Destination Birmingham for Scottish bands in quest for Spring Festival silverware

Six Scottish bands are heading south to Birmingham to compete in the 104th British Open Spring Festival this weekend.

Looking to bring some silverware back over the border will be Whitburn in the Grand Shield qualification event for the British Open; Dalmellington and Kirkintilloch in the Senior Cup qualification event for the 2027 Grand Shield; and Dalkeith & Monktonhall, Newtongrange Silver and Unite Scotland Kinneil in the Senior Trophy which is the qualifier for the 2027 Senior Cup.

We wish all our Scottish representatives the very best of luck in their endeavours.

There will be 20 bands taking part in the Grand Shield contest where the set test piece is Star Crossed Lovers by Stephen Roberts. In the Senior Cup, the 20 bands will be playing Ballet for Band (Joseph Horowitz) and the set work in the Senior Trophy, again being competed for by 20 bands, is Robert Farnon’s Une Vie de Matelot.

On Saturday, the Senior Trophy competition will take place in the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space in the Symphony Hall and the Senior Cup in Birmingham Town Hall. The Grand Shield will be held on Sunday in Birmingham Town Hall.

The top four bands in the Senior Cup will be promoted to the Grand Shield, replacing the same number of relegated bands. Likewise in the Senior Trophy where the top four bands will be promoted to the Senior Cup.

The adjudicating team for the day will comprise Anne Crookston, Stephen Roberts, David Hirst, Lauren Petritz-Watts, Alan Morrison and Andrea Price.

The full line-up of participating bands is:

Grand Shield (Sunday, Birmingham Town Hall)
Adjudicators: Anne Crookston and Stephen Roberts

• Camborne Town (Gareth Churcher)
• City of Bradford (Lee Skipsey)
• Desford Colliery (Ian Porthouse)
• Ebbw Valley Brass (Matthew Rowe)
• Elland Silver (David McGlynn)
• Fishburn (Chris Bentham)
• Friary (Andrew Porter)
• GUS (Christopher Bond)
• Hepworth (Ryan Watkins)
• Milnrow (Christopher Binns)
• NASUWT Riverside (David Morton)
• Northop Silver (Ben Dixon)
• Pemberton Old Wigan DW (Thomas Wyss)
• Ratby Cooperative (TBC)
• Redbridge (Chris Bearman)
• Rothwell Temperance (David Roberts)
• St Dennis Silver (Darren R Hawken)
• Stannington Brass (Sam Fisher)
• Wantage Silver (Chris King)
• Whitburn (Prof Nicholas Childs)

Senior Cup (Saturday, Birmingham Town Hall)
Adjudicators: David Hirst and Lauren Petritz-Watts

• Ashton-under-Lyne (Paul Lovatt-Cooper)
• Boarshurst Silver (Martyn Evans)
• Dalmellington (Chris Shanks)
• Derwent Brass (Jack Capstaff)
• Easington Colliery (Graeme Tindall)
• East London Brass (Jayne Murrill)
• Enderby (Gareth Westwood)
• Haverhill Silver (Paul Filby)
• Kirkintilloch (Martyn Ramsay)
• Marsden Silver (Leigh Baker)
• Rainford (Adam Taylor)
• Shepherd Brass (Richard Wilton)
• Skelmanthorpe (Jonathan Bates)
• Thundersley Brass (Melvin White)
• Tongwynlais Temperance (Owen Farr)
• Tylorstown (Andrew Jones)
• Unite the Union (Jonathan Beatty)
• Verwood Concert (Kevin Smith)
• Wingates (Matthew Ryan)
• Woodfalls (Michael Fowles)

Senior Trophy (Saturday, Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space)
Adjudicators: Alan Morrison and Andrea Price

• Brunel Brass (Daniel Hall)
• City of Cardiff [Mellingriffith] (Robert Westacott)
• City of Hull (Daniel Brooks)
• Dalkeith & Monktonhall (James Chamberlain)
• Eccles Borough (Mareika Gray)
• Filton Concert Brass (Craig Williams)
• Goodwick (Joshua Ruck)
• Haydock (Mark Quinn)
• Longridge (Mark Peacock)
• Lydbrook (David Barringer)
• Newstead Brass (Martin Heartfield)
• Newtongrange Silver (Anne Crookston)
• Parc and Dare (Chris Turner)
• Pontardulais Town (Paul Jenkins)
• Roche Brass (Matt Green)
• Sandhurst Silver (Joshua Ruck)
• Sovereign Brass (David Maplestone)
• Tyldesley (Neil Samuel)
• Unite Scotland Kinneil (Allan Ramsay)
• Yorkshire Imperial (Ian McElligott)