The closing World of Brass — 4barsrest.com Rankings of 2015 see Cory Band way out on front for the ninth year in a row, with a lead that really could take some closing during 2016.
There are fairly few changes in position near the top since the last update, but Valaisia's outstanding win at the Swiss National Championships and Buizingen's success in Belgium sees these two genuine European Championship contenders making significant steps up the table.
The other contests taking place since the last update were:
Scottish Open Championships — won by Whitburn;
Scottish Challenge Shield — won by Johnstone Silver;
Leicestershire BBA — won by Kidlington Concert;
North Wales BBA — won by Llanrug;
Milton Keynes Contest — won by Redbridge Brass;
NIBBA Entertainment — won by Downshire Brass;
Wessex Winter Contest — won by Verwood Concert Brass.
Top 10 bands
1. Cory
2. Black Dyke
3. Brighouse and Rastrick
4. Grimethorpe Colliery
5. Tredegar
6. Flowers
7. Foden's
8. Fairey
9. Eikanger-Bjorsvik
10. Burgermusik Luzern
To view all the ranked bands, go to:
www.4barsrest.com/rankings/default.asp
Reviewing the 2015 rankings, we see that the Yorkshire duo of Brighouse and Rastrick and Grimethorpe Colliery are the bands that have advanced most during the year in terms of points increase. On the other side of the coin, those that have failed to live up to previous years' performances on the contest stage are led by Tredegar, Black Dyke (which only won the European Championships in 2015!) and Foden's, while best new entry into the top 200 is Roberts Bakery, up over 150 places during the past 12 months.
It seems hard to believe, but in a fortnight's time it will be back to the contest stage for those bands competing at the Butlin's Mineworkers Championships, where Flowers will attempt to win banding's biggest cash prize of £10,000 for the third year in a row, while the French National Championships will take place the same weekend — just some of the early highlights of another year of twists and turns ahead.
2015 was a good year for:
2014/2015: Total points +/-
6 to 3: Brighouse and Rastrick: 874.12 (+245.22)
5 to 4: Grimethorpe Colliery: 871.65 (+237.50)
19 to 13: Brass Band Willebroek: 227.61 (+111.98)
21 to 15: Virtuosi GUS: 190.71 (+79.71)
69 to 24: Camborne Town: 83.74 (+67.45)
7 to 6: Flowers: 542.96 (+56.24)
25 to 19: Woodfalls: 128.05 (+37.36)
24 to 18: Rothwell Temperance: 133.40 (+36.49)
87 to 33: Zone One Brass: 47.65 (+34.82)
20 to 17: Reg Vardy: 148.62 (+33.98)
59 to 37: Friary Guildford: 44.09 (+25.18)
137 to 50: Bon Accord: 25.70 (+20.10)
40 to 30: Northop: 55.55 (+17.68)
75 to 45: Wellington Brass: 31.63 (+16.45)
51 to 39: Redbridge Brass: 38.44 (+16.22)
72 to 46: Goodwick Brass: 31.62 (+16.22)
71 to 47: Ensemble de Cuivres Valaisan A: 30.49 (+14.99)
90 to 49: Dalmellington: 26.60 (+14.78)
88 to 51: Llwydcoed: 24.42 (+11.87)
83 to 54: Jaguar Land Rover: 22.92 (+9.77)
2015 was a bad year for:
2014/2015: Total points +/-
3 to 5: Tredegar: 595.64 (-387.66)
2 to 2: Black Dyke: 943.09 (-387.34)
4 to 7: Foden's: 452.23 (-271.79)
9 to 9: Eikanger-Bjorsvik: 279.93 (-115.07)
1 to 1: Cory: 1,835.22 (-110.21)
15 to 27: Brass Band Schoonhoven: 68.30 (-77.01)
12 to 16: Carlton Main Frickley Colliery: 190.67 (-72.10)
16 to 25: Desford Colliery: 76.79 (-62.61)
11 to 12: Co-operative Funeralcare: 233.26 (-51.70)
17 to 22: Tongwynlais Temperance: 87.98 (-48.49)
32 to 65: Seindorf Beaumaris: 19.52 (-40.32)
18 to 21: Manger Musikklag: 93.57 (-39.40)
23 to 26: Hammonds Saltaire: 75.25 (-33.43)
26 to 32: Kirkintilloch: 50.38 (-30.52)
39 to 73: Brass Band of Central Florida: 14.97 (-24.37)
30 to 36: Milnrow: 44.70 (-24.19)
33 to 41: Marsden Silver: 33.53 (-23.73)
31 to 38: Noord Limburgse: 42.17 (-23.54)
10 to 10: Burgermusik Luzern: 266.29 (-22.74)
38 to 55: Aldbourne: 22.78 (-21.50)
Ten best new entries:
97th Roberts Bakery, North West, 10.23
138th Verwood Concert Brass, West, 5.43
145th Eccles Borough, North West, 5.14
147th Hade Edge, Yorkshire, 5.11
155th Lourdes Brass Band, Ireland, 4.67
156th Llanrug, Wales, 4.61
158th Enderby, Midlands, 4.33
162nd Roche Brass, West, 4.08
165th Brass Band de Douai, France, 3.84
167th Easington Colliery, North, 3.82
