Cory, the current Welsh and British Open champion, finished the 2011 season at the top of the World of Brass/4BR Rankings for the fifth successive year — a remarkable achievement in the cut and thrust of modern-day contesting.
Cory was presented with the World of Brass/4BR Trophy at its recent concert at Huddersfield Town Hall, and 2012 promises to see the bands immediately behind them as keen as ever to wrest the crown from the Welsh giant.
Cory was presented with the World of Brass/4BR Trophy at its recent concert at Huddersfield Town Hall, and 2012 promises to see the bands immediately behind them as keen as ever to wrest the crown from the Welsh giant4BR
Progress
Which bands, though, made the most progress this year?
The following table shows the bands that increased their ranking points by the most during 2011, with the new European Champion, Manger Musikklag, unsurprisingly at the head of the list following its memorable achievement in Montreux.
2011 was a good year for…
2010/2011: Total/+
29/10: Manger Musikklag: 300.27 (+235.17)
80/13: Brass Band of Central Florida: 183.21 (+169.46)
11/9: Carlton Main Frickley Colliery: 361.07 (+148.69)
40/14: Beaumaris: 165.98 (+131.85)
9/8: Leyland: 471.39 (+84.48)
39/23: Brass Band Schoonhoven: 108.70 (+74.16)
57/29: Noord Limburgse: 74.27 (+53.04)
41/34: Marsden Silver: 56.53 (+22.71)
142/48: Atlantic Brass Band: 25.43 (+20.12)
228/68: Aldbourne: 17.36 (+15.44)
19/19: Hepworth: 126.17 (+13.68)
60/40: Windcorp: 32.50 (+11.60)
10/11: Eikanger-Bjørsvik: 227.31 (+11.36)
7/5: Brighouse and Rastrick: 796.74 (+11.04)
66/45: Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel: 28.61 (+10.31)
31/30: Fountain City Brass Band: 68.54 (+8.81)
6/4: Tredegar: 799.85 (+7.93)
96/66: Chicago Brass Band: 18.03 (+7.84)
18/18: Exchange Communications Whitburn: 126.24 (+7.49)
170/86: Bournemouth Concert: 11.28 (+7.48)
For some bands, however, 2011 won’t be remembered as a vintage one on the contest stage, and the following are the ones that have lost the most points during the year.
If a band didn’t compete at all during any given year then it would lose approximately 50 percent of its points total, so it’s worth remembering that to lose the most points during a year, it has to be a pretty good one in the first place!
…and a bad year for…
2010/2011: Total/-
5/7: Grimethorpe Colliery: 491.85 (-390.27)
2/3: Foden's: 822.91 (-232.95)
8/12: Rothwell Temperance: 225.00 (-223.50)
3/2: Black Dyke: 866.98 (-134.24)
4/6: Fairey: 777.68 (-117.66)
13/20: Desford Colliery: 120.94 (-42.05)
12/16: Co-operative Funeralcare: 155.80 (-40.29)
26/37: Hammonds Saltaire: 44.49 (-40.18)
23/32: Brass Band Oberösterreich: 61.14 (-36.08)
17/26: BTM: 90.12 (-32.25)
1/1: Cory: 1,374.11 (-27.16)
27/33: Brass Band Willebroek: 58.13 (-23.86)
20/25: Brass Band Treize Etoiles: 90.14 (-21.65)
34/53: Mount Charles: 23.09 (-20.93)
35/54: Brisbane Excelsior: 22.98 (-17.80)
28/36: Buizingen: 50.68 (-16.34)
32/38: Wingates: 38.25 (-15.31)
44/63: Brass Band Fribourg: 19.27 (-11.51)
16/21: Virtuosi GUS: 113.72 (-11.21)
42/57: Camborne Town: 21.87 (-10.58)
Another keenly contested category is the best new entry into the top 200 since the start of the year, and this time the National 1st Section Champion, Aldbourne, can round off a memorable 2011 with the news that it has taken that particular honour.
Ten best new entries
68: Aldbourne (West) — 17.36
103: Lochgelly (Scotland) — 8.71
106: Illinois Brass Band (USA) — 8.22
115: Sola Brass Band (Norway) — 7.31
132: Lewis Merthyr (Wales) — 5.67
134: Downshire Brass (N. Ireland) — 5.55
140: Wallberg Brass Band (Switzerland) — 4.78
142: Brunel Brass (West) — 4.69
147: Central Ohio Brass Band (USA) — 4.50
148: Tyldesley (North West) — 4.49
The top 20 bands as of 1st January 2012 are:
1. Cory (Wales) — 1,374.11
2. Black Dyke (Yorkshire) — 866.98
3. Foden's (North West) — 822.91
4. Tredegar (Wales) — 799.85
5. Brighouse and Rastrick (Yorkshire) — 796.74
6. Fairey (North West) — 777.68
7. Grimethorpe Colliery (Yorkshire) — 491.85
8. Leyland (North West) — 471.39
9. Carlton Main Frickley Colliery (Yorkshire) — 361.07
10. Manger Musikklag (Norway) — 300.27
11. Eikanger-Bjørsvik (Norway) — 227.31
12. Rothwell Temperance (Yorkshire) — 225.00
13. Brass Band of Central Florida (USA) — 183.21
14. Beaumaris (Wales) — 165.98
15. Reg Vardy (North) — 157.93
16. Co-operative Funeralcare (Scotland) — 155.80
17. Stavanger (Norway) — 126.32
18. Exchange Communications Whitburn (Scotland) — 126.24
19. Hepworth (Yorkshire) — 126.17
20. Desford Colliery (Midlands) — 120.94
Our next update will be in February, following the Butlins Mineworkers’ Festival and the first of the year’s major national contests in Norway. Good luck to bands across the contesting world as they enter 2012.
The current rankings can be found at:
