The Aveley & Newham Band

The Aveley & Newham Band are set for a return to the Albert hall following the London & Southern Counties regional qualifying contest in Stevenage on 21st March.
After narrowly missing out on qualification in 2009, the band were anxious to go on stage and pull off a performance that would once again secure their place in London.  The wait however, was longer than they had hoped after finding out during their rehearsal in a nearby school that they had drawn to play second from last.  Eventually though, the band were lining up ready to give their rendition of English Heritage by George Lloyd to adjudicator Derek Broadbent.
After their performance, there was less time to wait before the results as the players and supporters of the 12 championship section bands piled into the Gordon Craig Theatre to see who Derek Broadbent had honored with the Championship and runner-up spot. 
There was a tense atmosphere before the results were announced with the three favorites of reigning champions Redbridge, last year’s runners-up Zone One and Aveley & Newham all hoping for a return to the finals.
It is no surprise then that gasps of shock were heard from the audience when Zone One Brass were announced in 4th place behind underdogs Wantage Silver Band.
The two qualifying bands were then announced with Redbridge taking a fourth successive victory at this contest and Aveley & Newham qualifying as runners-up.
The National Finals will take place in the Royal Albert Hall on 9th October 2010.

Full Results:

The Qualifying Band: