North of England • Sunday 17, 19:08:25
Championship Section that's all from Darlington for the weekend folks
North of England • Sunday 17, 19:07:41
Result:
Championship Section:
Sunday 17th March
Test Piece: 'Harmony Music' - Philip Sparke
Draw: 1.30pm
Commence: c.3.00pm (at conclusion of Section 2)
Adjudicator: David Read MBE
1. NASUWT Riverside (Ray Farr) 10*
2. Reg Vardy (Dr. Nicholas J. Childs) 5*
3. Felling (Stephen Malcolm) 4
4. East Yorkshire Motor Services (Alan Morrison) 8
5. Shepherd Group (Richard Wilton) 3
6. Fishburn (Huw Thomas) 6
7. Easington Colliery (Chris Bentham) 9
8. Barton Town (Nick Sheppard) 7
9. Westoe (John Roberts) 1
10. Kirkbymoorside Town (John Woodward) 2
* Top 2 bands qualify for National Finals
Best Soprano: NASUWT
Best Cornet: Reg Vardy
Best Euphonium: Reg Vardy
Best Trombone: Reg Vardy
Bass Section: NASUWT Riverside
Percussion Section: NASUWT Riverside
North of England • Sunday 17, 18:33:31
4BR Prediction:
An intriguing contest that certainly has seen the bands tested by Harmony Music but also has produced plenty of quality at the top.
It’s going to be squeaky bum time at the top though with the last band of NASUWT Riverside putting the cat amongst the pigeons and challenging hard for a finals berth. EYMS and Reg Vardy have all given strong challenges for contention whilst defending champion, Felling may just miss out today.
Whoever goes to London, it’s going to be very close.
4BR Prediction:
1. EYMS
2. NASUWT Riverside
3. Reg Vardy
4. Felling
North of England • Sunday 17, 18:27:06
Championship Section:
10. NASUWT Riverside (Ray Farr)
Maestro Ray Farr delivers an engrossing reading full of energy & excitement to bring the contest to a close.
A confident opening set the scene and the band certainly responded although it wasn’t without its glitches along the way.
The Ravel section is a lovely bit of heart on the sleeve stuff whilst the ‘Bumper-up’ takes on the cornet cadenza and is complimented by a tasteful horn and very tasty climax.
Reprise is touch scrappy in places whilst the journey home pushes hard but contains lapses with tiredness creeping in.
Great old reading though and could it cause a surprise?
North of England • Sunday 17, 18:04:14
Championship Section:
9. Easington Colliery (Chris Bentham).
Easington wasn’t the first band to have found ‘Harmony Music’ a tough nut to crack over the past couple of weeks.
It wasn’t without its technical or musical fragilities though but you have to give MD, Chris Bentham a pat on the back for his common sense approach to the performance.
Nothing was ever over done and pushed to the limit. The solo cadenza’s saw players dig deep to deliver whilst the commitment was there for all to see even if tiredness crept in at the end.
North of England • Sunday 17, 17:45:47
Championship Section:
8.East Yorkshire Motor Services (Alan Morrison)
EYMS and Alan Morrison deliver an energetic and passionate account of ‘Harmony Music’.
Bold, brave and courageous right from the word go,it was pacy with a pulse that kept the music moving but also had moments of unease within at times too.
The Ravel Interlude was effective whilst the cornet and horn cadenza’s are delivered with confidence—real quality horn, well done.
The reprise see’s the MD build it all with a good head of steam, and the final run for home certainly holds the excitement levels, even if there are errors.
It’s in with a shout today for sure
North of England • Sunday 17, 17:24:57
Championship Section:
7. Barton Town (Nick Sheppard)
Barton delivers an account of Harmony Music that gets stronger as it went along.
The opening section was big, bold and adventurous but with nerves on show, it takes time to settle.
The ensemble work was fully committed but the solo cadenza’s were not without a wobble or two, whilst the errors at times took the edge of clarity in delivery.
