Once again Prof Nicholas Childs completely confounded the critics who had questioned the future of his Black Dyke conducting mortality.

Victory — and a hat-trick victory at that, in a thrilling Championship Section contest at Huddersfield Town Hall on Sunday evening left the naysayers scratching around for non-existent crumbs of conspiracy comfort. They found none.

Very best

This was both band and conductor back to their very best; a result fully and richly deserved: Their success — their 22nd — and his — a record seventh, erased any question marks over his Queensbury tenure.

Kevin Norbury's test-piece may well be inspired by a trip through Dante's inferno, but that would have been a walk in the park compared to the opprobrium heaped on the Welshman since Black Dyke's 17th place finish at the British Open and their Albert Hall appearance late last year.

Tackling 'Odyssey' couldn't have been more appropriate then (it even translates as 'trouble' in Greek); as by its close it was an epic triumph worthy of Homer.

On this form Black Dyke will head to Symphony Hall as a short priced podium contender, whilst the MD will travel to the Scottish Championship with Whitburn this weekend as an odds-on favourite to claim a 33rd top flight title.

Fabled wall

The trials and tribulations of expectation have been laid to rest (being the MD at Black Dyke, they are never far away) and peace has been restored to the Ithacan home in Queensbury; the MD returning in glory to join the contesting gods for a second time on the fabled 'Hat-trick' wall in the famous bandroom.

It is some achievement. The only other man to lead the band to a Yorkshire triptych was the great Col. Cecil 'Jiggs' Jaeger in the mid 1960s: Not even Harry Mortimer or Peter Parkes could do it.

The last time any band had done it in fact was 40 years ago. Some seriously good rivals have tried since that 1977 Yorkshire Imps triumph — including this year's podium finishers Brighouse & Rastrick and Grimethorpe (the result uniting the trio back at the Albert Hall for the first time since 2015). All had failed.

Steam off hot coffee

None though would have been under the type of intense scrutiny or palpable pressure to finally claim the honour as Black Dyke as they took to the stage — although the MD looked remarkably relaxed as he placed his score on his stand.

Some 13 minutes later and any thoughts critics had of driving another nail in his conducting coffin had long dissipated like steam off a hot coffee in the cold winter air outside the hall. It was a scintillating performance.

From then on the efforts of rivals came and went — Dr Robert Childs later telling the audience that he and Arsene Duc (who had made his own epic journey to reach Huddersfield) had categorised them in three distinct chapters of endeavour; a top-four, a middle five and a bottom four.

Arsene Duc certainly made himself popular by telling the audience that Yorkshire was "the best brass band area in the world", whilst Dr Childs made sure he "kept the majority happy", as he said, with a result that was based on the duo listening out for the "different perspectives"of musical issues with the top end performances and the technical ones at the bottom.

Emotional core

The best he said could be identified by the way they sought out the "emotional core"of the composition — the "criteria"of the adjudication process linked to the descriptive markings and Kevin Norbury's foreword in the score. They had no doubt about the winner.

That of course came with Black Dyke — the first and the best of the top echelon quartet that Dr Childs later identified, and which came in a first half of a contest that clearly emphasised the "big divide"he also spoke of between the contenders — the closest to the winners coming from a considered approach by Hepworth, who eventually ended sixth.

After the break it was a robust Rothwell that led the charge (ending fifth), followed by National Champion Brighouse & Rastrick, who just faltered at the most exposed moments of pressure to come runner-up under Prof David King.

Unlucky

Meanwhile, an Ian Porthouse inspired Carlton Main certainly found favour in the hall, yet despite the wonderful personal contribution from 'Best Soloist' Kirsty Abbotts (who, like the Oscars, wasn't considered it seems for the other categories of 'Best Principal Cornet' or 'Best Instrumentalist' — won by Richard Marshall and Shaun Crowther), somewhat unluckily ended fourth.

It was left to Grimethorpe to stage the last meaningful assault — one that at times threatened for the ultimate accolade under Allan Withington's elegant plans, but in the end had to settle for a first qualification place since 2015.

Behind the top-six the contenders fell into a familiar order — one that Bob Childs said both he and Arsene Duc had given a great deal of thought about.

Courage

And whilst there was to be no 'surprise' Albert Hall return for the likes of Hammonds Saltaire, there was certainly much to enjoy from them and the rest of the field in contrasting takes on a testing, bitty score; from the exhaustive commitment shown by Elland in eighth to the quirky hutzpah of City of Bradford off the number 1 draw (for a second year in a row) in ninth. The bottom four had few grumbles.

The cheers of triumphant delight though rang out for Black Dyke — and would surely have been heard by Pondasher fans all over the banding globe, whilst there were also richly deserved congratulations to Peggy Tomlinson and her team for having the 'courage' as Bob Childs said, to go ahead with a contest that also had to endure a few weather watching naysayers of its own.

Some 13 minutes later and any thoughts critics had of driving another nail in his conducting coffin had long dissipated like steam off a hot coffee in the cold winter air outside the hall. It was a scintillating performance4BR

Result:

Championship Section:

Adjudicators: Robert Childs and Arsene Duc

1. Black Dyke (Prof. Nicholas Childs)*
2. Brighouse & Rastrick (Prof. David King)**
3. Grimethorpe Colliery (Allan Withington)*
4. Carlton Main Frickley Colliery (Ian Porthouse)
5. Rothwell Temperance (David Roberts)
6. Hepworth (Leigh Baker)
7. Hammonds Saltaire (Morgan Griffiths)
8. Elland Silver (Daniel Brooks)
9. City of Bradford (Lee Skipsey)
10. Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel (Russell Gray)
11. Unite the Union (John Roberts)
12. Marsden Silver (Mark Peacock)
13. Hatfield (Stan Lippeatt)

*Qualify for National Final
**Pre-qualified for National Final

Best Instrumentalist: Shaun Crowther (Eb tuba) — Grimethorpe Colliery
Best Principal Cornet: Richard Marshall (Black Dyke)
Best Soloist: Kirsty Abbotts (Carlton Main Frickley)
Youngest Player: Lewis Barton (aged 12) — Elland Silver