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The British Open Brass
Band Championships.
82nd Spring Brass Band Festival
The Winter Gardens Blackpool
Saturday, May 11th 2002
Review: Senior Trophy
Qualifying Contest for the 2003 Senior Cup
Test Piece: Un Vie de Matelot,
Robert Farnon
Date Posted:
09.05.02
The Competing bands: 1st Old Boys, G. Moore
Aldbourne, I. Holmes
Bon Accord Silver, T. Swainson
Bo’ness and Carriden, I. Davey
Chester - le - Street Riverside, M. Sidwell
Cottingham, R. Grantham
Dalmellington, R. Evans
Haydock Ogden Travel, I. Brownbill
Hyde, P. Wise
Johnstone Band, R. Tennant
Newstead Welfare, D. Beckley
Pemberton Old Wigan, A. Lawton
Pennine Brass, I. Porthouse
Redbridge, M. White
Riddings, J. Davis
Staffordshire Band, D. Maplestone
Soham Comrades, P. Filby
Thornbury, N. Seaman
United Co-op Crewe, J. Sparkes
Yeovil Town, P. Bailey
The newly resurrected Senior Trophy will see another good group
of 20 bands battling it out on a fine set work in the form of Robert
Farnon's "Un Vie de Matelot". Some bands here will be
bursting a lung to get into the higher section and once again it
will be the top six who will be promoted - replacing the bottom
six of the Senior Cup. Looking at the list, the top six should sort
themselves on paper - but we aren't playing on paper are we? Still,
plenty of good performances to look forward to.
1st Old Boys (Seacat) will
be coming over from Ireland hoping to do well and improve on last year's 16th
place, whilst Albourne recently came 13th at Yeovil and 11th at the West of England
Championships and so will be hoping also to do well here. Scotland will
be sending down two strong contenders in Bon Accord and Bo'ness and Carriden.
Bo'ness came 8th at the Area and recently came 2nd at the Whitburn contest, whilst
Bon Accord came 10th at the Scottish Regional Championships. New band Chester
le Street will be hoping to get things off to a good start when they make their
debut at the contest whilst Cottingham from the North East will be travelling
with high hopes after coming 5th at their Regional Championships last month. Dalmellington
also come down from North of the border hoping to show that their recent 6th place
in Scotland shows that they will be strong contenders, whilst Haydock Ogden Travel
and Ian Brownbill came 6th in the strong North West Regional Championships and
should be hoping for a promotion spot at least. Hyde will be making the
long trek from the west country to Blackpool after coming 8th in the Regional
Championships and after coming 2nd at the Wessex contest, whilst from the other
end of the country, Johnstone Band and the experienced Raymond Tennant will be
keen to improve on recent form that saw them come 9th at the Scottish Regional
Championships. Confidence should be sky high in the Newstead Welfare camp
with MD Duncan Beckley keen to show that their recent 4th place at the Midlands
Regional Championships was an indication of how they could perform here, whilst
Pemberton Old Wigan will have the very experienced Alan Lawton at the helm to
direct their assault. They were winners of the 1st Section at the North West Regional
Championships. Pennine Brass are on a bit of a high after winning the recent
Holme Firth contest and they should come here as one of the favourites for the
Trophy itself after also putting in a real quality performance in coming 10th
at the Yorkshire Regional Championships. Redbridge should also be one of the favourites
here on recent form as they took the London Regional Championship with a fine
win last month. Hopes will be high, but the recent illness to MD Melvin White
could have added to the resolve. We don't know who the replacement MD on the day
will be at present.
Riddings have the experienced J. Davis at the helm and although
they could only manage 9th place in the 1st section in the Midlands
last month they did go on to win the recent Derby contest. Staffordshire
Band meanwhile will be looking for an improvement in form here since
they could only manage 17th place in the Senior Cup last year to
drop down to this section. The omens may be good though as they
won the 1st section at the Midlands Regional Championships.
Soham Comrades will be making the long trek from East Anglia
to Blackpool for the contest, and they should travel with high hopes of doing
well as they recently came 4th at the London Area and have performed solidly every
time we have heard them of late. Thornbury meanwhile will be taken by Nigel Seaman
and the band from the West Country will be hoping to see an upturn in recent fortunes
after coming 9th in the West of England Regional Championships. United Co-operatives
Crewe came 5th in the 1st Section in the North West Regional Championships, so
will be hoping for a good result, whilst Yeovil Town and Philip Bailey have been
on good form of late and will be travelling to the contest after coming 6th at
the West of England Championships and winning the Wessex contest. So who
is it going to be then? Plenty of good bands, experienced MD's and talented
players around the stand, but some bands here have been playing to form more than
others in recent months and that could tell here. One or two are a class above
the rest, but there will still be plenty of room for a couple of supposed outsiders
to make their mark. 4Bars Rest Prediction: 1. Pennine Brass
2. Dalmellington
3. Redbridge Brass
4. Haydock Ogden Travel
5. Yeovil Town
6. Bon Accord Silver Dark Horse: Bo'ness and Carriden
© 4BarsRest
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