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ARTICLES

 

2003 Pontins Brass Band Championships

Pontins Holiday Camp, Prestatyn, North Wales
Sat/Sun 25/26th October

First Section

Saturday 25th October
Test Piece: Resurgam - Eric Ball
Commence: 10.00am
Adjudicators: Malcolm Brownbill and Brian Buckley
First Prize: £1,750
Second Prize: £900
Third Prize: £650
Fourth Prize: £450


The 1st section play the classic Eric Ball piece ‘Resurgam’ and this will be well within the range and scope of all the bands in this Section, in fact we think that it will come very much down to interpretation on this one. That poses us a problem when it comes to picking our likely prize-winners though, but there are a handful of bands we think that have the class about them to more than make a mark.


The competing bands are as follows:

Bedworth Brass – D. Williams
Bedworth come back to this contest having finished in 10th place last year and 20th the year before. They appeared in the 2nd Section in 2000 finishing a creditable 4th and they approach this contest with a mid place Regionals placing, whilst they turned around a 10th place result at Buxton with a win at Wychavon.

BHK (Horden) – Peter Parkes
BHK come to these finals on the back of a tremendous National Finals performance in Dundee and they have had a fine contest season in 2003 overall so far. This will be their first visit to these Finals in the 2000 era and led by Maj. Peter Parkes they must be one of the more strongly fancied bands. This is one contest the Major has never won surprisingly, so we think he may be about to change all that.

Blackburn & Darwen – L. Nicholson
Blackburn and Darwen have in the main a good record at these Championships - 6th in 2000 and 5th in 2001but only 14th last year. With Lynda Nicholson taking the baton it will be a sure fire guarantee they come to this contest very well prepared and could be in line for a win just like 1991 in the Second Section.

Derwent Brass – K. Leonard
Derwent and Keith Leonard make their debut this Millennium at the Finals here. They are a strong band and were well placed in the Midlands region. They could be in amongst the prizes at the end.

Enderby – S. Cooper
Enderby come the contest on the back of a Regionals placing of 13th. They have no Pontins appearances in the 2000’s so will hope to make an impression in this contest this year for sure.

Forest of Dean Brass – Miss J. Gwynne
Hailing from the West of England where they have a good reputation. No form at Pontins to call upon in the last three years at least, so it will be interesting how they do.

Holme Silver – S. Tighe
Holme appear here after coming second last year, and they will be keen therefore to go one better and march back to the Yorkshire Dales with a winners cheque to go with the trophy on offer. The experienced Stephen Tighe is at the helm and they could well feature highly.

Ibstock Brick Brass – P. Northey
Ibstock have appeared in the 1st Section for the past two years and in 2001 they came 12th. Last year though saw them improve further to 5th, so they will be looking for a further leap up the prize list this time.

Knottingly Silver – K. Belcher
Knottingly are new to the 1st Section at the Pontins Championships having last competed in 2001 when they came a decently placed 10th in the 2nd Section. They were well placed in the Nationals this year in Dundee, so could come good on their travels here as well.

Longridge – B. Baker
Longridge have competed in the Championship Section here for the past two years, but didn’t make anything of an impression. This time they have dropped down a section, but with Brett Baker at the helm there seems to be a whiff of a renaissance about the band. Ones to watch out for we think.

Markham and District – N. Seaman
Markham were 19th from a late draw here last year and they contested in the 2nd Section in 2001 taking 7th place. Have continued to do well in the Principality of late, but will be looking to make more of a mark here under the baton of Nigel Seaman.

Moston and Beswick – M. Obermuller
A huge improvement over the past year for the band - they were 18th in 2001 and 3rd last year in the Second Section, and they come to the 1st section following promotion. A recent change of MD and the loss of a few players, but they shuld still more than hold their own.

Pemberton Old Wigan – N. Sheppard
Pemberton pose a real dilemma - they can sparkle one contest and confound the listener at the next. They were 9th in 2001 then 21st in 2002 so how they do will possibly be in the lap of the Gods. Nick Sheppard though knows what it takes to win on the biggest stage of all – he was a member of the Marple Band that won the Open, so a position towards the top of the prize list may be in order this time around.