There was some good playing on show but it was certainly robust, but too many slips may prove costly today
North of England • Sunday 17, 17:03:20
Championship Section:
6. Fishburn (Huw Thomas)
A performance full of commitment and musical endeavour from Fishburn that had plenty to appreciate
Huw Thomas does an excellent job of coercing a reading that aimed to bring the music to the fore and it was so enjoyable to listen to
The soloists dug extremely deep whilst the ensemble playing certainly gave everything in its support. The Ravel interlude had a really nice feel to it
There was tiredness in evidence towards the end as the excitement grew
North of England • Sunday 17, 16:39:33
Championship Section:
5.Reg Vardy (Dr. Nicholas J. Childs)
The big bold start was enhanced by a lovely bit of euphonium cadenza work.
The ensemble is of a different standard than what we’ve heard today —lots of good ensemble work supported by excellent solo contributions —cornet and horn again on good form.
We really here some Ravel for the first time today—bravo!
The tempo markings don’t hang around and takes edge off the clarity, but it adds to the excitement of the performance and it’s an impressive close.
It's certainly up there, but is it beatable?
North of England • Sunday 17, 16:16:24
Championship Section:
4.Felling (Stephen Malcolm)
Felling deliver a fine old defence of their title.
Stephen Malcolm carves out an excellent reading that was built on some excellent musical foundations.
Every bar had a purpose and nothing was over done and he never stretched the ensemble. Despite a few blips there were some excellent ensemble and solo contributions: Stephen Wilkinson on top man and tenor horn soloist displayed such a lovely warm sound.—the best of the day so far.
The reprise is exciting and edge-of-the-seat stuff at times but you can’t deny the confidence on show.
They’ll have given David Read MBE something to ponder but long way to go
North of England • Sunday 17, 15:56:40
Championship Section:
3.Shepherd Group (Richard Wilton)
Shepherd Group makes a return to the top section with a performance that was full of commitment and the best so far today.
Huge credit goes to the MD, Richard Wilton for giving his band the opportunity to bring the music out of the score, courtesy of a well thought out reading.
There was some nice ensemble playing whilst the solo performers had to dig deep and deserve a massive pat on the back from their colleagues. The Ravel has a nice feel to it and whilst the closing section was never lacking in true musical commitment, there was tiredness on show at the end
North of England • Sunday 17, 15:36:06
Championship Section:
2. Kirkbymoorside Town (John Woodward)
Kirbymoorside never really recovers from a nervous opening that takes time to settle and they found Harmony Music a very difficult musical task.
There was some quality on show at times within the ensemble but the solo lines and cadenza’s in particular were nervously executed.
The Ravel Interlude appeals to the band though whilst the Vervace’s were more than a touch nervous.
Top marks for effort though
North of England • Sunday 17, 15:21:30
Championship Section:
1. Westoe (John Roberts)
A performance full of determined commitment from Westoe. John Roberts did a great job keeping the band together when at times the tempo’s were rather on the quick side.
The cadenza’s were delivered with full commitment and the Ravel had a nice feel to it. The Vervaces were passionate but there was tiredness in evidence
North of England • Sunday 17, 15:13:26
Championship Section: Niki Bland from Kapitol has joined the press corps upstairs - we're on our best behaviour!!
North of England • Sunday 17, 15:12:15
Championship Section: Westoe & John Roberts are giving this a fair old go.
