Milnrow Band lift championship title with power house performance

Milnrow Band has been crowned champions of the North West Area Brass Bands Association (NWABBA) (Rochdale) Open Championships 2014.

Under new MD Mark Bentham, a powerful and controlled performance of this year's British Open test piece 'Vita Aeterna Variations', by Alexander Comitas, assured the 2013 Grand Shield winners, further success, being crowned NWABBA (Rochdale) Open Champions 2014 amid unreserved applause from an appreciative audience.

Milnrow picked up the Charles Fradley Memorial Cup, J Cartledge Trophy (best instrumental Mick Morris Euphonium), Top NWABBA band and £450.

Rochdale Town Hall was the place to be for brass band enthusiasts on Sunday 26 October, when the sound of brass bands made a welcome return to the town. The Championship was the first to be held in Rochdale for 14 years having been successfully organised by members of the Rochdale band for 44 years, the last three years of the event however were held at the then Wardle High School.

Being aware of the somewhat unkind acoustics of the hall, chairman and contest controller, Richard Milton and his team, organised for the bands to perform at floor level in front of the stage in an effort to improve the situation.

Throughout the day, the audience was to be treated to a veritable feast of well known and not so well known contest music even prior to the championship section bands taking the stage in the late afternoon.

With adjudicator Andrew Warriner in the box, for the fourth section, Pilling Jubilee Silver (Len Charnock) were adjudged the winners with chosen test piece 'Henry V', by Vaughn Williams, taking home the John Howorth Trophy, the Jack Milburn Trophy (Best instrumental Soprano), Ernest Clifton Trophy (top NWABBA band) and £450.

Greenfield (Tom Haslam) was placed second winning the EC Buttress Trophy and £250. The third prize was lifted by Sale Brass (Joshua Hughes) taking home The Jean Howorth Memorial Trophy and picking up £150.

In the second section, once again Andrew Warriner was the man to convince, and three association bands, Delph, Hazel Grove and Middleton battled it out with three non member bands.

Hazel Grove (Nigel Beasley), proved winners with Philip Sparke’s 'The Saga of Haakon the Good', taking £450, the Watney Trophy, Charlie Southern Trophy (Best Instrumental,Euphonium) and the Lewis Challenge Trophy for top NWABBA band.

After a short break bands from the third section commenced their performances under the watchful ear of adjudicator Ian Brownbill.

Stalybridge Old, with David Ashworth at the helm, succeeded in impressing the adjudicator into awarding them top spot in this section with Percy Fletcher’s 'Labour and Love' enabling them to claim the new A&J Trophy, Fred Rhodes Challenge Trophy (best instrumental principal cornet), Ted Buttress Rose Bowl (top NWABBA band) and £450.

The only association band to get into the frame, they outpaced Dinnington Colliery (Jonathan Beatty) 'Between the two rivers” and Yorkshire third section champions Slaithwaite (Rob Westacott) 'Rhapsody in Brass', who were placed second and third.

Commenting on the event, both adjudicators remarked on the overall high standard of playing in all sections. Malcolm Brownbill, NWABBA President agreed and added: “I am delighted that the association had been able to resurrect the contest and bring banding back to Rochdale.”

Richard Milton, NWABBA Chairman and Contest Controller, thanked the competing bands and conductors for all of their hard work in supporting the venture and also thanked Rochdale Town Hall officials and staff, volunteer stewards and members of the public.