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Welsh bands prepare for Brangwyn tests

35 bands will compete at the Welsh Regional Championships — and its a 11.00am start each day in Swansea.

Brangwyn Hall
  The contest is held at Swansea's Brangwyn Hall.

The Welsh Regional Championship will take place at the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea this weekend (14th & 15th March) with 35 bands looking to claim their invitations to represent the nation at the National Finals in York and London.

Encouragement

Although it is the smallest field for some considerable time, with two late withdrawals, there is encouraging news with an entry of six bands in the Fourth Section — up from just the three in 2025. These include debutant bands, Brass@Bont and Cambrian.

Qualifiers

Two bands will qualify from the Championship Section, where the defending champion is Tredegar. The winner will also be invited to represent Wales at the 2027 European Championships in Montreux.

Two bands will also qualify for the National Finals in York in September from the Second and Third Sections, with 1 band from the First and Fourth in accordance with current rules.

Schedule

Saturday will kick off at 11.00am with Section 2 (8 bands), followed by Section 4 (6 bands) and Section 1 (6 bands).

Sunday will also start at 11.00am with Section 3 (8 bands) followed by the Championship Section (7 bands). A short concert will be given by the RWCM&D Brass Band prior to the announcement of the results.

Championship Section:

Test Piece: Elgar Variations (Martin Ellerby)
Adjudicators: Dr Stephen Cobb; Stephen Roberts

1. BTM (Richard Marshall)
2. City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) M1 (David Roberts)
3. Cory (Philip Harper)
4. Ebbw Valley (Matthew Rowe)
5. Northop Silver (Thomas Wyss)
6. Tongwynlais Temperance (Owen Farr)
7. Tredegar Town (Ian Porthouse)

First Section:

Test Piece: Variations on 'Was Lebet' (Andrew Wainwright)
Adjudicators: Dr Stephen Cobb; Stephen Roberts

1. Beaumaris (Bari Gwilliam)
2. Lewis Merthyr (Carl Saunders)
3. Parc & Dare (Dewi Griffiths)
4. Pontardulais Town (Paul Jenkins)
5. Tylorstown (Andrew Jones)
6. Usk (James Jones)

Second Section:

Test Piece: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (Philip Harper)
Adjudicators: Dr Robert Childs; Martin Heartfield

1. Abergavenny Borough (Lana Tingay)
2. Abertillery Town (Lee Blankley)
3. Ammanford Town Silver (Glyn Rhys Davies)
4. City of Wrexham (Matt Ryan)
5. Crosskeys Silver (Dave Collins)
6. Markham & District (Gary Davies)
7. Newport Borough (Martin McHale)
8. Royal Buckley Town (Keith Jones)

Withdrew: Crwbin

Third Section:

Test Piece: Three Haworth Impressions (Gordon Langford)
Adjudicators: Dr Robert Childs; Martin Heartfield

1. Briton Ferry Silver (Jeff Pearce)
2. City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) 2 (John Murray)
3. Cwmtawe (Wayne Pedrick)
4. Mid Rhondda (Adrian Morton)
5. Newtown Silver (Alan Phillips)
6. Penclawdd (Alan Bourne)
7. Severn Tunnel (Louis Thomas)
8. Ynyshir (Robert Burnett)

Withdrew: Holywell

Fourth Section:

Test Piece: Indian Summer (Eric Ball)
Adjudicators: Dr Robert Childs; Martin Heartfield

1. Blaenavon Town (Alun Williams)
2. Brass@Bont (Alison Gent)
3. Cambrian (Matthew Ruel)
4. Gwaun Cae Gurwen (Alex Parker)
5. Oakdale Silver (Adrian Browning)
6. Royal Oakeley Silver (Aled Williams)

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