Bumper fields ready for big Butlins payouts

The 2018 contest season will kick off with some big pay days on offer at the Butlins Mineworkers Festival in Skegness.

The 2018 contest season will kick off with the opportunity for bands to boost their bank balances at the Butlins Mineworkers Festival at the Skegness Resort on the weekend of the 13th/14th January.

Pot of gold

Once more the eight Championships Section bands (the same entrants as last year) will be chasing a share of a record breaking pot of gold, with the £10,000 first prize boosted by an additional £1,000 for coming top in the test-piece discipline and another £1,000 for giving the 'Most Entertaining Performance'.

Winning bands in the First to Fourth Section will also pick up a hefty £2,000 for their efforts, with £1,000 going to the winning band in the Youth Section and £200 up for grabs in the Ensemble Section.

A mammoth field of 25 bands have entered the First Section, with healthy fields in the other events, including the welcome return of the 3BA Academy Brass from Germany in the Youth Section contest.

Championship Section:

Venue: Centre Stage
Saturday 13th January

Test-Piece Choice: Contest Music (Wilfred Heaton), The Year of the Dragon (Philip Sparke), Concerto No 1 for Brass Band (Marcus Venables)
Draw: 11.30am (commences after the 4th Section)
Set Work: Own Choice
Adjudicators: Ian Porthouse & Paul Holland

Sunday 14th January (Entertainment)
Draw: Saturday Evening
Commences 10.30am
Adjudicators: Ian Porthouse & Paul Holland (music), Kevin Wadsworth & Paul Andrews (entertainment).

1. Desford Colliery (LMTF) (Michael Fowles)
2. Flowers (David Childs)
3. Friary Guildford (Chris King)
4. Haverhill Silver (Paul Filby)
5. Jaguar Land Rover (Dave Lea)
6. Redbridge Brass (Jeremy Wise)
7. Virtuosi GUS (Adam Cooke)
8. Woodfalls (Dr Robert Childs)

First Section:

Venue: Reds
Saturday 13th January
Draw: 8.30am
Commences: 10.00am

Set Work: Renaissance (Peter Graham)
Adjudicators: Martin Heartfield & Nicholas Garman

1. Alder Valley (Lee Woodward)
2. Bedford Town (Steve Phillips)
3. Blackburn & Darwen (Neil Samuel)
4. Cawston (Leigh Sharpe)
5. Chalford (Steve Tubb)
6. Colchester Band (David Maddocks)
7. Dunston Silver (Aidan Hodgson)
8. East of Engand Co-operative (Nigel Cooper)
9. Eccles Borough (Mareika Gray)
10. Enderby (Simon Gresswell)
11. Foresters Brass (John Davis)
12. Gresley Colliery (Craig Stevens)
13. GT Group Peterlee (Ian Langthorne)
14. Harborough (Brad Turnbull)
15. Hebden Bridge (David Hamilton)
16. Ibstock Brick Brass (Simon Willis)
17. Knottinglley Silver (Kevin Belcher)
18. Oldham Band (Lees) (John Collins)
19. Old Silkstone (Owen Wedgewood)
20. Rushden Town (Adele Hudson)
21. Sandhurst Silver (Andrew Porter)
22. Shirebrook Miners Welfare (Colum O' Shea)
23. Skelmanthorpe (Jim Davis)
24. Stannington (Derek Renshaw)
25. Strata Brass (Jonathan Bates)

Second Section:

Venue: Royal Arthur Suite
Saturday 13th January
Draw: 8.30am
Commences: 10.30am

Set Work: Variations for Brass Band (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
Adjudicators: Alan Morrison & Paul Andrews

1. Besses Boys (James Holt)
2. City of Coventry Brass (Stephen Cooper)
3. Crofton Silver (Dean Jones)
4. Eagley Band (Chris Wormald)
5. Greenfield (Tom Haslam)
6. Haydock (Mark Quinn)
7. Horsham Borough (Mark McLaughlin)
8. Horwich RMI (Matt Ryan)
9. Ifton Colliery (Scott Lloyd)
10. Middleton Band (Martyn Evans)
11. Milton Keynes Brass (Jonathan Mott)
12. Old Hall Brass (John North)
13. Pemberton Old Wigan DW 'B' (Mike Golding)
14. Waterbeach Brass (Andrew Kershaw)
15. Whitworth Vale & Healey (John Binns)

Third Section:

Venue: Crazy Horse
Saturday 13th January
Draw: 8.30am
Commences: 11.00am

Set Work: Henry V (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
Adjudicators: Kevin Wadsworth & Anne Crookston

1. Amington (Malcolm Read)
2. Brighton & Hove City (Matthew Hackett)
3. City of Norwich (Andrew Craze)
4. Crystal Palace (Michael Gray)
5. Dinnington Colliery (Lyndon Bolt)
6. Dodworth Colliery MW (Eliot J. Darwin)
7. Dronfield Genquip (Damien Wileman)
8. East Coast Brass (Paul Speed)
9. Ellington Colliery (Clare Winter)
10. Emley Brass (Garry Hallas)
11. Epping Forest (Mark Ager)
12. Hoover (Bolton) (Criag Mann))
13. Pleasley Colliery Welfare (Geof Benson)
14. Shirland Welfare (Lyndon Cooper)
15. Stalybridge Old (David W Ashworth)

Fourth Section:

Venue: Centre Stage
Saturday 13th January
Draw: 8.30am
Commences: 9.30am

Set Work: Second Suite in F (Gustav Holst)
Adjudicators: Mark Walters & Alan Holdsworth

1. Banovallum Brass (Horncastle) (Steve Ingham)
2. Deepcar Brass (Cathryn Rogers)
3. Great Yarmouth Brass (Colin Swaep)
4. Maltby Miners Welfare (Terry Clifford)
5. Royston Town (Steve Earley)
6. Sale Brass (Alan Seymour)
7. Sherwood Forest Brass (Christine Lippeatt)
8. Stamford Brass (Julian Bright)
9. Thurcroft Welfare (Matthew Wright)
10. Tingley Brass (John Belton)
11. Whitwell Brass (Ryan Stacey)

Ensemble Section:

Venue: Reds
Sunday 14th January
Pre-drawn:
Commences: Noon

Set Work: Own Choice
Adjudicator: Mark Walters

1. Gresley Colliery Youth (Duncan Jackson)
2. Shirland Youth (Lyndon Cooper)
3. Wigston Enterprise Band (Matthew Davies)

Youth Section:

Venue: Reds
Sunday 15th January
Pre-drawn
Commences: Following Ensemble Section