Stannington – J. Hopkinson
Stannington won the 2nd Section in 2001 following a disappointing 14th in 2000. They were absent last year and are approaching the 1st section at Pontins for the first time. 7th in the Regionals was a decent return, but they will be going for it here we think.

Stonesfield Silver – T. Brotherhood
Stonesfield haven’t competed here this Millennium at least so we will have to wait and see if their 12th place at the Regional Championships can be improved upon here against National opposition.

Tintwistle – D. Shutter
The band have a good track record at these Championships - earned though in the 2nd Section. They were 7th last year they also have a winners pennant in 2000 and a 4th in 2001 to fall back on. This should be a test, but one they should overcome in some style.

Towcester Studio – J. Berryman
Towcester went through a purple patch a couple of years ago coming 2nd in 2000 and 3rd in 2001 in the 2nd Section but the step up to 1st section proved to be consolidation rather than a whirlwind success. They came 11th last year and will enter the contest under the baton of the most experienced conductor John Berryman. With his understanding of Eric Ball they could well feature highly.

Tyldesley Brass – R. Taylor
The band last appeared in the contest in 2000 when they finished 9th, so re-enter the Championships having achieved mixed fortunes in 2003. A new MD and new players though should be a positive – they could well do very well indeed.

United Norwest Co-op Milnrow – C. Whiteoak
come into the 1st Section following a period of sustained contesting in the 2nd Section. They finished just outside the prizes in the last three years taking 12th (2002), 5th (2201) and 7th in 2000. They were runners up in Dundee so will be out to keep up the prize winning ways.

Unity Brass – P. Northey
Unity come into the 1st Section after a year away. They were quite lowly placed in 2001 coming 21st but with an experienced MD at the helm they will be confident of doing much better this year.

Wrexham Brass – W. Ruston
Wrexham come back to the contest on the back of a Regionals placing of 6th. We think they were last here under their old moniker of Rhos in 2001 when they came 17th in the Championship Section.

Yorkshire Co-operatives – J. Roberts
Yorkshire are the one band here who could well walk away with the contest if they are really playing to the top of their form. If not, then….. Plenty of good players around the stand, we think they could be the dark horse of the contest. Ones to listen out for.


4BR Prediction:

This is going to be one heck of a contest. The test piece is perhaps the best loved piece of brass writing ever, so the bands – and the MD’s in particular will have something of a moral duty to ensure they do it justice. There is no hidden, unwritten secret formula to “Resurgam”. What is written is written by a brass band composing genius, so those who think they know better and want to try something out of the ordinary deserve to be placed as low down the prize list as possible. This is simple, beautiful music – and the MD’s should approach it as such. Who then will win? Well we have chickened out a bit haven't we and have gone to the recent formbook. If we are way out then so be it, but given how close we think the contest will be, we opt for the following bands to do well.

1. BHK (UK) Horden Band
2. Blackburn and Darwen
3. Knottingly Silver
4. Longridge
5. United Norwest Co-op Milnrow
6. Derwent Brass

Dark Horse - Yorkshire Co-operatives

The Runners:

1. Bedworth Brass - D. Williams
2. BHK (UK) Horden Band – Major Peter Parkes
3. Blackburn and Darwen - L. Nicholson
4. Derwent Brass –K.Leonard
5. Enderby – S. Cooper
6. Forest of Dean Brass – Miss J. Gwynne
7. Holme Silver - S. Tighe
8. Ibstock Brick Brass - P. Northey
9. Knottingly Silver - K. Belcher
10. Longridge - B. Baker
11. Markham and District – N. Seaman
12. Moston and Beswick - R. Taylor
13. Pemberton Old Wigan - N. Sheppard
14. Stannington – J. Hopkinson
15. Stonesfield Silver - T. Brotherhood
16. Tintwistle - D. Shutter
17. Towcester Studio – J.Berryman
18. Tyldesley Brass – R. Taylor
19. United Norwest Co-op Milnrow - C. Whiteoak
20. Unity Brass - P. Northey
21. Vernon Building Society Poynton - M. Obermuller
22. Wrexham Brass - W. Ruston
23. Yorkshire Co-operatives - J. Roberts

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