Much is said about the draw at major contests, and there may have been a wry smile or two in certain adjudicating quarters after the announcements of the results in the four sections this weekend.

Early winners

Not only was there a winner off the number 1 draw (the first time since 2001 here) but there was also a victory for bands drawn number 3 (in both the Second and Third Sections).

Not only was there a winner off the number 1 draw... but there was also a victory for bands drawn number 34BR

Late slot

Only St Brewards’s victory off the number 17 draw in the Fourth Section saw a really late slot number triumph.

The draw numbers that proved successful were as follows:

Top six bands:

First Section (16 bands): 1, 9, 5, 16, 8, 7
Second Section (17 bands): 3, 6, 4, 16, 15, 6
Third Section (17 bands): 3, 17, 13, 12, 2, 4
Fourth Section (19 bands): 17, 7, 6, 13, 8, 9

Meanwhile, the least successful bands were to be found as drawn as follows:

Bottom six bands:

First Section (positions 11 – 16): 2, 12, 13, 4, 3, 14
Second Section (positions 12 – 17): 10, 2, 14, 12, 9, 8
Third Section (positions 12 – 17): 6, 14, 10, 7, 1, 15
Fourth Section (positions 14 – 19): 19, 16, 3, 15, 12, 14

What does it all mean in terms of the adjudicator's recall abilities at Harrogate then?