The band is celebrating the start of the 2013 contesting year with a win at the annual Brass Band League NI entertainments competition which was held in the Valley Hotel, Fivemiletown on Saturday 2nd March. The event, once again, was sponsored by G R White & Son. A full house watched and listened to the band as they retained their title for a second year in a row.

The Music adjudicator was Mr John Doyle.
The Entertainment adjudicator was Mrs Rachel Bingham and the compere for the event was Mr Bill Caughey.

The music played by the band was:

Army Of The Nile – Kenneth J Alford
Tritsch-Tratsch Polka – J Strauss arr. Goff Richards
Live & Let Die – Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney arr. Ray Farr – Soloist: Peter Arthurs
Opus One – Cynthia Oliver arr. Alan Fernie
The Cuckoo – arr. D.G. – Soloist: Gary Proctor
You’ll Never Walk Alone – Richard Rodgers arr. Howard Snell

Well done to our soloists today also, firstly Peter Arthurs on soprano cornet who won the soloists prize with a superb performance of Live & Let Die and the wonderfully entertaining Gary Proctor on Eb bass along with the rest of the bass section (Tim, Roy and Allan) with The Cuckoo.

Congratulations also to the 1st Old Boys Silver Band & CWA Brass who also won in their respective sections.

The band will be competing again in April 2013 in the BBL Spring Festival which is held in Strabane.

Full Results of the day were as follows:(Total Points (music points, entertainment points))

Fourth Section
1st: Letterbreen Silver Band – 20 points (10,10)
2nd: St Mary’s Silver Band* – 16 points (9,7)
Dungannon Silver Band* – 16 points (8,8)
Warrenpoint Silver Band* – 16 points (7,9)
*Where a tie on total points occurs, the band with the most music points is awarded the prize

Entertainment Prize: Letterbreen Silver Band
Best March: Warrenpoint Silver Band (Star Lake)
Best Soloist: Mervyn Smith, Tenor Horn (Warrenpoint Silver Band) – Entry of the Clowns

Third Section
1st: CWA Brass – 20 points (10,10)
2nd: St Mark’s Silver Band – 18 points (9, 9)
Wellington Silver Band – 16 points (8, 8)
Comber Silver Band – 14 points (7, 7)

Entertainment Prize: CWA Brass
Best March: Wellington Silver Band (Slaidburn)
Best Soloist: Ruth Thompson, Vocalist (Comber Silver Band) – Orange Coloured Sky

Second Section
1st: Third Carrickfergus Band – 19 points (10, 9)
2nd: Ballyduff Silver Band – 18 points (8, 10)
Roughan Silver Band – 17 points (9, 8)

Entertainment Prize: Ballyduff Silver Band
Best March: Ballyduff Silver Band (The Pacer)
Best Soloist: Peter Arthurs, Soprano Cornet (Third Carrickfergus Band) – Live & Let Die

Championship Section
1st: 1st Old Boys Silver Band – 20 points (10, 10)
2nd: Laganvale (Metal Technology) Band – 18 points (9, 9)
Downshire Brass – 16 points (8, 8)
Murley Silver Band – 14 points (7, 7)

Entertainment Prize: 1st Old Boys Silver Band
Best March: Murley Silver Band – On The Quarter Deck
Best Soloist: Dessie Neill, Cornet (Laganvale (Metal Technology) Band) – Satchmo