British Open Spring Festival (Grand Shield)

This has been the qualifying contest for the British Open Championship since 1952.

Prior to 1952 this contest was known as the Belle Vue May Contest - Class A and the qualifying contest for the British Open was the Belle Vue July Contest.

The Crystal Palace Grand Shield was a different contest which used the same trophy. Click on the link for results.

British Open Spring Festival (Senior Cup)

Future Events

• We believe this contest will be run on 9th May 2020 at Winter Gardens (Opera House Theatre), Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK. The testpiece will be Dynasty.

[Add a Future Event for this Contest]

Past Results

Do you know more results for this contest? If so, please add them to the site today!

Date	Winner	Conductor	Test Piece
18th May 2019	NASUWT Riverside	Nicholas Childs	Fraternity
12th May 2018	Hammonds Saltaire	Morgan Griffiths	The Triumph of Time
13th May 2017	Whitburn	Nicholas Childs	Reflections on Swan Lake
14th May 2016	Carlton Main Frickley Colliery	Erik Janssen	Of Distant Memories
9th May 2015	Rothwell Temperance	David Roberts	Arabian Nights
26th Apr 2014	Flowers	Paul Holland	On Alderley Edge
11th May 2013	Milnrow	Mareika Gray	Red Priest
12th May 2012	Hepworth (Cookson Homes)	Russell Gray	On the Shoulders of Giants
14th May 2011	Reg Vardy	Nicholas Childs	Titan's Progress
15th May 2010	Tredegar	Ian Porthouse	Rococo Variations [Gregson]
9th May 2009	Rothwell Temperance	David Roberts	Contest Music
10th May 2008	Leyland	Jason Katsikaris	Vienna Nights
19th May 2007	PolySteel	Philip Harper	The Night to Sing
13th May 2006	Aveley & Newham	Nigel Taken	Whitsun Wakes
7th May 2005	Hepworth (Persimmon Homes)	Mark Bentham	Masquerade [Wilby]
8th May 2004	Sellers International	Phillip McCann	Les Preludes [arr. Gay]
3rd May 2003	Carlton Main Frickley Colliery	William Rushworth	Tallis Variations
11th May 2002	Cwmaman Institute	John Hudson	Four Dances from Checkmate
5th May 2001	Kirkintilloch	Allan Ramsay	An Epic Symphony
6th May 2000	Todmorden Old	Dennis Hadfield	Variations on the Shining River
8th May 1999	Carlton Main Frickley	John Hinckley	Comedy Overture
9th May 1998	Flowers	Bryan Hurdley	Partita [Sparke]
10th May 1997	Rothwell Band (Leeds)	Douglas Blackledge	Festival Music
11th May 1996	Wingates	Nicholas Childs	Variations on a Ninth
13th May 1995	Yorkshire Building Society	David King	Pageantry
7th May 1994	Cory	Graham O'Connor	Spectrum [Vinter]
8th May 1993	William Davis Construction	Keith Wilkinson	The Year of the Dragon
2nd May 1992	British Steel Stainless Dodworth	Graham O'Connor	The Essence of Time
4th May 1991	Whitburn	Peter Parkes	Le Carnaval Romain [arr. Wrigth]
5th May 1990	Stalybridge Jones & Brother	Malcolm Brownbill	Trittico
6th May 1989	Hammonds Sauce Works	Geoffrey Whitham	Ballet for Band
7th May 1988	CWS (Glasgow)	Howard Snell	Un Vie de Matelot (A Sailor's Life)
9th May 1987	Blackburn and Darwen	Alec Evans	The Accursed Huntsman
10th May 1986	Lewington Yamaha	Denis Carr	The Wand of Youth [arr. Gay]
4th May 1985	Woodfalls Band	Wesley Garner	Journey into Freedom
19th May 1984	Andrews Heat for Hire (Sheffield) Band	Denis Carr	Le Roi d'Ys
30th Apr 1983	Jones & Crossland	Stephen Roberts	Symphony of Marches
15th May 1982	Brodsworth Colliery Welfare	Denis Carr	Festival Music
9th May 1981	Leyland Vehicles	Richard Evans	Tournament for Brass
17th May 1980	Andrews Heat for Hire (Sheffield) Band	Graham O'Connor	The Crusaders
19th May 1979	The Rochdale Band	David Loukes	Sinfonietta for Brass Band [Langford]
7th May 1978	The Ratby Band	Betty Anderson	Second Rhapsody on Negro Spirituals
22nd May 1977	East Lancs Paper Group Radcliffe	David Loukes	Land of the Mountain and the Flood
9th May 1976	Tredegar Band	John Childs	The Frogs of Aristophanes
10th May 1975	Coventry School of Music	Leonard Pepper	Tournament for Brass
4th May 1974	Woodfalls	Courtney Bosanko	Prince Igor Overture
5th May 1973	Patchogue Plymouth AMOCO	Michael Brand	The Force of Destiny (La Forza del Destino) - Overture [arr. F. Wright]
6th May 1972	Stanshawe (Bristol)	Walter B. Hargreaves	Academic Festival Overture
8th May 1971	Newhall	Ernest Woodhouse	Lorenzo
9th May 1970	Desford Colliery Welfare	Bernard Springett	Norwegian Artists' Carnival
17th May 1969	Thoresby Colliery Welfare Band	William Lippeatt	Peddars Way
25th May 1968	Greenway Moor	Edward Gray	Les Preludes [arr. Rimmer]
29th Apr 1967	Cowpen and Crofton Workmen's Band	John Carr	Scheherazade
28th May 1966	Craghead Colliery Band	Eric Cunningham	Main Street
15th May 1965	The Mossley Band	Edmund Hoole	The Shipbuilders
9th May 1964	West Bromwich	G. A. Morris	Jodrell Bank
25th May 1963	Wharncliffe Silkstone Colliery	Edmund Hoole	Sinfonietta for Brass Band [Leidzen]
26th May 1962	Slaithwaite	Roy Newsome	Carnival [Perkin]
13th May 1961	Jaguar Car Works	Harry Heyes	Symphonic Suite for Brass
28th May 1960	Haigh Prize	Harry Bentham	The Tempest
9th May 1959	Blackhall Colliery	W. F. Buckley	Cordell Suite
17th May 1958	Wharncliffe Silkstone Colliery	Edmund Hoole	Resurgam
18th May 1957	Finedon Old Prize Band	A. G. Remington	Tintagel
26th May 1956	Fisher and Ludlow's Prize Band Birmingham	Cyril Yorath	Suite in Bb [Jacob]
21st May 1955	Markham Main Colliery	Edwin Griffiths	Rhapsody in Brass
22nd May 1954	Oldham Band	Leonard Lamb	The Three Musketeers
16th May 1953	Royston New Monckton Colliery Band	William Foster	Owain Glyndwr
17th May 1952	Leyland Motors Band	Harold Moss	Pride of Race

See Also

Notes

Winners back to 1952 are as engraved on the current Grand Shield trophy. Except for 1981 to 1984 where the bands on the trophy appear to have come second, not first! Was a different trophy given to the winners? If you know the answer please let us know.

There are also results on the trophy from 1902 to 1938, but they are for the Crystal Palace Contest (see link at top of page).

Contest Group Notes

Also known as the Belle Vue May Contest
1922 - 1930: One section only
1931 - 1951: Class A, B, C, D
1952: Six sections - Grand Shield, Senior Cup, Senior Trophy, Junior Shield, Junior Cup, Junior Trophy
In 1982 only the Grand Shield and Senior Cup were run, although the latter disappeared later.
2001: Senior Cup reinstated
2002: Senior Trophy reinstated