North of England • Sunday 17, 14:59:10
Championship Section:
About to get underway in top section John Roberts leading Westoe not David Nesbitt
Draw
Adjudicator: David Read MBE
Barton Town (Nick Sheppard) 7
Easington Colliery (Chris Bentham) 9
East Yorkshire Motor Services (Alan Morrison) 8
Felling (Stephen Malcolm) 4
Fishburn (Huw Thomas) 6
Kirkbymoorside Town (John Woodward) 2
NASUWT Riverside (Ray Farr) 10
Reg Vardy (Dr. Nicholas J. Childs) 5
Shepherd Group (Richard Wilton) 3
Westoe (John Roberts) 1
North of England • Sunday 17, 14:57:19
Section 2:
Results:
1. Ripon City (Malcolm Dibb) 2*
2. York Railway Institute (Gordon Eddison)3*
3. Murton Colliery (John Pearson) 5
4. Billingham Silver (Vaughan Evans) 1
5. Northumbrian Water Ellington Colliery (Jonathan Fenwick) 4
*Top 2 bands qualify for National Finals
Euphonium: York Railway Institute
Soprano: Billingham Silver
Bass Section: Murton Colliery
North of England • Sunday 17, 14:17:21
Section 2:
The five Second Section bands today deserve Olympic coated medals presented to them by Steve Cram. Huge respect for all of the bands for taking to the stage to tackle a piece where the easy option would have been to withdraw. The music has simply failed to bring out the best qualities of the bands on show today. It's going to be extremely interesting to listen to Steve Pritchard-Jones when he addresses the bands.
4BR Prediction:
1.York Railway Institute
2.Ripon
3,Northumbrian Water
4.Murton
5.Billingham Silver
North of England • Sunday 17, 13:40:45
Section 2:
Heck of a brave old effort from York Railway going on here but its another ensemble thats been stretched today. Yes, this is a competition, but amateur music making remains a hobby and is supposed to be enjoyable. This piece just clearly isn't bringing the best out of the bands here at all.
North of England • Sunday 17, 13:27:20
Section 2:
York Railway on now in their Black Dykesque uniforms
North of England • Sunday 17, 13:15:53
Section 2:
Credit to Ripon MD, Malcolm Dibb, he's giving this every chance he can. Fiendishly difficult
North of England • Sunday 17, 13:04:50
Section 2:
A brave old effort from Billingham Silver but it just was too much for them today
North of England • Sunday 17, 12:55:41
Section 2:
We're underway with the Second Section, just five bands, can they get to grips with this difficult piece we wonder?
North of England • Sunday 17, 12:52:10
Section 2:
The Second Section draw is as follows:
Billingham Silver (Vaughan Evans) 1
Murton Colliery (John Pearson) 5
Northumbrian Water Ellington Colliery (Jonathan Fenwick) 4
Ripon City (Malcolm Dibb) 2
York Railway Institute (Gordon Eddison) 3
North of England • Sunday 17, 12:50:32
Section 3:
Result:
1. NASUWT Concert (Bryan Tait) 4*
2. East Riding of Yorkshire (Ian Scott) 6*
3. Dunston Silver (Steven Archer) 5
4. Houghton Brass (Ian Langthorne) 1
5. Ferryhill Town (Andrew Hall) 2
6. Kingsway Printers Cleethorpes (Steven Askew) 7
7. Marske Brass (Alun Prest) 3
8. Backworth Colliery (Callum Harrison) 8
*Top 2 qualify for National Finals
Best Cornet: East Riding of Yorkshire
Percussion Section: East Riding of Yorkshire
North of England • Sunday 17, 12:11:27
Section 3: Third Section bands have really enjoyed playing Hollywood and its made for an enjoyable couple of hours. The enthusiasm shown has at times beeen at the expense of allowing the detail to come through. Percussion Sections and flugels have been great today, but this really could be a close one, especially when it comes to qualification for Cheltenham.
4BR Prediction:
1. NASUWT Concert
2. East Riding
3. Houghton
4. Kingsway Printers
North of England • Sunday 17, 12:00:43
Section 3: Bundles of energy from MD, Callum Harrison with Backworth.
North of England • Sunday 17, 11:56:14
Section 3: Backworth Colliery to bring to an end the Third Section and an enjoyable contest. This could be very close though.
North of England • Sunday 17, 11:44:25
Section 2: Draw has been done and will be posted once judge Steve Pritchard-Jones goes in box sometime in the next hour we think.
