Hot on the heels of their Whit Friday success the band took their marching boots north once again to the Wetherby Drovers March and Hymn Contest.
It turned out that the trip was well worth while with the band taking the prize for best second section band and being placed 3rd overall in a very competitive field of fifteen bands.
The contest is a complicated affair made up of a number of sections.
First up is the road march and deportment component. Our designated start time was exactly 1:36 pm and having assembled somewhat early the band were like a coiled spring by the time the starting gun was fired and we launched into a rousing rendition of Kenneth Alfords On the Quarterdeck. Not to be unnerved by the deportment judge walking backwards and narrowly avoiding potholes, all minds were focused on how we would actually stop at the end of the road, following a number of mixed success practice circuits of Shirland Welfare the day before. In the end all went well and the first hurdle was surmounted with panache.
Next up is the hymn tune segment with the band huddling in front of the adjudicators van to deliver a melodious performance of the famous Welsh hymn tune Calon Lan.
The final section is a performance of a contest march in Wetherby bandstand but in order or get there bands have to march the not inconsiderable distance from the hymn tune stand. Whilst doing this we had chosen to play that perennial marching band classic Baggy Trousers by Madness. All went well until, in a moment reminiscent of Eric Morcambe and Mr Andre Preview, it transpired that messrs Suggs and Foreman had made the classic 80s hit a bit too short – about two hundred yards too short. The playing stalled, the band were temporarily debagged, and panic started to set in as the bass drummer vainly tried to get us going again with a couple of hopeful sets of three. It was to no avail and only a valiant cry of After 1,2,3,4 from within the ranks managed to jump start the music back into life.
The band finally arrived, mostly unscathed, at the bandstand, where an excellent run through the TJ Powell march The Contestor drew praise from the adjudicator and helped secure the second section win, drawing a fabulous day out to a close.
Full results can be found on 4barsrest
