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2003 Pontins Brass Band Championships
Pontins Holiday Camp, Prestatyn, North Wales
Sat/Sun 25/26th October
Third Section:
Retrospective
Victory to Beaumaris who gave a "B" sample that proved
positive enough to beat off all the other competitiors on the day.
The Third Section saw victory go to Beaumaris B, who off the dreaded
number 2 draw gave a tremendous performance that the rest of the
18 bands that followed couldn’t match. All three movements
were played with a spirit and commitment whilst the MD, Paul Hughes
directed with a keen ear to ensure that the solo lines were never
submerged. They also had a super flugel player and the percussion
never obliterated the band as was the curse of many who didn’t
come in the prizes. It was a worthy win and the top prize was very
well deserved.
Behind them came Whitworth Vale and Healey who chose a steady tempo
to start, but one that allowed the detail of the music to be heard.
After that they gave a well-controlled second movement and some
lovely individual playing in the third that really caught the ears
of the judges, John Maines and Kevin Wadsworth. Third place, and
perhaps a few points behind the top two came Bream Silver under
Huw Cole who has just taken over at the helm with the band. Just
as with the top two bands on the day, Bream gave a steady start
and followed up with a relaxed second movement and vigorous finale.
It wasn’t as clean as the bands that beat them, but it was
still very good none the less and third place was spot on, and marked
out the consistency of thought from the judges tent. All three performances
were cut from the same musical cloth for us.
Boarshurst Silver had plenty of quality about them, and perhaps
the nicest ensemble sound of the day, but some loose playing in
the opening movement may have proved costly in the judges ears.
United Norwest 2000 started well and seemed to be constructing a
winner of a show only for the finale to become a touch scrappy –
although they had a superb bass trom player, who had a fine plumby
sound in the lower register. The final top six place went to Carlton
Brass who for us rode their luck a little in coming in the frame
– we have certainly heard them play better than this –
but who still produced enough quality in sound and who had a fine
soprano cornet to make it into the prizes again.
Behind the top six there were for us a few performances that could
and possibly should have come a bit higher, with Hoover unlucky
to come 7th especially. This was a fine show, well constructed and
with some super solo playing, but perhaps the big dynamics didn’t
find favour with the judges. Pontypool were 8th after giving a very
clean account of the music and who benefited from a fine performance
from their solo euphonium, whilst Rainford took 9th spot with a
show that was exuberant, perhaps a little too exuberant at times
as one or two entries were untidy and spoilt the good ensemble work.
Behind these came a small group that contained Eaton’s Farnsworth
in 10th, Lostock Memorial in 11th and Syston in 12th who could have
come in any order on any other day. All three had their moments
of fine playing – Eaton’s had a super trom player, but
looseness in the ensemble throughout, whilst Lostock’s MD,
K. Rollings gave the music plenty of time and space, but just lacked
that touch of brio especially in the finale that could have made
a real mark. Syston wee the same – plenty of time and space
but just I need of a little more vigour to make the music really
come to life.
After these bands the standard fell away somewhat for us. All the
bands very nearly played all the notes, but even at this level that
is sometimes not enough. Nearly all had at least one very good movement
(mostly the first it must be said) whilst most found tuning in the
second as their Achilles heel. There was also some good solo work
from individual players, but it was the lack of balanced ensemble
that stood out, especially in the final movement when they strived
for weight of sound instead of holding back a little and letting
the detail come through.
Pilling Silver Jubilee and Greenhalls Brewery were cases in point
– one good movement, one fair one and one poor one meant they
had to be content with 13th and 14th places respectively, whilst
Ellington in 15th didn’t play to form after a nicely shaped
first movement seemed to have set them up to do well.
Timperley had a very classy euph player in the second movement,
but all their good work was undone with scrappiness in the outer
movements, whilst Ebbw Vale had to be content with 17th place after
they suffered with intonation problems throughout. It was a nice
shape, and had a fine bass sound, but it grated too often on the
ears. Eccles too benefited from a good solid reading by the MD,
but lacked cohesion in the ensemble playing and tuning too often
to make a mark, whilst Royal Buckley lost their way in the third
movement after some nice work beforehand. The percussion team was
one of the best of the day for us as well.
Finally, Goldborne had a curates egg of a show that benefited from
a fine solo cornet player, but too often fell flat in terms of basic
tuning and ensemble cohesion. Still it wasn’t a bad effort.
So Beaumaris were worthy winners off a draw that would in most
cases be the kiss of death to many chances. It was a worthy winner
because they mastered the basics and then added the sparkle to stand
out from the rest, and they will look back at Pontins 2003 as a
contest when they really shone. Overall it also showed that given
a good choice of test piece most bands will respond by giving good
shows, and this proved that James Scott had it spot on.
Test Piece:
Music from Kantara, Kenneth Downie
1. Beaumaris B, P. Hughes, 2
2. Whitworth Vale & Healey, R. Milton, 18
3. Bream Silver, H. Cole, 13
4. Boarshurst Silver, J. Webster, 5
5. United Norwest 2000 Brass, S. Helleur, 19
6. Carlton Brass, T. Wilson, 20
7. Hoover Band [Bolton], C. Wormald, 4
8. Pontypool Brass, M. Jones, 10
9. Rainford Silver, N. Samuel, 9
10. Eaton's Farnworth, P. Ashley, 8
11. Lostock Hall Memorial, K. Rollings, 16
12. Syston, R. Boulter, 15
13. Pilling Jubilee Silver, B. Harper, 11
14. Greenalls Brewery, J. Ludden, 3
15. Ellington Colliery, D. Wright, 17
16. Timperley, C. Whiteoak, 7
17. Ebbw Vale Town, A. Browning, 1
18. Eccles Borough, K. Donaldson, 12
19. Royal Buckley Town, G. Thomas, 14
20. Goldborne, G. Williams, 6
© 4BarsRest
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