North of England • Sunday 17, 11:33:33
Section 3:Lots of spirit & enthusiastic commitment on show today. Hollywood, like marmite (love it or loathe it) has been a piece for bands to get stuck into and enjoy.
North of England • Sunday 17, 11:20:26
Section 3:Interesting contrast from Dunston, lighter touches in sound. Wonder what David Read will think?
North of England • Sunday 17, 11:09:10
Section 3: Excellent show from NASUWT, 4 to go here, but Bryan Tait's band will know it went well
North of England • Sunday 17, 11:00:23
Section 3: By no means blemish free, but a real musical account being given by NASUWT Concert here.
North of England • Sunday 17, 10:50:48
Section 3: NASUWT are about to play under Bryan Tait and they've made finals day before. Mr & Mrs Alan Hope will be proud as family members on stage playing in this band.
North of England • Sunday 17, 10:36:18
Section 3: On band 3 now in Darlington. Some interesting interpretations upto now. Flugel playing isn't bad so far, some fine playing
North of England • Sunday 17, 10:13:20
Section 3: Decent marker from Houghton Brass off number one. In such a lively acoustic, interesting to see if any band pulls down on the dynamics and tempo's today?
North of England • Sunday 17, 10:01:50
Section 3:
Lights, camera, action and here we go in the Third Section. Lets hope Third Section bands make a good go of Hollywood today.
North of England • Sunday 17, 09:58:00
Section 3:
About to get underway with 3rd Section and here is the draw:
Backworth Colliery (Callum Harrison) 8
Dunston Silver (Steven Archer) 5
East Riding of Yorkshire (Ian Scott) 6
Ferryhill Town (Andrew Hall) 2
Houghton Brass (Ian Langthorne) 1
Kingsway Printers Cleethorpes (Steven Askew) 7
Marske Brass (Alun Prest) 3
NASUWT Concert (Bryan Tait) 4
North of England • Sunday 17, 09:22:24
Section 3: After the Third Section, five bands go for two Cheltenham spots in the Second Section followed by ten Championship challengers pitting their wits on Harmony Music.
North of England • Sunday 17, 09:20:09
Section 3: Good morning from sunny Darlington. The Third Section draw has taken place and we start here at 10.00am. Once David Read has gone in the box, we will post the draw.
North of England • Saturday 16, 18:00:32
Section 4:
Thats your lot for today from Darlington. Section Three starts at 10am, followed by 2 then Championship. Full results so far are available on 4BR
North of England • Saturday 16, 17:59:02
Section 4: Result
1. Trimdon Concert (John Robson) 4*
2. Burneside Brass (Laurie Johnstone) 7*
3. Stanhope Silver (Steve Robson) 8
4. North Skelton (Denis Noble) 9
5. Barton Community (Garry Oglesby) 10
6. Knaresborough Silver (Steve Morland) 12
7. Jayess Newbiggin (Andrew Griffiths) 5
8. Penrith Town (Ian Butterworth) 1
9. Bearpark and Esh (Tim Oldroyd) 6
10. Spennymoor Town (Jean Davidson) 2
11. Skipton Brass (Adrian Lowes) 3
12. Craghead (Lee Morris) 11
*Top 2 bands qualify for National Finals
Best Principal Cornet: Jayess Newbiggin
Best Euphonium: Burneside Brass
North of England • Saturday 16, 17:31:01
Section 4: The end of a three hour contest that has been a tough baptism for 4th Section bands on the music of Eric Ball it must be said. It's been a challenge to deliver the basics and bring some music out of the score today.
We think two bands have done enough to book their hotels for Cheltenham, but placing the remaining four bands 3-6 is going to be very tight and by no means straightforward.
It's going to be interesting to see what Steve Pritchard-Jones has to say today.
4BR prediction:
1. North Skelton
2. Trimdon
3. Jayess Newbiggin
4. Stanhope
5. Bearpark & Esh
6. Barton
North of England • Saturday 16, 17:14:47
Section 4: Can Knaresborough grab a qualification spot?
