Brighouse & Rastrick retained the overall Saddleworth & Oldham District Championship Whit Friday title on the weekend.
Led by Dr David Thornton and resplendent in their traditional Whit Friday uniforms, the Yorkshire outfit bounced back from their disappointing appearance at the recent European Championship with six victorious performances of 'Knight Templar' to ensure they were crowned champions.
£7,800 for a Knight's work
Victories at Diggle, Dobcross, Greenfield, Grotton, Lees & Springhead and Lydgate, along with third at Scouthead and Austerlands, gave them the title in commanding style. And with a host of instrumental awards from around the circuit, it meant the band bagged £7,800 for it's nights work, with the possibility of a few extra pounds to be confirmed.
It also saw the famous West Riding outfit beat off the challenge of Fairey, who had to be content with coming runner-up for the second year in a row, with a delighted First Section outfit Oldham (Lees) finishing third.
Wide smile
Not surprisingly, spokesperson, Ryan Watkins still had a grin that resembled 'Hail smiling morn' when 4BR caught up him after what had been a busy contest and concert weekend.
"Everyone is absolutely delighted with our success — especially as we achieved six victories to win the overall title against some very stiff opposition. We offer our own congratulations to our new principal cornet, Kathleen Gaspoz, who was on stunning form all night, and our thanks go to Dr David Thornton for his pursuit of excellence at every contest venue."
B&R will now undertake some more concerts heading into their summer break before the challenge of the British Open, Nationals and Brass in Concert later in the year.
Fairey end runner-up
Their win meant Fairey, under Garry Cutt and with guest James Fountain on principal cornet, returned to Stockport with a 'six-contest' results sheet that included victories at Delph and Scouthead on 'Knight Templar', supported by a runner-up spot at Denshaw, two thirds at Diggle and Dobcross and fourth at Lydgate.
Meanwhile, there was great delight for Oldham (Lees) after their consistent renditions of 'The Wizard ' saw them take the top prize at Uppermill, as well as a host of podium finishes to win an overall prize package of around £3,000 and push Marsden Silver and reigning Yorkshire Area champion, Black Dyke into joint fourth place.
Widdop the Wizard for Marsden
That meant that in the Local Championship, Marsden, led by Alan Widdop will now head to the National Final in the autumn buoyed after their excellent renditions of 'The Wizard', as they edged out the keen challenge of recent All England International Masters champion Milnrow and Boarshurst Silver.
Meanwhile, Wardle Academy Youth continued on a 2017 to remember after being crowned Youth Champion.
Before the contests commenced, BBC Radio 2 recorded an outside broadcast from Boobs & Brass as they received the BBC Power of Music Award in conjunction with BBC Music Day.
With a number of overseas bands around the circuit, there was a great atmosphere on a pleasant evening — one that also saw a particularly memorable street march from Wardle Junior Blast under Lee Rigg that left everyone with huge smiles on their faces.
Over the course of the weekend, some tiny amendments came to light in the results at some of the contests which have been accepted with by the bands.
Six straight victories at Diggle, Dobcross, Greenfield, Grotton, Lees and Springhead and Lydgate along with a third at Scouthead & austerlands helped Brighouse to a bumper pay day of £7,800 4BR
Results:
Saddleworth & Oldham District Open Championship:
1. Brighouse & Rastrick — £2,500
2. Fairey — £1,000
3. Oldham (Lees) — £750
Local Championship
1. Marsden Silver — £750
2. Milnrow — £600
3. Boarshurst Silver — £400
Youth Championship
1. Wardle Academy — £250
Delph:
(81 Bands)
Adjudicator: Mike Kilroy
1. Fairey — £1,000
2. Hepworth — £750
3. Bad Ass Brass — £400
4. Wingates — £300
5. Milnrow — £250
6. Hammonds Saltaire — £200
