Contesting
Not all bands enter competitions and there are some which shun the contest stage, preferring to concentrate their efforts in providing music for local events. For most players, though, contesting has always been an important part of brass banding, the reason that they spend so many hours trying to perfect their art. It provides them with the opportunity to test their musical skills against others and, of course, to bring home that silverware.
This section includes brass band contests which have taken place in Cornwall. I doubt that all are here, and there are certainly some results missing, but, over time, it is hoped that it will become a comprehensive record of all Cornish Contests.
1929
Marazion Contest
(Marazion Brass Band)
The Rookery Paddock, Marazion
27th April 1929
Adjudicator: J B Yorke musical director of the Yeovil Town Band
Class A test piece: Sea Songs
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | St Pinnock | Marsh Kessell | |
| 2 | Carharrack & St Day | Tom Hubbard | |
| =3 | Constantine | L Reynolds | |
| =3 | Porthleven | William Roberts | |
| Camborne Juniors | Jack Eustace | ||
Class B march: Right Away
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | St Pinnock | Marsh Kessell | |
| 2 | Camborne Juniors | Jack Eustace | |
| 3 | Porthleven | William Roberts | |
Class C hymn: “Hark, Hark Soul – Pilgrims.”
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | St Pinnock | Marsh Kessell | |
| 2 | Porthleven | William Roberts | |
| 3 | Delabole | W B Williams | |
| Camborne Juniors | Jack Eustace | ||
1929: “Cycling Accident Near Gweek. Bandmaster Found Unconscious. Mr. Gordon Floyd, bandmaster of Gweek Band, met with a serious accident on Monday morning, as the result of which he is an in-patient in the HeIston Cottage Hospital. Mr. Floyd, who is employed as a blacksmith at Gweek, lives at Four Lanes, near Redruth, is in the habit cycling to his work, and about 9 o’clock in the morning was found on the road at Chapel Hill, Gweek in an unconscious condition. His bicycle, practically undamaged, was found in the hedge close by. It is thought that the machine skidded and he was taken to the Cottage Hospital in Helston in the Helston Ambulance, and attended by Dr. Walker, who found he had sustained concussion of the … and a broken collar bone. The Band is entered for the band contest at Marazion on Saturday, and it is unfortunate that they should thus lose the services their conductor. (25 April 1929 – Cornishman)
The event was unique, in that it was the first contest ever held in the …, and which was open only to junior bands which had never won open first, second or third prize. The direct object of the competition (which originated in the fertile brain of Mr. G. W. Cave, the popular Marazion conductor) was to the swelling of the funds of the Marazion Band, in order that that popular body, being already well-clothed, might be equipped with better instruments, whereby they might produce even more pleasing music than they usually do; and the principal object was a most deserving one, for no good band should be handicapped for lack of good instruments. But bands from many parts of the county did not assemble at Marazion on Saturday purely with the object of helping the band, though no doubt they were all partially actuated by the freemasonry of bandsmanship; they assembled with the object of glorifying themselves, and bringing tribute to the musical centres whence they came; all of which is to the ultimate good of band music in Cornwall. Band-lovers in the county ought to raise their hats to Mr. Cave, his confederates, and the band-enthusiasm of Marazion generally, for long-felt want has been filled, and Marazion has blazed the path to a long-felt musical want in Cornwall – the definite encouragement and advancement of the smaller band of the county. Having patted all these people on the back, it seems only right to say a word for the quiet donor of the principal awards in the premier class. This person, to whom much honour and glory, was Mr. N. T. Manners, who opened his heart and his cheque-book to the extent of offering £6 in cash and a solid silver cup to the winning band in Class A. Some of the band-people in Marazion wanted the aforesaid cup to be a hardy annual, tenable for only a year, by the hard-working band that won it; but Mr. Manners believes in a winning band holding what it has, and so the winners will have the cup for keeps; which, after all, seems only right. Marazion, it would seem, is the fortunate possessor of talent (in its own band), originality (in the organisers of the contest, and generosity (in the persons of Lord St. Levan and Mr. Manners). Lord St. Levan is a sort of fairy godfather to Marazion, and the band people are not the first who have had to thank him for some act of generosity. … The competing bands and their conductors were:—Carharrack (Mr. T. Hubbard), Camborne Juniors (Mr. J. Eustace), Constantine (Mr. L E. Reynolds), Delabole (Mr. W. B. Williams), Porthleven (Mr. W. R. Roberts), St. Dennis Juniors (Mr. C. H. Baker), St. Erth Silver (Mr. S. C. Pye), St. Keverne (Mr. J. Martin), St. Pinnock (Mr. Marsh Kessell). Gweek, as their conductor had been injured in accident, was unable to compete. (2 May 1929 – Cornishman – Penzance)
1930
Marazion Contest
(Marazion Brass Band)
The Rookery Paddock, Marazion
24th May 1930
Adjudicator: Mr. Harry Hayes, of Talysam, Carnarvon
Third section test piece: Mignonne
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Penzance Silver | J Probert | 91 |
| 2 | Falmouth Town | Thomas Chainey | 90 |
| 3 | Truro | George Cave | 88 |
| 4 | St Pinnock | Marsh Kessell | 72 |
| 5 | Porthleven | William Roberts | |
Third section march:
| Placed | Points | |
| 1 | Truro City | 82 |
| 2 | Penzance Silver | 80 |
| 3 | Falmouth Town | 77 |
| Porthleven | ||
| St Pinnock | ||
Junior section test piece: Spirit of Youth
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | St Pinnock Temperance | Marsh Kessell | 88 |
| 2 | St Erth | 85 | |
| 3 | Camborne Juniors | Jack Eustace | 84 |
| 4 | Porthleven Town | William Roberts | |
| Gweek | |||
| Pendeen | |||
Junior section march: Ever Ready
| Placed | Points | |
| 1 | St Pinnock Temperance | 88 |
| 2 | St Erth | 83 |
| 3 | Camborne Juniors | 80 |
| Gweek | ||
| Pendeen | ||
| Porthleven Town | ||
Report: (Cornishman – Thursday 29 May 1930)
1931
Marazion Contest
(Marazion Brass Band)
9th May 1931
Adjudicator: Mr. J. G. Dobbing, Pentre, Rhondda
Second section test piece: Il Favorita
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Penzance Independent | J Probert | |
| 2 | Truro City | G W Cave | |
| 3 | Redruth Town | E J Williams | |
| Porthleven | William Roberts | ||
| St Pinnock | Marsh Kessell | ||
Second section march: Own choice
| Placed | Points | |
| 1 | St Pinnock | |
| 2 | Penzance Independent | |
| Redruth | ||
Junior section test piece: In Old Vienna
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | St Erth | N Trudgeon | |
| 2 | Camborne Juniors | Jack Eustace | |
| 3 | St Pinnock | Marsh Kessell | |
| Gweek | Gordon Floyd | ||
| Porthleven | William Roberts | ||
| Redruth | Edwin J Williams | ||
Junior section march: Own choice
| Placed | Points | |
| 1 | St Erth | |
| Camborne Juniors | ||
| Gweek | ||
| Porthleven | ||
| Redruth | ||
| St Pinnock | ||
Report: (14 May 1931 – Cornishman)
Compiled by Tony Mansell (Bardh Kernow)