The North West Area Brass Bands Association (NWABBA) enjoyed excellent support from bands and brass band music supporters on the weekend at the Rochdale Festival of Brass.

43 bands took to the stage over two days in the own-choice competitions of the NWABBA Rochdale Youth Championships and Rochdale Contest.

Great youth playing

Saturday saw the youth bands compete, with the youngsters of Elland Silver Youth heading back over the hills with the title spoils for a second year running after producing a programme that included Peter Graham's 'Shine as the Light' as their own-choice test piece.

The 'home team' of Rochdale Borough Youth fought them all the way with their test-piece selection of 'Olympus' by Philip Harper.

Amy Banks, the solo euphonium with Wigan Youth Zone helped her band to third spot, as she deservedly won the 'Best Instrumentalist' award for her contribution on Philip Sparke's 'Music for a Festival'.

Local band Whitworth Vale & Healey Youth gained the 'Band with Most Potential' award to go with the 'Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band' with their delighted 'Youngest Player' prize winner, Lucy Hanson (aged 9 years and 363 days!) making sure she enjoyed an early birthday present.

Adjudicator Josh Cirtina was very impressed with the overall standard and complimented all the bands on their musicality and technical ability.

Debutant win

Sunday may have seen a bright and early start for contest debutants Allerton Brass led by Peter Smith, but a cracking rendition of 'The Journal of Phileas Fogg' off the number 1 draw saw them claim a superb victory over a well matched field of rivals.

A brace of fine performances of 'Music for Kantara' and 'The Graces of Love' by Formby and Stalybridge Old respectively claimed the remaining podium spots.

Staybridge also picked up the 'Best NWABBA Member' Award with their euphonium player taking the 'Best Instrumentalist' prize.

Midlands win

Eight bands took to the stage for a keenly fought Third Section, where the Midlanders of Ifton Colliery led by Scott Robert Lloyd delivered an excellent account of 'Music for the Common Man' to eventually beat off the strong challenge of local favourites Farnworth & Walkden ('Lake of the Moon') and Greenfield ('The Lion and the Rose').

Ifton's solo cornet player took the 'Best Instrumentalist' award with the 'Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band' prize picked up by Farnworth & Walkden.

Good standard

There was also a very good standard on show in the Second Section where adjudicator Alan Morrison was faced with an eclectic choice of repertoire to compare and contrast.

Eventually it was Pemberton Old Wigan DW B under Mike Golding that came out on top with classy performance of 'Purcell Variations' ahead of Besses Boys ('Diversions') and Uppermill ('Vitae Aeternum').

Besses Boys also claimed the 'Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band' prize with their solo cornet player taking the 'Best Instrumentalist' award.

Musical ambition

There was certainly no lack of musical ambition on show for Alan Morrison to ponder over from the seven bands in the First Section, as Mark Peacock led Longridge to victory with a well constructed rendition of 'Year of the Dragon'.

It proved good enough to beat Hade Edge's 'Music of the Spheres' with Pemberton Old Wigan DW's 'Fantasy for Brass Band' in third, whilst it was also good to hear classic works from the likes of Gilbert Vinter ('John O' Gaunt') and Philip Sparke ('Land of the Long White Cloud') also getting a welcome airing

Top flight battle

An excellently run contest weekend came to a close with a splendid battle in the Championship Section.

Milnrow under Mark Bentham stamped their quality on the contest with a fine reprise of their recent British Open test-piece 'The Triumph of Time' to not only take the overall honours but also claim the 'Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band' and 'Best Instrumentalist' awards.

Blackburn & Darwen ('Of Distant Memories') and Oldham (Lees) ('English Heritage') also gave fine accounts of themselves to push them all the way to the finishing line.

43 bands took to the stage over two days in an own-choice competitions incorporated in the NWABBA Rochdale Youth Championships and Rochdale Contest4BR

Results:

Championship Section:

Adjudicator: Alan Morrison

1. Milnrow (Mark Bentham)
2. Blackburn & Darwen (Huw Thomas))
3. Oldham (Lees) (John Collins)

Best Instrumentalist: Solo Cornet (Milnrow)
Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band: Milnrow

First Section:

Adjudicator: Alan Morrison

1. Longridge (Mark Peacock)
2. Hade Edge (Jonathan Beatty)
3. Pemberton Old Wigan DW (Ben Dixon)
4. Llanrug (Paul Hughes)
5. Whitworth Vale &Healey (John Binns)
6. Silk Brass (Tony Wyatt)
7. Poulton-Le-Fylde (Matthew Ryan)

Best Instrumentalist: (Solo Cornet) Pemberton Old Wigan DW
Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band: Longridge

Second Section:

Adjudicator: Alan Morrison

1. Pemberton Old Wigan DW B (Mike Golding)
2. Besses Boys (James Holt)
3. Uppermill (Dean Redfern)
4. Middleton(Andy Baker)
5. Wakefield Metropolitan (Richard Larder)
6. City of Chester (Ewan Easton)
7. Hoover (Bolton) (Craig Mann)
8. Darwen (Steve Hartley)
9. Golborne (Trevor Halliwell)
10. Old Hall (John North)
11. Flixton (Jason M. Smith)

Best Instrumentalist: (Solo Cornet) Besses Boys
Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band: Besses Boys

Third Section:

Adjudicator: John Binns

1. Ifton Colliery (Scott Robert Lloyd)
2. Farnworth & Walkden (Matt Shaw)
3. Greenfield (Tom Haslam)
4. Pilling Jubilee Silver (Len Charnock)
5. Trinity Girls (Ryan Watkins)
6. Littleborough (Adrian Woodhead)
7. Skelmersdale Prize (David Chapman)
8. Greenalls (P. Boardman)

Best Instrumentalist: (Solo Cornet) Ifton Colliery
Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band: Farnworth & Walkden

Fourth Section:

Adjudicator: John Binns

1. Allerton (Peter Smith)
2. Formby (Louise Hough)
3. Staybridge Old (David W. Ashworth)
4. BMP Europe Ltd Goodshaw (Joshua Hughes)
5. Sale (Alan Seymour)
6. Blackley (John Atkinson)
7. Stockport Silver (Ian Colwell)

Best Instrumentalist: (Solo Euphonium) Staybridge Old
Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band: Staybridge Old

Youth Contest:

Adjudicator: Josh Cirtina

1. Elland Silver Youth (Samantha Harrison)
2. Rochdale Borough Youth (Ben Dixon)
3. Wigan Youth Zone (John Don-Duncan)

Other Competitors:
Macclesfield Youth Brass (Louise Renshaw)
Oldham Music Centre Youth Brass (Jonathan Leedale)
Stockport Schools Senior Brass (Iain McKnight)

Band Showing Most Potential: Whitworth Vale & Healey Youth (Aaron Wolfe)
Best Instrumentalist: Amy Banks (Euphonium) Wigan Youth Zone
Highest Placed NWABBA Member Band: Whitworth Vale & Healey Youth
Youngest Player: Lucy Hanson (Whitworth Vale & Healey Youth)