Croy Silver and Bon-Accord B bring home some National Finals silverware

Congratulations to Croy Silver and Bon-Accord B bands and their musical directors Kenneth Blackwood and Harry Marshall respectively on their podium places at the weekend’s National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain finals in Cheltenham.

For Croy Silver, playing off the no.16 spot in the Third Section on Saturday morning, took third place for its rendition of Peter Yorke’s perennial test piece The Shipbuilders.

On Sunday morning, it was Bon-Accord B’s new MD Harry Marshall who led the Fourth Section band, drawn to play no.5, to third place with its performance of Smoke Sketches by Daniel Hall.

After two long (some would say too long!) days of contesting, 76 bands had taken to the stage at The Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse. Sadly for Scotland’s other representatives, it was not to be on this occasion.

However, for the Pugh family playing with Newmains & District the competition was a very special event as three generations of players appeared with the band. Young Finlay (aged 10) made his brass band debut alongside fellow percussionist mum Jennifer, dad Richard and grandad John (below).

For Croy Silver too several members of the band were making their very first – and prize winning – appearance at a National Finals.

Here are the full results from the weekend:

First Section

Test piece: Excalibur (Jan Van der Roost)
Adjudicators: Roger Agente, Dr Robert Childs, Alan Morrison

1. Northop Silver (Mark Peacock)
2. Lydbrook (Gareth Ritter)
3. Jackfield (Ryan Richards)
4. Horsham Borough (Will Wilkins)
5. Wardle Anderson (Brad McCulloch)
6. Langley (Cliff Parker)
7. Kibworth (Brendan Caddy)
8. Kidlington Concert (Jonathan Pippen)
9. Michelmersh Silver (Kevin Smith)
10. Tyldesley (Neil Samuel)
11. Blackburn & Darwen (Daniel Thomas)
12. Tewit Silver (Martin Hall)
13. Yorkshire Imperial (Garry Hallas)
14. City of Bristol (David Hirst)
15. Kirkintilloch (Hedley Benson)
16. North Skelton (Tim Oldroyd)
17. BTM (Jeff Hutcherson)
18. Milton Keynes (Matthew Brown)
19. Crofton Silver (Dean Jones)

Second Section

Test Piece: Albinus Variations (Etienne Crausaz)
Adjudicators: Andrea Price, Dr Brett Baker, Ian Porthouse

1. St Austell Town (Steve Sykes)
2. Skelmersdale Prize (Benjamin Coulson)
3. Besses Boys (James Holt)
4. Audley (Tom Hancock)
5. Diggle (Sean Conway)
6. City of Cambridge (Philip Fisher)
7. Newmains & District (Paul McKelvie)
8. St Keverne (Karl Long)
9. Raunds Temperance (Jonathan Pippen)
10. South Yorkshire Police (Leigh Baker)
11. Saint Sebastian Wokingham (John Watts)
12. Durham Miners' Association (Stuart Gray)
13. Abertillery Town (Stephen Sykes)
14. Emley (Tim Sidwell)
15. Tilbury (Melvin White)
16. Usk (Jamie Jones)
17. Ferryhill Town (Jonathan Fenwick)
18. Gosport Solent (Phillip Littlemore)
19. Broxburn & Livingston (Charlie Farren)

Third Section

Test piece: The Shipbuilders (Peter Yorke)
Adjudicators: Sandy Smith, Nicholas Garman, John Maines

1. Golborne (Les Webb)
2. Flookburgh Silver (John Iveson)
3. Croy Silver (Kenneth Blackwood)
4. Clifton & Lightcliffe (John Clay)
5. Morecambe (Billy Porter)
6. Nailsworth Silver (Anri Adachi)
7. Penclawdd (John Jones)
8. Towcester Studio (Neil Brownless)
9. Barnsley Metropolitan (Alex Francis)
10. Spennymoor Town (Fiona Casewell)
11. Verwood Town (Kevin Smith)
12. Thrapston Town (Nathan Waterman)
13. Amersham Concert (Malcolm Peach)
14. Lydney Town (Thomas Dunne)
15. Putney & Wimbledon (Dr Sam Topp)
16. Perthshire Brass (William MacMullen)
17. Wellington (Telford) (Ian Johnson)
18. Eccleston (John Wood)
19. Welwyn Garden City (William Douglas)
20. Crwbin (Alex McGhee)

Fourth Section

Test piece: Smoke Sketches (Daniel Hall)
Adjudicators: David Hirst, Paul Holland, Stephanie Binns

1. Betteshanger Colliery Welfare (Mike West)
2. Holywell Silver (Jamie Duncan)
3. Bon-Accord B (Harry Marshall)
4. Littleborough (Ashley Higgins)
5. Bugle Silver (Mark Arnold)
6. Stalybridge Old (Nigel Lawless)
7. Penrith Town (Ian Butterworth)
8. Syston (Alex Bland)
9. Illogan Sparnon Silver (Shaun Marsden)
10. Friendly (Sowerby Bridge) (Mick Silson)
11. Whitwell (Rob Deakin)
12. Watford (Ian Graves)
13. Loxley Silver (Lindon Bolt)
14. Craghead Colliery (Stephen Goddard)
15. Reading Spring Gardens (Matthew Ruel)
16. Severn Tunnel (David Ferris)
17. Buckhaven & Methil Miners (Steven Craig)
18. Coventry Festival (Allan Wheelhouse)