This was the 8th 'Brass at the Guild Championships with the 4th and 3rd Sections hosted in the Charter Theatre with the 2nd and Championship section held in the Guild Hall.

The venue will next play host, on 28th June 2008, to the English National Championships when the adjusdicator for the Championship section, Alan Morrison may well be taking to this stage himself.

Close competition

He told the audience that his results reflected quite a close competition with the prizes awarded to the bands that that most consistently covered the basics.

He (Alan Morrison) told the audience that his results reflected quite a close competition with the prizes awarded to the bands that that most consistently covered the basics4BR

Honours

Pemberton Old Wigan JJB under Mark Peacock playing 'Elgar Variations' by Martin Ellerby took the top honour followed by another North West band Timperley directed by David Evans who were one point behind having played 'New Jerusalem' by Philip Wilby. The solo prize also went the way of Timperley and cornet player Sion Thomas.

Zone One Brass made it a busy weekend with appearances both at Yeovil and here in the Guild. They made the long journey from London and put behind them a disappointing result from the day before as they scooped the £300 on offer for third place.

Lower Sections

In the lower sections Neil Samuel cemented his growing reputation taking Rainford Band to the top spot in the section. Rainford finished in the frame at the Pontins Championships in November 2007 and here they revisted 'Chorale', the Ray Steadman-Allen composition used at the Championships.

Behind them came Old Hall and Haslingen & Helmshore who chose not to revisit the Butlins work they won on only a couple of weeks ago, instead opting to give the area piece a run out.

Michael Hughes, a euphonium player of long standing and experience took on his first formal adjudication at this contest and he was impressed with the solo euphonium for Valley Brass awarding him the solo prize.

In summing up Michael Hughes commented on the overall good playing he had heard, especially the winning performance, but he did also reflect on the need for many bands to control and strive for quiet playing.

Section 3

Oldham (Lees) Band took both the strong Section 3 honours and the best soloist prize playing 'Dark Side of the Moon' Paul Lovatt – Cooper's piece selected for the forthcoming Regional Championships 3rd Section.

They had to wait a few moments to hear their result as they were sorted into draw, as opposed to programme order, but they took their awards by quite a margin from Lostock Hall and Coppull & Standish.

Oldham (Lees) Band under John Collins seem to be continuing their relentless march towards victory in the lower sections having impressed in the fourth and now the third section.

Section 4

Farnworth & Walkden under Peter Ashley took the 4th section honours playing 'A Cambrian Suite' — Michael Ball and captured the solo award as well. Tarleton & District finished in runners-up playing the popular work 'A Royal Mile Suite' by Alan Fernie.

Long service

The contest also gave the opportunity to acknowledge long service awards to players in the band movement.

Diane Chapman, Lynda Andrus (Rainford Band) received certificates for 25 years whilst three 50 year long service awards were presented.

In receipt of these awards were James Moss (Pemberton Old Wigan JJB), Brian Jenkins and Anne Dorman (Uppermill). She received acknowlegment from contest controller Derek Atkinson as the first band lady to whom he had presented a 50 year certificate.

The Brass at the Guild contest may be on the front door for North West bands but they made it a 2008 a clean sweep at this well supported and challenging contest.

Championship Section

1st — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £700
2nd — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £400
3rd — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £300

Best Soloist Trophy — Timperley (Cornet)

