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.
1983
Penzance Band Festival
1983
Adjudicator:
???? section test piece: Tancredi
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | Pendeen | Rushworth Harry | |
No report found of this contest
1984
Penzance Band Festival
1984
Adjudicator:
???? section test piece: A Winter’s Tale (Reginald Heath)
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | Pendeen | Rushworth Harry | |
No report found of this contest
1985
Penzance Band Festival
1985
Adjudicator:
???? section test piece: Swiss Festival Overture
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Pendeen | Rushworth Harry | |
No report found of this contest
1986
Penzance Band Festival
27th September 1986
Adjudicator: Brian Buckley
Class B test piece: Own Choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Carharrack & St Day | N J Richards | 87 |
| 2 | Hayle Town | C Harris | 86 |
| 3 | St Austell “B” | R Richards | 84 |
| 4 | Saracen Brass | H E Barnes | |
Class C test piece: Own Choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Carharrack & St Day | N J Richards | 87 |
| 2 | Saracen Brass | H E Barnes | 86 |
| 3 | Lanner & District | R S Trelease | 85 |
| 4 | St Austell “B” | R Richards | |
| 5 | St Pinnock | N Pendray | |
| 6 | Wendron Silver | W J Pascoe | |
Class D test piece: Own Choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | St Pinnock | N Pendray | 86 |
| 2 | Penzance Silver | J C Nicholas | 82 |
| 3 | Wendron Silver | W J Pascoe | 81 |
| 4 | Okehampton Excelsior | R W Beardon | |
Junior Class test piece: Own Choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Penryn School | P G Dillon | 87 |
| 2 | Okehampton Excelsior | R W Beardon | 83 |
| 3 | Penzance Silver | J C Nicholas | 82 |
| W | Hayle Youth | E F Ralph | |
“Carharrack & St Day Silver Band described by the adjudicator as ‘the outstanding band of the contest’ after they gained a first in both the third and second sections.” (Brief History 1912 – 1996)
1987
Penzance Band Festival
26th September 1987
Adjudicator: Geoff Richards
Festival Chairman: W T Thomas
Secretary: Alan Richards
Class B test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Carharrack & St Day | N Jim Richards | 188 |
| 2 | Hayle Town | C Harris | 187 |
Special:
Euphonium (Barry Rice Memorial Trophy):
Class C test piece: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Carharrack & St Day | N Jim Richards | 186 |
| 2 | St Ives Youth | Eric Toll | 184 |
| 3 | Launceston | N E Chadd | 182 |
| 4 | Lanner & District | R S Trelease | 181 |
| Penzance | J C Nicholas | ||
| St Agnes | S G Herbert | ||
| Wendron | W Jack Pascoe | ||
| W | Illogan Sparnon | C T Bolitho | |
Class D test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Pendeen (Holiday Suite) | Rushworth O Harry | 177 |
| 2 | Penzance | J C Nicholas | 176 |
| 3 | Launceston | N E Chadd | 175 |
| 4 | St Agnes | S G Herbert | |
| Wendron | W Jack Pascoe | ||
Junior class test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Hayle | E F Ralph | 178 |
| 2 | Carharrack & St Day | S J Sweet | 177 |
| 3 | Penzance | T M J Denley | 172 |
Specials – all classes:
Solo cornet (Hawkes Challenge Cup): Tania Gilbert
Solo horn (Penzance Bandsmen’s Festival Cup) Hayle
Best soloist (Uren Trophy): Pendeen
(Information from contest programme with results recorded by unknown person)
1988
Penzance Festival of Brass
(Penzance Band Festival Committee)
24th September 1988
Adjudicator: Denzil Stephens
Festival Chairman: W T Thomas
Secretary: Alan Richards
Class B test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Launceston | N E Chadd | 186 |
| 2 | Carharrack & St Day | J Richards | 185 |
| 3 | St Ives | Eric Toll | 184 |
| 4 | Bude | M W Sweet | 175 |
| W | Hayle | G F Lawry | |
Class C test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Lanner & District | C C Harris | 192 |
| 2 | Carharrack & St Day | J Richards | 185 |
| 3 | Pendeen | Rushworth O Harry | |
| 4 | Launceston | N E Chadd | |
| Bude | M W Sweet | ||
| St Ives | Eric Toll | ||
| St Agnes (West Sou’ West) | S G Herbert | ||
| Wendron | W Jack Pascoe | ||
Class D test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Pendeen (Episodes for Brass) | Rushworth O Harry | 188 |
| 2 | Saltash | Roy Jones | 183 |
| 3 | Wendron | W Jack Pascoe | 182 |
| 4 | Porthleven | E F Ralph | |
| Constantine | W E Merton | ||
| St Gennys | H Shipley | ||
| St Agnes (Othello) | S G Herbert | ||
| Penzance | J C Nicholas | ||
Junior class test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Hayle | G F Lawry | 188 |
1989
Penzance Festival of Brass
30th September 1989
Adjudicator: Goff Richards
Festival Chairman: W T Thomas
Secretary: Alan Richards
Class B test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Lanner & District | C Harris | |
| 2 | Pendeen | Rushworth O Harry | |
| 3 | St Ives | Eric Toll | |
| 4 | Launceston | N E Chadd | |
Class C test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Lanner & District | C Harris | |
| 2 | St Ives | Eric Toll | |
| 3 | Pendeen | Rushworth O Harry | |
| 4 | Launceston | N E Chadd | |
| St Pinnock | |||
| Bude | M W Sweet | ||
| Saltash | Roy E Jones | ||
| Wendron | W Jack Pascoe | ||
Class D test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Porthleven | E F Ralph | |
| 2 | Bude Town | M W Sweet | |
| 3 | St Pinnock | ||
| 4 | Gweek | Roy Williams | |
| Saltash Town | Roy E Jones | ||
| Wendron | W Jack Pascoe | ||
| St Erth | C Lawry | ||
Junior class test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Launceston | N E Chadd | 170 |
1992
Penzance Festival of Brass
17th October 1992
???? test piece: Suite for Switzerland
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Pendeen | Rushworth Harry | |
Fourth section test piece:
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Camborne Youth | ||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
Youth section test piece:
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | Camborne Youth | ||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
No report found of this contest
1994
Penzance Festival of Brass
Fourth section test piece:
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | Camborne Youth | Ray Grand | |
| 3 | |||
Youth section test piece:
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | Camborne Youth | Ray Grand | |
No report found of this contest
1995
Penzance Festival of Brass
St John’s Hall, Penzance
1995
Adjudicator:
Class C test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | St Agnes | ||
Class D test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | St Agnes | ||
| 3 | |||
No report found of this contest
1996
Penzance Festival of Brass
St John’s Hall, Penzance
September 1996
Adjudicator:
Class C test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
Class D test piece: Own choice
| Placed | Conductor | Points | |
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | |||
Carharrack and St Day Band consider that they were placed first but are not sure in which section.
No report found of this contest
Compiled by Tony Mansell (Bardh Kernow)