7. St Cecilia Chermignon — £150
Best non-Championship Section Band:
1. Oldham Band (Lees) — £150
Best Third/Fourth Section Band:
1. Eccleston — £150
Best Local Band:
1. Marsden Silver — £150
2. Boarshurst Silver — £80
Best Saddleworth Band:
1. Delph — £60
Best Youth Band:
1. Oldham Music Centre — £100
2. 2nd Rossendale Scouts — £60
Deportment:
1. The Band of The King's Division — £35
Best Cornet: Hepworth — £30
Best Euphonium: Fairey — £30
Best Soprano: Fairey — £30
Best Basses: Fairey — £40
Best Trombones: Hepworth — £30
Denshaw:
(59 Bands)
Adjudicator: Allan Holdsworth
1. Black Dyke — £1000
2. Fairey — £600
3. Hammonds Saltaire — £400
4. Milnrow — £200
5. Marsden Silver
6. The Band of the King's Division
Best First Section:
1. Marsden Silver — £100
2. Hebden Bridge — £75
Best Second Section:
1. Feldmusik Zell (Switzerland) — £100
2. New Forest Brass — £75
Best Third Section:
1. Eccleston — £100
2. Dobcross Silver — £75
Best Fourth Section:
1. Enfield — £100
2. Friezland — £75
Best Saddleworth:
1. Uppermill — £150
2. Boarshurst — £125
Best Local:
1. Slaithwaite — £100
Best Non-UK Band:
1. Harmonie Neunekirch (Switzerland) — £100
Best Youth Band:
1. Wardle Academy — £100
2. Tewit Youth — £75
Best Soprano: Black Dyke
Best Bass Section: Black Dyke — £40
Spot Prize: Royston Town — £100
Diggle:
(58 Bands)
Adjudicator: Simon Kerwin
1. Brighouse & Rastrick — £800
2. Diggle — £500
3. Fairey — £400
4. St Cecilia Chermignon — £250
5. Oldham Band (Lees)
6. Hammond Saltaire
Best First/Second Band:
1. Oldham Band (Lees) — £150
Best Third/Fourth Section Band:
1. Hawk Green — £150
Best Saddleworth Band:
1. Boarshurst Silver — £125
Holden Prize: Uppermill — £100
Best Unregistered Band:
1. Bad Ass Brass — £100
Best Youth Band:
1. Wardle Academy Youth — £100
Best Fourth Section Band not winning other prize: Putney & Wandsworth — £60
Best Bass Section: Brighouse & Rastrick — £60
Best Youth Soloist: Wardle Academt Youth — £50
Best Soprano: Brighouse & Rastrick — £30
Best Euphonium: Brighouse & Rastrick — £30
Best Instrumentalist (not in Championship Band): Oldham Band (Lees) (cornet) — £30
Best Band on march: The Band of the King's Division — £30
Dobcross:
(64 Bands)
Adjudicator: Kevin Wadsworth
1. Brighouse & Rastrick — £750
2. Horwich RMI — £500
3. Fairey — £400
4. Blackburn & Darwen
5= Bad Ass Brass
5= York Railway Institute
Best Saddleworth Band: Boarshurst Silver — £200
Best Local Band: Delph
Best Local Band Whit Friday morning: tbc — £75
First Band to play: City of Bradford — £10
Youth:
1: Wardle Academy Youth — £150
2. Tewit Youth — £150
Best Junior Soloist: Wardle Academy Youth — £50
Best Junior Player: Wardle Academy Youth — £50
Best Local Junior Soloist: Wardle Academy Youth — £50
Best Youth Soprano: Wardle Academy Youth — £50
Best Youth Trombone: Wardle Academy Youth — £50
Friezland:
(46 Bands)
Adjudicator: Tim Newbigging
1. Rong Brass
2. Allerton Brass
3. Market Rasen
4. Hawk Green (Marple)
5. Greenfield
6. Downton Brass
Best Fourth Section Band:
1. Allerton Brass
Youth:
1. Oldham Music Centre
2. Wardle Academy Youth
Best Cornet: Diggle
Best Basses: Downton Brass
Best Deportment: 2nd Rossendale Scouts
Best Entertainment: Dobcross Youth
Greenfield:
(69 Bands)
Adjudicator: Chris Wormald
1. Brighouse & Rastrick — £1,000
2. Black Dyke — £750
3. Oldham Band (Lees)
4. The Band of the Kings Division — £500
5. Symes & Them
Best First Section:
1. Oldham (Lees) — £400
2. Marsden Silver — £200
Best Second Section:
1. Boarshurst Silver — £150
2. Wakefield Metropolitan — £125
Best Third Section:
1. Rong Brass — £100
2. Hawke Green Marple — £75
Best Fourth Section:
1. Allerton Brass — £70
2. Friezland — £60
3. Pangbourne — £50
Best Overseas Band: Harmonie NeueKirch — £50
Best Local Band: Oldham (Lees) — £50
Best Saddleworth Band: Boarshurst Silver — £50
Best Local Fourth Section: Friezland — £50
Best Youth Band:
1. Wardle Academy — £70
2. Rochdale Borough Youth — £50
Best Deportment:
1. The Band of the Kings Division — £100
Best Entertainment:
1. University of Sheffield — £100
