2008 Scottish Regional Championship - Third Section: Runners & Riders

They do tend to see the moon a lot more up here (British Summer Time was invented to help the Scots farmers out) so these should be expert performances then?

Saturday 8th March
Adjudicators: Steve Sykes & Steve Pritchard-Jones
Test Piece: The Dark Side of the Moon – Paul Lovatt-Cooper
Commences: Following Fourth Section results
 

Annan Town (APD)
Conductor: David Shanks

Last 12 Years:
2007: 11th in Second Section (D. Shanks) (rel)
2006: 8th (D. Shanks)
2005: 7th (D. Shanks)
2004: 7th (D. Shanks)
2003: 9th (D. Shanks)
2002: 7th (D. Shanks)
2001: 9th in First Section (D. Shanks) (rel)
2000: 4th (D. Shanks)
1999: 9th
1998: 2nd in Second Section (prom)
1997: 2nd in Third Section (prom)
1996: 7th 

Annan drop down to the Third Section this year after coming 11th in the higher section twelve months ago. 

The band came 8th at the Borders Contest and have in the not too distant past played in the First Section. Conductor David Shanks will want to try and get them back on the road then and aiming high once again. The hard work starts this weekend.  

Bon Accord Silver B
Conductor: Bruce Wallace

Last 12 Years:
2007: 11th (B. Wallace)
2006: 2nd in Fourth Section (B. Wallace) (prom)
2005: 3rd (B. Wallace)
2004: 3rd (B. Wallace)
2003: 5th (B. Wallace)
2002: 3rd (B. Wallace)
2001: 4th (B. Wallace)
2000: 3rd (B. Wallace)
1999: 6th
1998: DNC
1997: 11th in Third Section (rel)
1996: Winners of Fourth Section (prom) 

Bon Accord didn’t quite make the impression they perhaps would have liked to have done last year and ended up coming home in 11th place. 

They will need to up their game then to ward off any spectre of potential relegation, but if they can regain the form and consistency that they have shown over the past few years they should be more than OK.  

Buckhaven & Methil Miners
Conductor: Gordon Evans MBE

Last 12 Years:
2007: Winners of Fourth Section (R. McDonald) (prom)
2006: 12th in Third Section (R. McDonald) (rel)
2005: 10th (R. McDonald)
2004: 4th (R. McDonald)
2003: 10th (B. Fraser)
2002: 6th (A. Fernie)
2001: 3rd (A. Fernie)
2000: 8th (A. Fernie)
1999: 5th
1998: 10th
1997: 2nd in Fourth Section (prom)
1996: 4th 

Last year’s Fourth Section champion return hoping to make it two in a row, or at least book another trip to Harrogate.

Last year they headed south to Yorkshire and came a decent 11th – not a bad return at all given the strength of the opposition, and after winning the Fife Contest in the Fourth Section and coming 6th at the Scottish Challenge Cup, they may well fancy their chances.     

Coalburn Silver
Conductor: Gareth Bowman

Last 12 Years:
2007: 3rd (G. Bowman)
2006: 3rd (G. Bowman)
2005: 2nd in Fourth Section (G. Bowman) (prom)
2004: 4th (G. Bowman)
2003: 6th (D. Grey)
2002: 8th (D. Grey)
2001: DNC
2000: 8th (E. Kerr)
1999: DNC
1998: DNC
1997: DNC
1996: DNC 

Coalburn has really shown that they could comfortably move up in class to the Third Section in the last couple of years, and could possibly count themselves a touch unlucky that they didn’t get the nod for the Harrogate away weekend trip last year.

They will be determined to put that record straight then and after coming 10th at the Land O‘ Burns contest, 6th at Pontins, and 3rd at the Scottish Challenge Cup they could well be in line to do just that.  

Dalkeith and Monktonhall Colliery
Conductor: James Chamberlain

Last 12 Years:
2007: 9th in Second Section (J. Chamberlain) (rel)
2006: 7th (J. Chamberlain)
2005: 10th (I. Davey)
2004: 4th (I. Davey)
2003: 8th (I. Fleming)
2002: 9th in First Section (I. Fleming) (rel)
2001: 8th (I. Fleming)
2000: 6th (G. Jenkins)
1999: 8th
1998: 10th in Championship (rel)
1997: 6th
1996: Winners of First Section (prom)

Dalkeith dropped down through the relegation trap door last year when they could only manage 9th place in the Second Section. 

They will be looking to start the long old trek back to the top of the Scottish banding tree as a decade ago they were playing in the Championship Section. Whitburn’s flugel player Jim Chamberlain hopes he can start that process with the band on the weekend.  

Dundee Instrumental (St. Margaret's)
Conductor: Eoin Tonner 

Last 12 Years:
2007: 2nd in Fourth Section (J. Tonner) (prom)
2006: 7th (J. Tonner)
2005: 5th (J. Tonner)
2004: 5th (J. Tonner)
2003: 11th in Third Section (J. Tonner) (rel)
2002: 9th (J. Tonner)
2001: 2nd in Fourth Section (J. Tonner) (prom)
2000: 7th (F. Culross)
1999: 8th
1998: DNC
1997: DNC
1996: DNC

Dundee put in a fine performance last year to claim the qualification place to Harrogate in the Fourth Section, but they found it tough there and came back home in 20th place.

It may be asking a lot of them then to make a real impression (although they are being conducted by 16 year old Eoin Tonner) here this year and a good solid performance like the one that saw them come 8th in the Scottish Challenge Cup may be what they require to find their feet.    

