Andover Town Band achieved the brass band equivalent of an FA Cup giant killing exploit recently at the Wessex Open Contest in Weymouth.

Top marks

In only their second ever contest outing, the band not only won the prize on offer as the top Fourth Section band of the event, but also went on to claim higher points than all their Third Section rivals and all but one contender from the Second Section.

The result shows what a mixture of talent, hard work and enthusiasm can achieveMD, Steve Large

Delighted

Conductor Steve Large was understandably delighted: "We've all worked very hard throughout the year to perform as well as we did this weekend. The band contains a blend of young and old with half the players under eighteen."

He added: "Some have contested before, but most had never picked up a brass instrument until last Christmas. The result shows what a mixture of talent, hard work and enthusiasm can achieve."