SWBBA Annual Contest

2nd November, 2013

    The South West Brass Band Association Annual Contest is held in the first weekend of November and this year the Band chose to attempt to regain the title of Second Section Champions.  The rehearsal was booked for 11am in a local hotel and, for once, everyone was there on time ready to play!  A few hymn tunes, topping and tailing of the testpiece (Three Part Invention, by Kenneth Downie), scales and a lesson in semantics later and it was time for the draw. 

    Of the four bands in the programme, one had to withdraw, leaving Weston, Sidmouth and us competing for the title.  Weston drew the dreaded number one, Sidmouth number two and we were to play last.

The basses warm up!

    After a spot of lunch and a quick warm up we were ready to show the world (well, Torquay) what wonders we could perform! 

    On stage we performed well, though not as well as we had done in rehearsals (an untidy first movement) and we all came off stage a little disheartened.  The results for our section were to be announced after the Open section (First and Championship section bands) had competed, a total of ten bands, so a good time in the bar was had by all!


    Eventually it was time for the results to be announced, and as the adjudicator, Jim Davies, was summing up his afternoon it became evident that we had not impressed as much as we had hoped.  As usual, the results were announced in reverse order:

Best Intrumentlist: Flugel, Sidmouth Town,
3rd place Weston,
2nd place, City of Bristol,
1st place, Sidmouth Town.

    A celebratory curry was definitely in order!!

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