CHAMPION BAND

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 49, 28 February 1927, Page 17

CHAMPION BAND

QUEEN ALEXANDRA'S

OWN

WINS ALL THE SHIELDS

QUICK-STEP CONTEST

With thousands of people throneMg the-Athletic Park on Saturday" afternoon to witness the quick-step : competition and with the big Town Hall packed to the doors in the evening for a final concert by all the prize winners, the band contest which concluded on Saturday was sealed as one of the most successful ever held m New Zealand, lu-esh champions have arisen and now the premier brass band of the Dominions is Queen Alexandra's Own from Wanganui, the best of the B grade bands being the sth Mounted Bines from Oamaru. The fates were certainly kind or Saturday afternoon when the quick step competition, the last of the test' i" the band contest, took place ai Athletic Park. The perfect weather attracted thousands of spectators, whc thoroughly appreciated the displays given by the bands. Each band underwent vigorous inspection by military judges and then, playing all the time, had to march a. measured hundred yards m one minute, taking 120 paces. They then wheeled round, marching past the judge's tent to the centre of the ground where they finished playing. 11l the time the keen eyes of the fudges were detecting faults in the marching, and i enf- dgt- Of. the music (^. W. Halliwell) ln his isolated tent was recording Insi impressions of the playing. The rna^ br C! S ' aS might b° e^t«l made the best showing with regard to marching and manoeuvring, but some of the others were equally smart. Those that marched best did not always play best, so the public were left guess nl as to which band-would win. No band* the 100 yards m 60 seconds at 120 paces Some were fairly wide of the mark' others remarkably close, the best per hTsr™^ reSPGet ttfof tnnv fV •,a MuniciPal Band, which 1 w *heJu ght number °f Pwes in 60 a-ssee. They, too, were the smartest band on parade, but their playing lost them premiel . poßitioll Vthf conMounted CR-fl Vent \° lst Ca»terb ™7 £, *i?£ ? es> AmonSßt the B grade ob t^tf Inve^rgill Civic Band easily obtained first place owing to their ? n aPP^^nce andg marching Nine a'! : y g°oi ™s? al Performance* 17 B°tr^ P gtf%banaS comPeted and J-' -ts gr^de, the former playinsr "W-ii S a thfh th? latter "Th« Ontp«S->; Played H „ and- ,la mass«l formation Played the quick-step "Wairaram " under the baton of the ju< Zl nti iv *^), the enthusiasm of the SoZ' r" Iboundf eredm-anyth °USalld3 'toA maximum of 200 points was awardete en neral. a? pearance ' marching, etc., ana 60 points for performance from beEKSffi^*' ««• f°»-i«g A GRADE QUICK-STEP.

CHAMPIONSHIP SHIELDS. With the_ completion of the quick-step contest, points were added up for th e various championship shields. The A grade 3N, ew Zea i alia Championship Shield, ana also the Besson Shield, go to the band obtaining most musical

The Hawkes Shield is awarded to the A grade band obtaining the highest number of.oints in the two tent selections and in the quickstep compel Q™ ilf lnC Uded)- Here > agam, the Queen Alexandra's own Band tame out top, proving itself a veritable champion band. The total points were:Queen Alexandra's Own. 402 1- st ston, 387|, 5; Wanganui Garrison, 387 6; Greymouth 377^, 7; Port Nicholson ad*, 8; Wellington Tramways, 360^ Another trophy, the Conn Shield is awarded to the A grade baud obtaining most musical points in tho two tests, the quickstep, and the hymn contest. Once again the Queen Alexandra's Own Band carried off premier honours, the points being: Queen Alexandra's Own, 257, 1; Kaikbrai, 254, 2Woolston, 244, 3; St. Kilda, 241, 4; Ist Canterbury Mounted Eifles and Greymouth, 240, 5; Port Nicholson, 237, 7; Wanganui Garrison, 235, 8. Wellington Tramways did not compete in the Hymn contest. . ; The Greymou-;h Municipal Band, by winning the hymn contest, become holders of the M'Leon Cup for the ensuing year. B GRADE CHAMPIONS. The new B grade champion band in

the sth Mounted. Bifles (Oamavu),wh asp become holders of the Boose bhields, which is awarded to the ban! obtaining most musical points in th two tests, and in the quickstep. Th points wei-o as follows:

THE FINAL CONCERT. A fitting termination to the week of To"4 hTi Wa4 a Wg coacert J" *' -town Hall by the champion bands and S« soloists.. Thel . c P was not S ™« neiont accommodation for all whn band-and soloist was accordpri a tremendous welcome, especially Sn Xcl a , C/ m? -^ the Potation o? Ktc^^^he^iS^^ "champion, of champion^ »tL t- he

1. Ist Canterbury Jtat/ 1* Dri»- Total. 2. St. Kilda (Dunedin) .. 49 I7sy oßr, 3. Wanganu Garrison ... 49 i T7I 4 I:, 1..}? 4. Kalkoral (Bunedin) *c i'Jjr 22° V2 5' Ql(Wan AanT '?' 50 !m»4 no-TJ '.' p» ' Nicholson Silver '* "lai (Wellliißton) ...... 51 ,-„, „ I' we,™ olltll Municipal.. 40 lm V,%/---8. Wellington Tramways . 47 m«. Sjgy. B GRADE QUICK-STEP., 1. Invercargiil Civic .. ."S?"" "ira'■SSal-2.i al2. sth- Mounted •■ KiHes ■• -,< •■ 2=..- --■ (Oamaru) 47 „-, „.. i iSar MtmlCiPal ■■•.*» W5 305 /Auckland WatVrside'rs 39 ws^ 2^^ 6. New Plymouth Citizens « 15 b V . .),,,,„ 7- ■I, s' Ba". Regimental 7" 'WA 9. Taranakl Regimental . 40. J3O JJJ 10. Dannevirke Municipal. .42 Hgu J,J« 11. Hawera Municipal .-. 37 112 I™ 12. Stratford Citizens' ~ 37.. 15c is? 13. Central Mission Wei- 187

1. Queen Alexandra's Own* Q'St<!P(Wanganul) ion . o 2. Kaikorai (Dunea,.,)"!'" no no 3. Woolston (Chrlstchurch) 108 50 Mounted Kiflcs- (Ashburton) 150 r- 7 5. St. Kilda (DuneUin) .. i G4 „i 6- p»' . Nicholson silver '° (Wellington) IGI -. 7. Greymouth Municipal :. 165 H 8. Wanganui Garrison lni la 9. Wellington Tramways ." 15J \j Tl. 230 22U 21S 21G 213 211 208 203

I.6th Mounted Rifles ...^Y 0. Central Mission (Weilington) 16 , „, I. Mlramf? Cltlzens> "•'•'•' 1»-1 40 9. Hawera Municipal 154 ?- pamaru Municipal .... 151 40 11. Lower Hutt Municipal .. "• 12. Stratford Citizens' 150 qi Dunedin Tramways 3 Auckland Watersiders .. Ms i?" f ?™ llton Municipal ... 141 33 16. Ist Regimental (WellingIT. P°e?one Cenirii"! iii: [\ \ \^ § Tl 21 20L'U 10' 19 Id: 191 l!i IS? is; ISC 17]