Best Cornet: Brighouse & Rastrick — £100
Best Euphonium: Black Dyke —
Youth Solo: Wardle Academy Youth (cornet) £50
Grotton:
(48 Bands)
Adjudicator: Nicholas Garman
1. Brighouse & Rastrick — £700
2. Black Dyke — £350
3. Oldham Band (Lees) — £150
4. Marsden Silver — £100
5. Milnrow
6. St Cecilia Chermignon
Best First Section:
1. Langley — £150
2. Chiltern Hills Brass — £50
Best Second Section:
1. Slaithwaite — £150
2. Delph — £50
Best Third/Fourth Section:
1. Allerton Brass — £150
2. Sale Brass — £50
Best Local:
1. Milnrow — £150
2. Delph — £75
Best Youth:
1. Tewit Youth — £150
2. Rochdale Youth — £50
Deportment: St Cecilia Chermignon — £30
Youth Deportment: Tewit Youth — £25
Best Cornet: Black Dyke — £30
Best Soprano: Black Dyke — £30
Lees & Springhead
(42 Bands)
Adjudicator: Alan Fernie
1. Brighouse & Rastrick — £500
2. Oldham (Lees) — £250
3. Black Dyke — £150
4. Milnrow
5. Marsden Silver
6. City of Bradford
Best First Section:
1. Marsden Silver — £75
2. Hebden Bridge — £50
Best Second Section:
1. Boarshurst Silver — £75
2. Horwich Brass — £50
Best Third Section:
1. Rong Brass — £75
2. Greenfield — £50
Best Fourth Section:
1. Allerton Brass — £75
2. Diggle B Band — £50
Best Youth:
1. Rochdale Youth — £75
2. Tewit Youth — £30
Best Local:
1. Milnrow — £100
Best Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council:
1. Boarshurst Silver — £50
Best Cornet: Brighouse & Rastrick — £25
Best Euphonium: Brighouse & Rastrick — £25
Best Deportment: Milnrow — £50
Best Youth Deportment: Tewit Youth — £50
Lydgate:
(74 Bands)
Adjudicator: Derek Southcott
1. Brighouse & Rastrick — £850
2. Black Dyke — £450
3. Marsden Silver — £250
4. Fairey
5. Oldham Band (Lees)
6. The Band of the King's Division
Best First Section:
1. Oldham (Lees) — £150
2. Harmonie Nevenkursch — £100
Best Second Section:
1. Horwich RMI — £150
2. Delph — £100
Best Third Section:
1. Hawke Green (Marple) — £150
2. Rong Brass — £100
Best Fourth Section:
1. Allerton Brass — £150
2. Lydgate — £100
Best Local:
1. Oldham (Lees) — £150
2. Oldham Music Centre — £100
Best Youth:
1. Oldham Music Centre — £150
2. Rochdale Youth — £100
Best Unregistered: Bad Ass Brass — £75
Best Deportment: The Band of the Kings Division — £100
Youth Deportment: 2nd Rossendale Scouts — £60
Best Cornets: Black Dyke
Best Soprano: Brighouse & Rastrick
Best Euphoniums: Brighouse & Rastrick
Best Bass Section: Brighouse & Rastrick
Best Horns and Baritones: Brighouse & Rastrick
Best Trombones: Black Dyke
Scouthead & Austerlands:
(69 Bands)
Adjudicator: Jonathan Pippen
1. Fairey — £800
2. Marsden Silver — £400
3. Brighouse & Rastrick — £300
4. Oldham Band (Lees) — £200
5. Hepworth
6. St Cecilia Chermignon
First Section:
1. Harmonie Neuenkirch — £125
2. Langley — £75
3. Bollington — £50
Second Section:
1. Boarshurst Silver — £125
2. Wakefield Metropolitan — £75
3. Horwich RMI — £50
Third Section:
1. Hawk Green (Marple) — £125
2. Dobcross Silver — £75
3. Stacksteads — £50
Fourth Section:
1. Allerton Brass — £125
2. Freizland — £75
3. Warwick University — £50
Best Local:
1. Greenfield — £125
2. Middleton — £75
3. Slaithwaite — £50
Best Youth:
1. Rochdale Youth — £125
2. Tewit Youth — £75
3. 2nd Rossendale Scout — £50
Best Saddleworth:
1. Uppermill — £125
2. Delph — £75
3. Diggle B Band — £50
Deportment: The Band of the King's Division — £50
Junior Deportment: Tewit Youth — £50
Best Soloist: Marsden (solo cornet) — £25
Best Soprano: Fairey — £25
Best Bass Section: Brighouse & Rastrick — £50
First Band to Play: Oldham Music Centre — £30
Uppermill:
(52 Bands)
Adjudicator: David Marshall
1. Oldham Band (Lees)
2. Marsden Silver
3. Bad Ass Brass
4. City of Bradford
5. Birmingham Conservatoire
6. Hammonds Saltaire
Best Euphonium: Marsden Silver
Highest Placed Local: Milnrow
Best First Section:
1. Hebden Bridge
Best Second Section:
1. Flixton Band
Best Third Section:
1. Fjell Brass
Best Fourth Section:
1. Sale Brass
Best Saddleworth band not in prizes:
1. Uppermill
Deportment: St Cecilia Chermignon
Local Deportment: Wardle Junior Blast
