Contest season is upon us once again and this year’s Yorkshire Regional Brass Band championships were held during the first weekend in March at St. George’s Hall in Bradford.
Both bands were drawn to play on the Sunday and Skelmanthorpe Prospect Brass (formerly Skelmanthorpe B Band) competed during the morning, making its first appearance at the contest since its well-earned promotion to the second section.
Neither intimidated nor discouraged by the strong opposition and drawn to play last, Prospect Brass and its Musical Director, Phil Garlick took to the stage and played Michael Ball’s, ‘Chaucer’s Tunes’ to the optimum level.
However adjudicators for the 2nd section placed the band 10th out of the 11 bands competing. Ultimately Skelmanthorpe Prospect Brass would have preferred to walk away with a more pleasing result but the players, their MD and steadfast supporters accepted the situation in as good a light as possible.
The Skelmanthorpe Band competed in the Championship section on the Sunday evening, which concluded the weekend’s competition. The band played 9th and earnest rehearsals throughout the weeks leading up to the contest ensured an accomplished performance of the piece, ‘St Magnus’ by Kenneth Downie, under the direction of its newly appointed Musical Director, Martin Hall.
Adjudicators placed Skelmanthorpe Band 8th out of 13 which, given the over all demands of the piece, was a very respectable result that ensured the band’s return to the championship section next year.