With high profile events taking place all over the banding world on the weekend, Scotland certainly wasn’t left out thanks to a great day of competition provided by the 20 bands at the well run Borders Entertainment Contest in Jedburgh.
Cracking win
In the end it was a cracking programme delivered by Tullis Russell Mills under the baton of Paul Drury that caught the ears of adjudicators Philip Harper and Gareth Bowman.
They separately placed them first in their results tables to enable the band to claim the Scottish Borders Trophy and £150 first prize, as well as the Souter Ronnie Trophy & £100 as the highest placed Second Section Band.
In addition, their formidable tuba section of Kerry Sneddon, Davie Lowrie, Michael Abbott and Allan Morrison took the ‘Best Basses’ award, with their ‘Best Percussion’ team of Douglas Young, Fiona Balsallie and Glynn Forrest taking the Jenny Corbett Memorial Cup.
Great Tullis day
To round of a great day for the Tullis organisation, their Intermediate Band under Steve Craig took the Harry Pearce Memorial Trophy and £100 as the highest placed Fourth Section Band.
The two judges were in complete agreement over the eventual podium places, with St Ronan’s Silver carrying on the excellent form they showed at the recent National Finals in Cheltenham by coming runner-up under Whitburn principal cornet player Chris Bradley.
They took home with them the JA Wilson Memorial Trophy plus £100 as the highest placed Third Section Band as well as being the highest placed Borders Band, whilst Jedforest Instrumental claimed the Queen’s Head Inn Shield entertainment prize and £150 under the baton of Phil Rozier in coming third.
Fine soloists
There was a great deal of very fine solo playing on show throughout the day, with the talented Stuart Dickson taking the ‘Best Solo Cornet’ award for his excellent playing with St David’s Brass, whilst the ‘Best Instrumentalist’ award went to the outstanding euphonium player Jamie Bryden of Annan Town. Soprano star Katie Ankers of Kilmarnock Concert took the deserved ‘Best Soloist’ prize.
Winning programme
Tullis opened their winning programme with Matthew Hall’s up tempo ‘Activate’, followed by a fine performance of ‘Maids of Cadiz’ featuring principal cornet Craig Herriot.
A change of mood came with ‘The Water of Tyne’ before they rounded their set off with their MDs own ‘Processional & Theme: Bound for the Promised Land’ inspired by the gospel hymn of the same name.
Excellent progress
Tullis Russell Band Chairman Alan Douglas told 4BR that the latest victory confirmed the excellent progress that the band as well as the Tullis organisation is now making.
"These are great times for Tullis Russell Mills, with both bands playing so well and the band organisation itself going from strength to strength."
These are great times for Tullis Russell Mills, with both bands playing so well and the band organisation itself going from strength to strengthTullis Chairman, Alan Douglas
Results:
Adjudicators: Philip Harper/Gareth Bowman = Total
1. Tullis Russell Mills (Paul Drury): 1/1 = 2
2. St Ronan's Silver (Chris Bradley): 2/2 = 4
3. Jedforest Instrumental (Phil Rosier): 3/3 = 6
4. Shotts St Patrick (Mike Marzella): 4/5 = 9*
5. Kilmarnock Concert (Raymond Tennant): 5/4 = 9
6. Selkirk Silver (Alan Fernie): 6/9 = 15
7. Langholm Town (Chris Shanks): 7/10 = 17*
8. Irvine & Dreghorn (John Boax): 10/7 = 17
9. Renfrew Burgh (Mark Good): 11/8 = 19
10. Durham Miners (Stuart Gray): 9/12 = 21
11. Tullis Russell Intermediate (Steven Craig): 8/14 = 22
12. Annan Town (David Shanks): 17/6 = 23
13. Dumfries Town (Neil McDonald): 15/11 = 26
14. St David's Brass (John Dickson): 14/13 = 27
15. Hawick Saxhorn (Alan Fernie): 12/16 = 28
16. Peebles Burgh (Stephen Baird): 16/15 = 31
17. Penicuik Silver (Stuart Black): 13/20 = 33
18. MacTaggart Scott Loanhead (Jamie McVicar): 19/17 = 36
19. Jayess Newbiggin (Andrew Griffiths): 18/19 = 37
20. Queensferry Community (James Anderson): 20/18 = 38
First Prize: The Scottish Borders Trophy & £150: Tullis Russell Mills
Entertainment Prize: The Queen's Head Inn Shield & £150: Jedforest Instrumental
Best Second Section Band: The Souter Ronnie Trophy & £100: Tullis Russell Mills
Best Third Section Band: The J. A. Wilson Memorial Trophy & £100: St. Ronan’s Silver Band
Best Fourth Section Band: The Harry Pearce Memorial Trophy & £100: Tullis Russell Intermediate
Best Borders Band: St. Ronan’s Silver
Best Soloist: The Walter Nichol Memorial Trophy & Medal: Katie Ankers, Soprano Cornet, Kilmarnock
Best Instrumentalist: Jedforest Band 150th Anniversary Trophy & Medal: Euphonium, Annan
Best Solo Cornet: The Dave Young Trophy & Medal: Stuart Dickson, St. David’s
Best Basses: The Bert Neil Memorial Quaich: Tullis Russell Mills
Best Percussion: The Jenny Corbett Memorial Cup: Tullis Russell Mills
