|
The British Open Brass
Band Championships.
82nd Spring Brass Band Festival
The Winter Gardens Blackpool
Saturday, May 11th 2002
Review: Grand Shield
Qualifying Contest for the 2003 British Open
Test Piece: Checkmate, Bliss arr Eric Ball
Date Posted: 09.05.02
Welcome everyone to the sun, sea and six packs of the jewel of
the North West - Blackpool. Never can there be a better place to
have a brass band contest can there?
4BR have packed
our sunglasses, thermal vests and scores of the test pieces to come up and enjoy
what should be a great weekend of brass band contesting. Three fine line-ups of
bands should see three close run contests and we'll be there throughout to bring
you the best coverage that we can. We have teamed up with an independent
panel of adjudicators who will be sitting in the audience at each contest to give
their written remarks on each performance. We'll then post them up on the site,
so that you can see how the bands have fared, and we will be giving the verdicts
of the these judges before the announcement of the official results so that you
can see how whether or not the judges in the box agreed with us. Should be interesting
eh? Hope you enjoy what we are trying to do. There may be the odd glitch
or mistake, but we'll to keep you involved in the weekends contesting as best
we can.
The Competing bands: Ashton Under Lyne, John Maines
Aveley and Newham, Nigel Taken
Besses o’ th’ Barn, Lynda Nicholson
BT, Michael Fowles
Bodmin Town, Russell Gray
Cwmaman, John Hudson
First City Brass, Jeremy Wise
Fishburn, Graham O’Connor
Flowers, Philip Harper
JAG Mount Charles, Bryan Hurdley
Kibworth, John Berryman
Marple, Derek Broadbent
Newtongrange, Ray Farr
Peter Hawke Garages Lindley, Neil Jowett
Ransome, Peter Parkes
Rothwell Temperance, David Roberts
Seindorf Beaumaris, Gwyn Evans
Sellers International, Philip McCann
Skelmanthorpe, Kevin Wadsworth
Wingates, James Gourlay
The Grand Shield is traditionally seen as one of the hardest contests
in the banding calendar to win and the 2002 contest should be no
exception. Just look at the list of bands that have won through
to the British Open over the past ten years or so and you’ll
see that only bands of quality get the tickets for the big prize.
YBS, Cory, CWS Glasgow and Whitburn to name but a few have had to
win here to get an invite to the Open and the list of good quality
bands that have just scrapped into the Open by dent of coming second
is just as impressive. You have to be a good band on top form to
gain reward.
This year sees 19 very well matched outfits (First City have withdrawn)
all striving for a place at Symphony Hall and it could well be one
of the closest contests for many a year. No one band stands out
as being favourites and there are as many as twelve that we can
list that are more than capable of lifting the top prize itself
and repeating Kirkintilloch’s triumph of 2001. So here is the
recent form guide of the bands:
Ashton Under Lyne have done fairly well here over the past two years
and came 5th in 2000 and 7th last year. They recently came 2nd in
the 1st section at the Regional Championships and won the Tameside
contest in April, so hope they come on a run of form. The experienced
John Maines directs this year’s assault.
Aveley and Newham are a band that should be well in with a shout
– if they play to form and they were disappointed to come 5th
here last year. Not a great start to the year at Yeovil where they
came 9th, but they recovered form somewhat to qualify yet again
for London by coming 2nd at the Regional Championships. They have
the talent and this could be the year they finally get to Birmingham.
Besses O’ th’ Barn will be directed for the first time
at a major contest by Lynda Nicholson, and the former Principal
Cornet at Desford and inspirational conductor of the St. Helens
Youth Band will be hoping to prove her worth here. Not a bad start
to the year for the famous band with 4th place at the North West
Regional, but they will be hoping to improve on last year’s
11th place and even pip their 3rd spot of 2000 to get the trip to
Birmingham.
BT will be directed Michael Fowles and they will surely be hoping
to see an upturn in fortunes after coming 8th at Yeovil and then
9th at the strong North West Regional. 12th here last year means
they may have a lot to do if they are to make a mark, but Mike Fowles
is a talented MD and they have plenty of good players around the
stand. They need to play well though to make the trip.
Bodmin are a band that has a very good record here in the past three
years, with 3rd place and just missing out on the Open in both 1999
and last year. In 2000 they came 9th – but they appear to like
this contest. A good start to the year at Yeovil where they came
2nd was replaced by the disappointment of 7th place at the West
of England Regional Championship. They should be strong contenders
again though and will have Russell Gray at the helm to direct their
assault.
Cwmaman Institute came 3rd at the Senior Cup last year and since
then have steadily improved contest by contest and put up a fine
show at the Welsh Regional Championships to come 4th and also played
well at Ebbw Vale a few weeks ago (on this test piece) to come 3rd
behind Tredegar and BTM. John Hudson is a fine MD and knows the
qualification game inside out (he took Tredegar back to the Open
here in 1994). Plenty of quality players and a fine spirit, they
could well be a dark horse.
Fishburn have been going through the mill a bit of late, and we
can only hope that the unfortunate incidents of the North East Regional
Championships are behind them. They came 3rd there, but it was their
first outing with Graham O’Connor, who has a very handy knack
of qualifying at thus contest over the years and this could be their
ace up the sleeve this time. Plenty of talent and a very wise old
head to direct operations – they could well spring a surprise
and could well feature higher than the 10th place of last year.
Flowers were winners of the Grand Shield back in 1998 and went on
to perform with much credit at the Open before falling back after
coming last at the Open in 2001. On their day, Flowers can be an
outstanding band, with superb players around the stand and exciting
direction from the MD - 3rd place at Yeovil this year being a case
in point. However sometimes they do overcook things – 3rd place
at this year’s Regional Championships being a case in point,
so it will be interesting to hear how they tackle the test piece.
Could and should feature very highly, but you never quite know.
One to make sure you listen to though.
What to make of JAG Mount Charles eh? We tipped them to win at the
West of England Championships but it seems we put the kiss of death
on them and they performed below par to come 4th. Given that they
had been riding high on the successes of last year and at Yeovil,
this was a major disappointment and they will be keen to show the
banding world that they are a real force to be reckoned with. Bryan
Hurdley is experienced enough to know what to do, but can his players
respond? 14th last year and 8th in 2000 isn’t a great record.
Interesting.
Kibworth were a band we took a liking to last year after they gave
a series of very musical and well-balanced performances under the
direction of John Berryman. They could however only manage 8th place
in the 1st section in the Midlands Regional in March and so they
will be keen to get back to form. John Berryman will bring sense
and shape to the performance, but this is a hard contest to make
a mark at and it could just be beyond them this time around. They
qualified for the Grand Shield by coming 6th in the Senior Cup last
year.
Marple were British Open Champions in 1996, but now find themselves
back in the qualification pool after being relegated from the Open
last year. A finer bunch of people you will never meet, but the
years since that triumph have been hard and it could be even harder
for them to return. 7th at the North West Regional Championships
was a very encouraging start though and they should at least consolidate
in the top half without too many problems. Derek Broadbent directs,
and we hope he remembers to put in the last note this time.
Newtongrange have Ray Farr directing operations and they came 5th
at the Senior Cup last year to gain their shot at the big time here
this time around. 3rd place in Scotland a few months ago was a good
indicator that on their day and with Ray Farr at the helm they could
well feature highly. Lots of quality around the stand and with Ray
Farr fresh from the European, they will be keen to take emulate
Whitburn and CWS Glasgow and take the Shield back north of the border.
Peter Hawke Garages Lindley were one of the most successful bands
of 2001, but 2002 has seen them taste disappointment. The winners
of the Senior Cup and Pontins last year could only manage 4th place
in the 1st Section at the Midlands Regional Championships, so they
will be keen to show that this was only a temporary blip in form.
Lots of quality and a fine MD they could feature – but they
are up against a stronger field than last year’s Senior Cup.
The Ransome Band should be one of the favourites to take the title
here – especially as they have engaged Peter Parkes to direct
their assault. Here is a man who knows about victory and actually
took Whitburn to the title back in 1991. Ransome have dropped a
little in form since coming 2nd at the Nationals a couple of years
ago, but they still have plenty of top quality players around the
stand and should be more than capable of presenting a very strong
challenge. 5th place at the Midlands Regional was a major let down
– as was relegation from the Open; so don’t be surprised
if they come out al guns blazing. Ones to look out for.
Rothwell Temperance and David Roberts are another band that on their
day can perform as well as anyone here and they certainly have a
raft of players (especially soloists) that could be their strongest
card. 7th at the Yorkshire Regionals wasn’t a bad result, and
in fact they could well have come higher, but they will have to
be on form to get higher than the 7th place here of 2000 and 8th
place last year, when they didn’t perform as hoped. Could well
feature.
No other band could be coming to the contest with hopes as high
as Seindorf Beuamaris, who were 2nd at the Senior Cup last year
and just a few months ago startled the Welsh Regional Championship
with a top class show to come runners up to BAYV Cory and qualify
for London. They beat a number of top line bands that day, but it
will be interesting to see if the personnel they had on show that
day (including Andrew Berryman on trombone) is still on the books.
They are still a very strong blowing line up though and with plenty
of stamina this could be a piece well up their street. Don’t
be surprised if they feature highly once more.
Sellers International are a band reborn under Philip McCann and
are surely one of the pre match favourites to do very well here.
Excellent solo players and strong back up ensemble, they came 4th
here last year and 13th the year before, but a recent 6th place
at the Yorkshire Area and a fine outing late last year at Spennymoor
shows what they can achieve when they put their minds to it. Possibly
the band to beat?
Ntl Skelmanthorpe qualified for the Grand shield by coming 4th at
the Senior Cup last year, but they were disappointing at the recent
Yorkshire Regional Championships and could only manage 11th place.
Kevin Wadsworth continues to work the band hard and they do have
the quality to do well, but the standard of bands around them could
well mean consolidation rather than triumph this time around.
Wingates have opted for the considerable talents of James Gourlay
to head their assault and to possibly repeat their triumph here
in 1996. On their day they too are another band that can mix it
with the best and they put up a fine show in the North West Regional
Championships to come 5th. Some really top class performers around
the stand and with James Gourlay to direct, they will be strong
contenders and will be very keen to make an improvement on their
recent record here that has seen them come 6th in 2000 and 9th last
year. Well worth a listen to.
As we have said: The Grand Shield is possibly the hardest contest
of all to win, and the two bands that do finally get the nod from
the men in the box will have surely deserved it. Plenty of good
quality hard working outfits this year should make it a close run
thing, but there are a few bands that really do have the technique
and sound to make the most of a hard blowing test piece. Add a bit
of experience from the men in the middle and you can possibly see
where the two qualifiers will come from.
4BarsRest Prediction:
1. Sellers International
2. Ransome
3. Wingates
4. Flowers
5. Besses O’ th’ Barn
6. Aveley and Newham
Dark Horse: JAG Mount Charles
©
4BarsRest
 back
to top
|
|
