A great contesting weekend of highs and lows

Fifty-nine entries, two days of competition in a magnificent concert hall, five excellent test pieces, 11 qualifiers for the National Finals – just a few highlights of this weekend’s Scottish Brass Band Championships in Perth.

Four adjudicators made the critical decisions as to which bands would be getting an invitation to travel to York and the Royal Albert Hall later this year – Chris King, John Doyle, Phillip Littlemore and Alan Duguid – while Joshua Parkhill listened and commented on the performances of five bands in the non-contesting Section 4b.

It was Whitburn Band who fought off a serious challenge from the cooperation band to retain the Scottish title in the Championship Section, all the more impressive an achievement as it set the benchmark from the dreaded no.1 draw. The third band to qualify from this section was The Kirkintilloch Band, a result which the band’s late president Peter Fraser MBE would have just loved!

In the First Section, it is a town double success as Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass took the honours to bounce back to the Championship at the first attempt with Lochgelly in the runner-up spot.

Another band with that ‘bouncebackability’ quality is Johnstone who will return to the First Section after winning the Second Section with Campbeltown Brass taking second place.

Setting the standard for the others to better in the Third Section was Selkirk Silver, beating the nine other competitors from the no.1 draw by a clear four points. And it was the second band on stage that came second – St David’s Brass, just down from the Second Section.

For another newly demoted band, Bon-Accord B, it was many happy returns as it took the honours in the Fourth Section. Coalburn Intermediate was the second band to earn a ticket to York.

After a great weekend of contesting highs and lows for the participating bands, here are the full results of the Scottish Championships:

Championship Section

Test piece: Elgar Variations (Martin Ellerby)

Adjudicators: Chris King and John Doyle

1. Whitburn (Florent Didier) 192pts

2. the cooperation band (Dr Glenn Van Looy) 191pts

3. The Kirkintilloch Band (Chris Binns) 188pts

4. Dalmellington (Erik Janssen) 187pts

5. Coalburn Silver (Gareth Bowman) 186pts

6. Bon-Accord Silver (Adam Cooke) 185pts

7. Newtongrange Silver (Anne Crookston) 184pts

8. Bo’ness & Carriden (Phil Chalk) 183pts

9. Kingdom Brass (Eoin Tonner) 182pts

10. Granite City Brass (Raymond Tennant) 181pts

First Section

Test piece: Variations on 'Was Lebet' (Andrew Wainwright)

Adjudicators: Chris King and John Doyle

1. Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass (Mareika Gray) 192pts

2. Lochgelly (Chris Shanks) 190pts

3. Dalkeith & Monktonhall (James Chamberlain) 189pts

4. Unite Scotland Kinneil (Allan Ramsay) 188pts

5. Dunaskin Doon (Chris Bradley) 187pts

6. Bathgate (Craig Anderson) 186pts

7. Newmains & District (Paul McKelvie OBE) 184pts

8. Newmilns & Galston (Alan Friel) 183pts

9. Perthshire Brass (Willie McMullan) 182pts

10. Jedforest Instrumental (Philip Rosier) 181pts

Second Section

Test piece: 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (Philip Harper)

Adjudicators: Alan Duguid and Phillip Littlemore

1. Johnstone (Raymond Tennant) 192pts

2. Campbeltown Brass (Owen Pickering) 191pts

3. Annan Town (Lewis Wilkinson) 190pts

4. Renfrew Burgh (Mark Good) 189pts

5. Broxburn & Livingston (Stephen Malcolm) 188pts

6. Irvine & Dreghorn (Joshua Parkhill) 187pts

7. Croy Silver (Kenneth Blackwood) 185pts

8. Clackmannan District (Paul Drury) 183pts

9. Tullis Russell Mills (John-Luke Harris) 182pts

10. Shotts St Patrick’s (Charlie Farren) 181pts

11. Highland Brass (Bruce Wallace) 180pts

Third Section

Test piece: Three Haworth Impressions (Gordon Langford)

Adjudicators: Chris King and John Doyle

l. Selkirk Silver (Stuart Black) 190 pts

2. St David’s Brass (John A Dickson) 186pts

3. Langholm Town (Chris Bradley) 184pts

4. Peebles Burgh Silver (David McAuley) 182pts

5. Kilmarnock Concert Brass (Rebecca Wilson Paterson) 181pts

6. Brass Sounds Inverclyde (Caroline Tennant) 179pts

7. Buckhaven & Methil Miners (Steven Craig) 178pts

8. St Ronan’s Silver (Michael Marzella) 177pts

9. Arbroath & Carnoustie (Neill McDonald) 176pts

10. Stranraer Brass (Angela Miller) 175pts

Fourth Section

Test piece: Indian Summer (Eric Ball)

Adjudicators: Alan Duguid and Phillip Littlemore

1. Bon-Accord B (Harry Marshall) 194pts

2. Coalburn Intermediate (Gareth Bowman) 192pts

3. Dysart Colliery Silver (Robert Fraser) 190pts

4. Kirkton Brass Bathgate (Paul McKelvie OBE) 189pts

5. Irvine & Dreghorn Community Brass (John Boax) 188pts

6. Barrhead Burgh (Alan Friel) 187pts

7. Penicuik Silver (Jess Purbrick) 186pts

8. Turriff Silver (Matt Bailey) 185pts

9. Dundee Instrumental (Bob McDonald) 184pts

10. Whitburn Heartlands (Peter Holmes) 183pts

11. Hawick Saxhorn (Greig Murray) 182pts

12. Dunfermline City Brass (Paul Dickens) 181pts

14. MacTaggart Scott Loanhead (Amy Paterson) 180pts