North of England • Saturday 16, 17:02:50
Section 4: Courageous effort from Craighead, not with a full compliment on stage either
North of England • Saturday 16, 16:45:05
Section 4: North Skelton certainly gave it a good go and it came off for them today, they'll have thrown their hats into the ring after a good account.
North of England • Saturday 16, 16:37:10
Section 4: North Skelton are giving this a good go, can they hold it together till the end?
North of England • Saturday 16, 16:17:22
Section 4: five left and this really is wide open. No band has slammed the Devon Fantasy door firmly shut as of yet.
North of England • Saturday 16, 16:04:09
Section 4: So can any of the remaining six bands get themselves to Finals day?
North of England • Saturday 16, 16:00:36
Section 4: comfort break for Steve Pritchard-Jones, contest underway again soon with final six bands.
North of England • Saturday 16, 15:40:31
Section 4: five down, seven to go and 2 spots very much up for grabs. Been some brave old efforts so far but its been a real struggle at times to do the basics and bring the music out of the score in the right styles.
North of England • Saturday 16, 15:21:56
Section 4: Trimdon deliver not an error free performance but best so far in our view
North of England • Saturday 16, 15:13:41
Section 4: We said in our preview, this could be a hard section to call and Ball's work is proving to be a tough one to crack so far.
North of England • Saturday 16, 15:02:56
Section 4: Bands have struggled to get to grips with the basics of this piece so far. All Skipton band are in the Persil white shirts, giving it their all here though.
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:58:03
Result:
Section 1:
Saturday 16th March
Test Piece: 'Brass Triumphant' - Gareth Wood
Draw: 10.30am
Commence: 12 noon
Adjudicator: David Read MBE
1. Harrogate (Craig Ratcliffe) 4
2. Catterrick Brass (David Lancaster) 1
3. G.T. Group Peterlee (Joe Cook) 2
4. South Milford (Martin Hall) 5
5. Cockerton Silver (George Nicklin) 3
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:52:52
Section 4: Yep, hoodie is back! honestly..............
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:50:59
Section 4: Two interesting performances so far in 4th section. Next up Skipton, will the MD be wearing his hoodie?
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:42:23
Section 4: Judge Steve Pritchard-Jones will know what he wants today, he judged the section in Bradford.
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:41:11
Section 4: Great commitment from Penrith from number 1. Spennymoor on now.
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:35:09
Section 4: One that didn't quite come off for Penrith
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:29:01
Draw:
Section 4:
Penrith Town (Ian Butterworth) 1
Spennymoor Town (Jean Davidson) 2
Skipton Brass (Adrian Lowes) 3
Trimdon Concert (John Robson) 4
Jayess Newbiggin (Andrew Griffiths) 5
Bearpark and Esh (Tim Oldroyd) 6
Burneside Brass (Laurie Johnstone) 7
Stanhope Silver (Steve Robson) 8
North Skelton (Denis Noble) 9
Barton Community (Garry Oglesby) 10
Craghead (Lee Morris) 11
Knaresborough Silver (Steve Morland) 12
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:23:53
Section 4: Off we go with 12 bands in 4th section, Steve Pritchard-Jones judging
North of England • Saturday 16, 14:22:58
Section 1: Joy for Harrogate & Catterick who head to Cheltenham
North of England • Saturday 16, 13:52:08
Section 1: Well, that was short & sweet, but an interesting contest where some bands got to grips better than others with Wood's piece. Could come down to personal preference for David Read but we think
4BR prediction:
1. Catterick Brass
2. Harrogate
3. GT Group
4. South Milford
5. Cockerton
North of England • Saturday 16, 13:44:07
Section 1: This isn't a performance from South Milford lacking in self-belief thats for sure.
North of England • Saturday 16, 13:32:26
Section 1: Impressive show from Harrogate, it could well sneak into contention but its down to South Milford now to close this short contest.
