On Saturday 23rd January 2010 Dronfield Band took part in the 4th Section Mineworkers Championship at Butlins, Skegness. 7 members of Killamarsh band also play for Dronfield.
The band came 1st out of a field of 13 bands from across the country and gave a performance in front of a 400 plus audience that was in the words of another conductor "awesome".
The performances of all the bands was reviewed by a brass band internet forum and these are the remarks they made.
There was a touch of the Roman epic about Dronfield's victory in the Fourth Section.
If Butlins is an accurate indicator of form, then the odds on Dronfield CMW taking the Midlands Fourth Section Area title in a couple of months time will have been slashed at the bookies.
Cracker
Directed by John Davies, they produced a cracking show on Leigh Baker’s ‘Roman Tryptych’, to deservedly take the £2,000 first prize and Butlins Trophy and confirm their position as pre contest favourites ahead of the forthcoming regional battle.
Here they were bold, even fearless in the opening ‘Charioteers’ movement, following it with a tuneful, lyrical ‘Pilgrims’ interlude and finishing off capturing an authentic sense of bravura as they marched straight into the ‘Coliseum’ to gain the thumbs up from the Caesar’s in the box, Roy Newsome and Roy Roe (the judges)
They now head for Bedworth’s Civic Hall in March brimming with confidence. On this evidence they are the band to beat.
Dronfield’s splendid performance just about set the seal (they were drawn 12 out of 13) on what was also a cracking contest.
For Dronfield however, 2010 could prove to be an even better year than 2009. On this form, a return to Harrogate (National Finals) could well be the next conquest for this cracking band and their inspirational leader.