Dunfermline Town
Conductor: David Neil 

Last 12 Years:
2007: 5th (D. Neil)
2006: 5th (D. Neil)
2005: 9th (S. Duncan)
2004: Winners of Fourth Section (S. Duncan) (prom)
2003: 8th in Third Section (S. Duncan)
2002: 7th (S. Duncan)
2001: 11th (S. Duncan)
2000: 3rd (S. Duncan)
1999: 7th
1998: 5th
1997: 3rd
1996: 10th 

Dunfermline have been nothing if not consistent in the last two years and for the second year came home in 5th place. 

More of that would be OK but as their results have shown here in the past few years they seem to be on an upward curve and have more than found their feet at this level since promotion from the Fourth Section in 2004. A qualification place maybe then? 

MacTaggart Scott Loanhead
Conductor: Alan Fernie

Last 12 Years:
2007: 7th (A. Fernie)
2006: 9th (A. Fernie)
2005: 8th (A. Fernie)
2004: 5th (A. Fernie)
2003: 5th (A. Fernie)
2002: 5th (A. Fernie)
2001: 7th (D. McLeod)
2000: 11th (G. Williamson)
1999: 3rd
1998: 4th
1997: 5th
1996: 3rd

Alan Fernie continues to do a fine job at McTaggart Scott Loanhead and they recovered a bit of form last year when they eventually came 7th.

Since then they came 6th at Brass in the Park and may well now fancy their chances of challenging strongly for a top six place or better.

St. David's Brass
Conductor: John Dickson 

Last 12 Years:
2007: 4th (J. Dickson)
2006: 11th in Second Section (J. Dickson) (rel)
2005: 11th (J. Dickson)
2004: Winners of Third Section (J. Dickson) (prom)
2003: 3rd (J. Dickson)
2002: 3rd (J. Dickson)
2001: 4th (J. Dickson)
2000: 9th (J. Dickson)
1999: 7th
1998: Winners of Fourth Section (prom)
1997: 7th
1996: 11th 

Fourth place last year was a good solid result for St. David’s after they were relegated the year before. 

John Dickson continues to work his band well and has put down solid foundations. 7th place at the Scottish Challenge Cup may just set them up to push on again this year – you never know.  

Tayport Instrumental
Conductor: F. Culross

Last 12 Years:
2007: 6th (F. Culross)
2006: 12th in Second Section (B. Deans) (rel)
2005: 8th (P. Ratnik)
2004: 9th in First Section (I. Davey) (rel)
2003: 8th  (R. MacDonald)
2002: 5th (R. MacDonald)
2001: 2nd in Second Section (R. MacDonald) (prom)
2000: 9th in First Section (R. MacDonald) (rel)
1999: 6th
1998: Winners of Second Section (prom)
1997: 9th in First Section (rel)
1996: 7th 

Tayport put in a solid showing last year when they eventually came in 6th place and they will surely be looking to build on that as they strive to return back to the Second Section and possibly beyond.

If they can do that then another top six place or even a challenge for a qualification place may be on the cards.  

Turriff Silver
Conductor:  

Last 12 Years:
2007: 8th (F. Cranna)
2006: Winners in Fourth Section (F. Cranna) (prom)
2005: DNC (rel)
2004: DNC
2003: Withdrew (rel)
2002: 11th in Second Section
2001: 9th
2000: 9th

Turriff made the move up from the Fourth Section last year and delivered a more than decent account of themselves in coming 8th.

If they have been able to build on that in the past twelve months then they could well be set to challenge for a top six place – they seem to be heading there if their recent results are anything to go by here.   

Past Qualifiers:

2007: Campbeltown Brass, Coalburn Silver
2006: Tullis Russell Mills, Broxburn Silver
2005: Shott's St. Patrick's, Selkirk Silver
2004: St. Davids Brass, Jedforest Instrumental
2003: Lochgelly, St. Ronan's
2002: Shotts St. Patrick's Brass, Arbroath Instrumental
2001: Clydebank Burgh, Tullis Russell Mills
2000: Livingston Brass, Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass
1999: Turriff Silver, City of Discovery Brass
1998: Renfrew Burgh, Irvine and Dreghorn
1997: Kepston Q Fab Whitburn Brass, Annan Town
1996: Kilmarnock Concert Brass, Campbeltown Brass
1995: Barrhead and District, Newland Concert  

Scottish bands at the Finals:

2007: 7th, 14th
2006: 3rd, 6th
2005: 11th, 16th
2004: 10th, 16th
2003: 12th, 13th
2002: 12th, 14th
2001: 12th, 15th
2000: 1st, 2nd
1999: 5th, 14th
1998: 3rd, 17th

4BR Prediction:

This could be a bit of an old scrap with a number of bands all capable of at least picking up a qualification place for Harrogate. That said we have to put our necks under the claymore so to speak and so we have opted for Coalburn as our pick as the band to beat.

Chasing them down should be MacTaggart Scott Loanhead and St David’s, with Bon Accord B, Buckhaven & Methil and Dalkeith and Monktonhall making it into the top six. Our dark horses are Dunfermline. 

1. Coalburn
2. MacTaggart Scott Loanhead
3. St David’s Brass
4. Bon Accord B
5. Buckhaven & Methil
6.  Dalkeith and Monktonhall

Dark Horse: Dunfermline

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