Christine Cooper was crowned Champion Fiddle Player of all Wales at Monday evening's first Welsh Celtic Fiddle Competition at Pembroke Castle. The hushed and awed audience was treated to three competitors in the Under 16 class and nine adults in the Open Class. The variety of pieces heard even amazed the judges, Sian Phillips, who plays with Celtish out of Swansea, Derek Smith, guitarist from the famous Welsh Folk Group Mabon, and Blanche Rowen, administrator of TRAC Cymru. In third place was Gemma Neath from Stackpole, second was Robbie Godwin from Amroth, and in first place Patrick Rimes from Bethesda, Bangor. Ledwood Engineering gave £200 for the junior winner, Celtic Inns Ltd. (The Royal George) donated the second prize of £100 and Pembroke Festival gave third prize of £50. Nine finalists, (one of whom, Joel Ilovitch, came from Canada) competed. Finally, the judges chose Helen Blackburn, of Ceredigion, in third place, Mike Lease from Pontyprydd in second and Christine Cooper from Jameston first. Prizes were £100 and £200, given by Pembroke Festival, and £400 from WSP, of Birmingham, a new company soon to join the local commmunity. The director, Nigel Adams, apologised for not being on hand to give his prize. Mary Sigley, festival chair and co-ordinator, presented each adult contestant with a hand-thrown plate, and small glass birds for the juniors, all made by the Pembrokeshire Glass Blowing Studios. Ceilidh band 'Redwing' from Narberth kept spirits high while the judges deliberated. David Hughes, event organiser, thanked the audience and hoped to see them again next year. He also said: "Pembroke Festival can congratulate itself on the birth of a superb annual event, we've beaten the Eistedfodd to the post." Tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday are the last two days of the festival, with another musical must at the castle tomorrow. 'The Hamsters', one of the UK's very best bands on the blues rock circuit, will be performing their own material plus music by Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top. It starts at 8 pm and tickets are available from Pembroke Bookshop. The final festival day on Sunday, promises fun for all the family. The River Rally on the South Quay takes place from 2 to 6 pm, with a flotilla of sail from Maritime Heritage, river trips and entertainment for young and old alike. At 6.45 pm in Monkton Church, the South West Pembrokshire Heritage Trail will be launched, following which the colourful procession of banners and lanterns, by Kath Level's Sand Palace Arts, will wend its way from the priory to the Commons for a grand closing party. It is free for all to enjoy. Bands inlcude 'Mo Jazz' and 'The Jackdaws', Pembrokeshire pig roast, stalls and Circus Malarkey, and to end their successful week, the festival will shower the skies with a pyrotechnic display.