North of England • Saturday 16, 13:24:43
Section 1: Harrogate will be giving David Read something to think about here
North of England • Saturday 16, 13:20:46
Section 1: This is the only venue for the press where the sounds of the bands are accompanied by the hum of a lift going up and down behind us
North of England • Saturday 16, 13:13:57
Section 1: Harrogate are playing with lots of energy here - they're up for it
North of England • Saturday 16, 13:08:32
Section 1: So with two bands left, can Harrogate & National 2nd Section Champion, South Milford steel Cheltenham spots?
North of England • Saturday 16, 13:01:27
Section 1: This is an account of Wood's piece that has kept you engrossed from Cockerton
North of England • Saturday 16, 12:49:20
Section 1: Cockerton and George Nicklin about to deliver their performance of Brass Triumphant.
North of England • Saturday 16, 12:43:15
Section 1: An intriguing one from Joe Cook's outfit, had a few moments at times but enjoyable.
North of England • Saturday 16, 12:32:36
Section 1: Enjoyable one so far from Peterlee, enjoy the Prokofiev-inspired section.
North of England • Saturday 16, 12:26:26
Section 1: Good marker from Catterick. Black Dyke's Joseph Cookk leading GT Group Peterlee now
North of England • Saturday 16, 12:15:54
Section 1: This is an interesting well thought out account from Catterick.
North of England • Saturday 16, 12:10:49
Section 1: Catterick Brass giving Brass Triumphant a good crack. We think Brenden Wheeler is on euph.
North of England • Saturday 16, 12:03:27
Section 1: Catterick Brass are on stage and we're about to get underway at Darlington.
North of England • Saturday 16, 11:54:02
Section 1: Steve & Dave Jack have arrived from BBW and the press corps will be based on the balcony over the weekend - we have nice comfy seats too. Welcomed with open arms here.
North of England • Saturday 16, 11:47:27
Section 1: So here is the first draw of the weekend
Test Piece: 'Brass Triumphant' - Gareth Wood
Draw: 10.30am
Commence: 12 noon
Adjudicator: David Read MBE
Catterick Brass (David Lancaster) 1
G.T. Group Peterlee (Joe Cook) 2
Cockerton Silver (George Nicklin) 3
Harrogate (Craig Ratcliffe) 4
South Milford (Martin Hall) 5
North of England • Saturday 16, 11:38:43
Section 1: A warm friendly welcome is always given in Darlington. Good to see Paul & Jacqui Beere from Brass in Concert here for the weekend as are Mr & Mrs Tomlinson from Yorkshire and Peter Bates, who will act as MC.
North of England • Saturday 16, 11:06:00
Good morning from Darlington. The draw for the five bands in the First Section has taken place and we will post once David Read MBE has gone into the box prior to the start at 12 Noon.
North of England • Friday 15, 11:05:47
Championship Section:
Sunday 17th March
Test Piece: 'Harmony Music' - Philip Sparke
Draw: 1.30pm
Commence: 3pm approx (at conclusion of Section 2)
Adjudicator: David Read MBE
First Section:
Saturday 16th March
Test Piece: 'Brass Triumphant' - Gareth Wood
Draw: 10.30am
Commence: 12.00
Adjudicator: David Read MBE
Second Section:
Sunday 17th March
Test Piece: 'The Plantaganets' - Edward Gregson
Draw: 11.00am
Commence: 12.45pm approx (at conclusion of Section 3)
Adjudicator: Steve Pritchard-Jones
Third Section:
Sunday 17th March
Test Piece: 'Hollywood' - Goff Richards
Draw: 8.30am
Commence: 10.00am
Adjudicator: David Read MBE
Fourth Section:
Saturday 16th March
Test Piece: 'A Devon Fantasy' - Eric Ball
Draw: 12.30pm
Commence: 2.10pm approx (at conclusion of Section 1)
Adjudicator: Steve Pritchard-Jones
