The 93rd Grand Shield in Blackpool certainly lived up to its reputation as the most unpredictable competition in the banding world, as Milnrow and Kirkintilloch claimed their places at the British Open at Symphony Hall.
As the Milnrow players raucously celebrated on the stage of the Opera House with the famous shield hoisted precariously above their heads, outside, the contrasting sound of collective puzzlement and despair filtered through the air as a batch of fancied rivals took in the news that they would be returning to the Winter Gardens next year.
No trip
There will be no trip to Birmingham for pre-contest favourites Flowers, despite principal cornet Andrew Smith deservedly taking the ’Best Instrumentalist’ award for his outstanding playing.
Although many neutrals in the audience felt the West of England champion had done enough to qualify after delivering an imposing rendition late in the day, they could only end sixth.
Meanwhile, there was also disappointment for fifth placed Whitburn.
The Scottish champion will now have to contemplate the tricky balancing act of Grand Shield and European Championship appearances within the space of seven days next year, with the possible added complication that ‘Electra’ (the 2012 British Open test piece) may not be chosen as the Grand Shield set work.
Impressive
Just outside the podium places, Rothwell Temperance showed further signs of their return to form by coming fourth, whilst a delighted Aldbourne will have returned home buoyed by an impressive third place finish.
“We knew we played well, but to come third here shows just how far we have developed in the last few years,” said Chairman James Sheppard. “We are now a confident contesting band, and even though we just missed out on the Open, we are still delighted by the result.”
Elsewhere, Newstead Brass pipped Welsh champion Tongwynlais (who also now have a Blackpool/Perth balance to ponder in 2014) to seventh, with Co-operative Funeralcare and BTM making up the top ten.
Relegated
At the other end of the results table, the relegation trap door opened on Wingates, Mount Charles, Redbridge and Marsden Silver, who will compete in the Senior Cup next year.
Despite not being the name on everyone’s lips as the probable 93rd champion as compere David Hayward prepared to announce the winner of a contest that varied greatly in overall quality, Milnrow, conducted by Marieka Gray, will now make their British Open debuts 99 years after they were formed.
Meanwhile, an equally delighted Kirkintilloch maintained their remarkable record of consecutive British Open appearances by making an immediate return to Symphony Hall for the second time in three years under the direction of Philip McCann.
New arrangements
As disappointed rivals contemplated their results with the type of feeling that comes when a stale chip wrapper blows into your face off the Golden Mile, the immediate concern of the delirious members of Milnrow was to contact conductor Marieka Gray, who had left with husband Russell before the results to sort out the evening’s babysitting arrangements.
Young Angus Gray had to wait just a little longer for his proud parents to return home as Marieka raced back to join her players and take in the news that she had become only the second woman to lead a band to Grand Shield success.
Select group
Marieka will also become one of a select female trio to conduct at the world’s oldest banding championship.
“It’s all a bit unbelievable,” she told 4BR as she struggled to lift the famous trophy in triumph for the umpteenth time for the benefit of the press photographers. “They are such a hard working band – so close and determined.
I was just a little unsure we could make the step up to the very top level before the start of this year, but since we qualified for the Albert Hall under Russell at the North West Area I was confident we could do well here. It’s another brilliant achievement for the players.”
Marieka added: “Now comes even more hard work, as we want to build on this result and show people just how good a band we turning into too.”
Miracle
Meanwhile, Philip McCann was left almost speechless as he contemplated a quite remarkable Open return for the Scots of Kirkintilloch.
“The band really had to dig deep for this one,” he said. “Some unfortunate and some unforeseen personal circumstances within the band meant that we had to get in some players to help us out. It meant I came back from the Europeans on Monday and didn’t have a full rehearsal until the morning of the contest.”
He added: “It’s been one heck of a week – and this result is a bit of a miracle given the build up. It’s been a good year for me so far though and there are still six months to go!”
No doubt
Adjudicators Allan Ramsay and Frank Renton were in no doubt that on a day when nearly all the bands were unable to meet some pretty basic contesting requirements, the winners gave them just what they were looking for from Philip Wilby’s complex score.
In an entertainingly perceptive address, Frank told the audience that to gain success on ‘Red Priest’, conductors had to ensure that their bands, ‘...played in tune, together and made music’ to catch their ears in the box.
His added remark that, ‘...not a lot of you did that today’, may have been met by a stony silence that in years gone by has been reserved for an ill timed one-liner by a lack lustre Blackpool comedian, but it clearly defined their opinion that bands had struggled to project clarity, balance and security, as well as musical vibrancy in a deadened Opera House acoustic.
Come to life
He later told 4BR: “You can’t hope to make this music come to life if conductors can’t get these things right and instead rely on such an aggressive approach to the music. Milnrow certainly did though. It did have its errors, but it so stylish and full of musicality, as was Kirkintilloch.”
It was an analysis that also backed up Allan Ramsay, who later told 4BR that unwarranted aggression, especially in the opening sections, followed by poor muted tuning issues undermined a number of contenders.
“We were surprised so many conductors chose to deliver the music in such a way, especially in the opening,” he said. “The score didn’t call for it, and the tuning issues at times really grated – not just with mutes but between main solo lines too.”
Grumbles
On a day when listening numbers appeared to be up on previous years, there were grumblings about the new registration system brought in by the organisers, with rumours that some bands had boosted their playing ranks with up to a dozen or more ‘borrowed’ players.
As one player told 4BR as they left for the long journey home: “If this is the future, then God help us. We’ve been hearing all sorts about even successful bands today. We need to get back to bands playing at contests with their own players – not by getting help in. It makes the whole contest a free for all.”
A full contest retrospective will appear on 4BR in the next few days.
since we qualified for the Albert Hall under Russell at the North West Area I was confident we could do well here. It’s another brilliant achievement for the playersMarieka Gray
Results:
Grand Shield:
Test Piece: Red Priest — Concerto after Vivaldi (Prof Philip Wilby)
The Opera House
Adjudicators: Allan Ramsay & Frank Renton
1. Milnrow (Mareika Gray)*
2. Kirkintilloch (Phillip McCann)*
3. Aldbourne (David Johnson)
4. Rothwell Temperance (David Roberts)
5. Whitburn (Ian Porthouse)
6. Flowers (Paul Holland)
7. Newstead Brass (Duncan Beckley)
8. Tongwynlais Temperance (Steve Sykes)
9. Co-operative Funeralcare Band North West (Jef Sparkes)
10. BTM (Dewi Griffiths)
11. Northop Silver (Thomas Wyss)
12. Jaguar Land Rover (Dave Lea)
13. Pemberton Old Wigan DW (Stig Mearsk)
14. Yorkshire Imperial Urquhart Travel (David Nesbitt)
15. Hammonds Saltaire (Morgan Griffiths)
16. Thorseby Colliery (Brian Grant)
17. Marsden Silver Prize (Glyn Williams)**
18. Redbridge (Jeremy Wise)**
19. Mount Charles (Simon Dobson)**
20. Wingates (Andrew Berryman)**
Best Instrumentalist: Andrew Smith (cornet) — Flowers
*Promoted to British Open
**Relegated to Senior Cup
