The numbers game at the British Open made for interesting reading this year – from Cory’s first win off the number 6 draw since 1951, to the battle of the bands to stave off the drop to the Grand Shield.
Story
As always with the British Open the numbers tell the story as well as any performance.
Not only did Cory win the contest for the fourth time under MD Robert Childs but did so by becoming the first band in over half a century to win off the number 6 draw.
Conquerers
The last band to pick that particular number from the velvet bag and go on and take the title was Ransome & Marles way back in 1951, when Eric Ball took the baton to conduct his own work, ‘The Conquerors’.
Equally impressive was the fact that it was the earliest draw victory at the contest since Fairey won in 1987 from the number 7 slot, and the first victory for a band in the first half of the contest since YBS won in 2001.
Early
In fact it was a good day to pick an early slot at the contest, with Grimethorpe (3), Brighouse (8), Fodens (5) and Desford (1) making it into the top seven places come the results.
The last time four single digit draw bands last came in the top six was in 1997.
It still means there has been no winner since 1962 from the numbers 1 – 5 though – although Munn & Feltons did win off the number 1 draw in 1954.
At the other end of the results table there were a number of anxious faces on band managers as the relegation trap door opened to send two bands back to the Grand Shield4BR
Relegation numbers
At the other end of the results table there were a number of anxious faces on band managers as the relegation trap door opened to send two bands back to the Grand Shield.
In the end the two-year aggregate condemned Hammonds Saltaire and BTM to the drop. The placing of Brisbane Excelsior was ignored for relegation purposes.
Hammonds aggregate was 28 points (16th in 2008 + 12th), whilst BTM had an aggregate of 30 points (13 + 17)
Uncomfortable
Enduring a couple of very uncomfortable minutes as the fates were totted up were Whitburn and Fairey, both of whom had a two year score of 26 points.
Bands with little room for error next year will include the bottom six finishers of Whitburn (16), Carlton Main (15), Rothwell (14), Virtuosi GUS (13), Fairey (11) and Hepworth (10).
Early draw winners since 1945:
1954: Munn & Feltons — number 1
1951: Ransome & Marles — number 6
2009: Cory — number 6
1967: Grimethorpe Colliery — number 7
1972: Black Dyke — number 7
1987: Fairey — number 7
1958: Carlton Main — number 8
1984: Grimethorpe Colliery — number 8
1955: Ferodo — number 9
1989: Kennedy Swinton — number 9
