't happen.. Call the 3 into the hunt to get the coursing order 254/425/542 with a single that also makes the 4 make long 3rds; rounds at handstroke two leads later.
3 is in the hunt: the two coursing orders are 245/524/452 and 254/425/542; rounds will occur if it is the second of these. If rounds doesn't happen, call the 2 into the hunt with a single when the 5 makes long 3rds, rounds at backstroke two leads later.
4 or 5 in the hunt:
It cannot come round, and there are two possible coursing orders for each. I could witter on about “in” and “out” of course but that would make this article too long. You might need a bob or a single, knowing which is the hard bit,. If you happen to know if there has been an odd number of singles already a single will be needed for one call to make rounds, or an even number a bob will work. Probably, by the time you work out what to do you may as well call the 2 or 3 in the hunt and if it doesn't work use the suggestions above.
Making it easy – when it doesn't come round using one or more calls
2 in the hunt: call the 3 into the hunt with a single when the 4 makes long 3rds, round at hand two leads later.
3 in the hunt: call the 2 into the hunt with a single when the 5 makes long 3rds, round at back two leads later.
4 or 5 in the hunt: call 2 or 3 into the hunt and you have 50% chance, if it doesn't work use the above.