1. Pemberton Old Wigan JJB — M.Peacock 192
Elgar Variations — Martin Ellerby

2. Timperley — A.Evans 191
New Jerusalem — Philip Wilby

3. Zone One Brass — P.Archibald 190
Music for Battle Creek — Philip Sparke

4. Newstead Brass — D.Beckley 189
Festival Music — Eric Ball

5. Blackburn & Darwen — N.Sheppard 188
Five Blooms in a welsh Graden — Gareth Wood

6. Stockport Brass (BT) — M.Fowles 187
Harmony Music — Philip Sparke

7. Derwent Brass — K.Leonard 186
Year of the Dragon — Philip Sparke

8. Hebden Bridge — D.Hadfield 185
Dances and Arias — Edward Gregson

9. Fishburn — P.Rosier 184
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea — Derek Bourgeois

10. Freckleton — P.Dalton 183
Dances and Alleluias

11. RMT Easington Colliery — S.Gray 182
Pageantry — Herbert Howells

12. Marsden Silver (Ossett Brewery) — G.Williams 181
Festival Music — Eric Ball

13. Hade Edge — S.Wood 180
James Cook Circumnavigator — Gilbert Vinter

14. Bactiguard Wire Brass — P.Andrews 179
Festival Music — Eric Ball

15. Poulton le Fylde — G.Clegg 178
James Cook Circumnavigator — Gilbert Vinter

16. Longridge — S.Tarry 177 [3]
Paganini Variations — Philip Wibly

Withdrawn

Blackpool Brass
Silk Brass Astra Zenica Macclesfield

Second Section

1st — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £700
2nd — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £400
3rd — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £300

Best Soloist Trophy — Valley Brass (Euphonium)

Results

1. Rainford — N.Samuel — 184 [7]
Chorale — Ray Steadman-Allen

2. Old Hall- T.Halliwell — 182 [3]
Essays — Edward Gregson

3. Haslingen & Helmshore — D.Holland — 180 [11]
Three Part Invention — Kenneth Downie

4. Valley Brass — D.Chadwick — 179 [9]
Resurgam — Eric Ball

5. Pemberton Old Wigan JJB 'B' — P.Ashley — 178 [10]
Symphony for Brass — Victor Ewald

6. Pilling Jubilee — B.Porter — 176 [1]
Rhapsodyin Brass — Dean Goffin

7. Eagley — G.westwood — 174 [4]
Purcell Variations — Kenneth Downie

8. Greenalls — H.Bousfield 173 [2]
Chorale — Ray Steadman-Allen

Withdrawn

Flixton [6]
Holywell [8]
Stalybridge [5]

Third Section

1st — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £700
2nd — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £400
3rd — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £300

Best Soloist Trophy — Oldham (Lees) (Cornet)

Results

1. Oldham (Lees) — J.Collins 190 [14]
Dark Side of the Moon — Paul Lovatt – Cooper

2. Lostock Hall — J.Wood 185 [7]
‘Variations on Laudate Dominum' — Edward Gregson

3. Coppull & Standish — A.Baker 183 [6]
Music for a Festival — Philip Sparke

4. Dearham — G.Williams 182 [12]
Chorale — Ray Steadman-Allen

5. BMP Europe Ltd. Goodshaw — K.Gibbs 180 [5]
Triptych — Philip Sparke

6. Morecambe — A.Warriner 179 [4]
Dark Side of the Moon — Paul Lovatt – Cooper

7. Eccleston Brass — I.Bateson 178 [2]
Three Part Invention — Kenneth Downie

8. Royal Buckley — D.Beckley 177 [9]
Dark Side of the Moon — Paul Lovatt – Cooper

9. Greenfield — S.Black 176 [1]
‘Variations on Laudate Dominum' — Edward Gregson

10. Boarshurst Silver — A.Hobbins 175 [13]
Dimensions — Peter Graham

11. Uppermill — A.Widdop 174 [10]
Dark Side of the Moon — Paul Lovatt – Cooper

12. Rivington & Adlington — D.Mott 173 [3]
Dark Side of the Moon — Paul Lovatt – Cooper

13. Nelson Brass — J.Roberts 172 [15]
Music from Kantara — Kenneth Downie

14. Parr (Richardson Ltd) St.Helens — R.Prescot 171 [16]
Four Cities Symphony — Rodney Newton

Withdrawn

Eccles Borough [8]
Golbourne [11]

Fourth Section

1st — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £700
2nd — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £400
3rd — Brass at the Guild Trophy + £300

Best Soloist Trophy — Farnworth & Walkden (Soprano)

1. Farnworth & Walkden — P.Ashley 184 [3]
A Cambrian Suite — Michael Ball

2. Tarleton & District — G.Bould 183 [4]
A Royal Mile Suite — Alan Fernie

3. Lofthouse 2000 — A.Whitaker 180 [7]
Four Cities Symphony — Rodney Newton

4. Formby — L.Hough 175 [1]
‘Variations on Laudate Dominum' — Edward Gregson

5. Denton Brass — J.P.Davies 173 [5]
Four Cities Symphony — Rodney Newton

6. Backworth Colliery — C.Harris 172 [2]
Lydian Pictures — Simon Dobson

7. Blackley — A.Smith 170 [6]
Dimensions — Peter Graham