The Welsh rugby team may have just hung on to secure victory over the French in the Six Nations match in Cardiff later the same afternoon, but if they needed inspiration to have gained a much more imposing victory over their Gallic counterparts then they should have sent a few spies to listen to Taff Vale Brass winning the Third Section at the Brangwyn Hall.

MD Gareth Ritter may have the build of a modern day Welsh prop forward, but put a baton in his hand and he weaves contest winning magic like Phil Bennett.

This was the stuff that would have put a smile on Warren Gatland's face; confident and imposing, with all the ensemble basics topped with a huge dollop of flair.

Margin ahead

It was as adjudicator Glyn Williams pointed out in his pre-results remarks, "a margin ahead"of their rivals.

And given that the standard on show certainly lived up Mark Wilkinson's opinion that these were "very good", it told you just why Welsh hopes will be high on them returning home from the National battlefield of Cheltenham with further honours to their name.

Formed in December 2017 with players from north Cardiff and the surrounding communities looking for a new musical challenge and attracted by Gareth Ritter's knack of building impressive contesting bands (as his record with the likes of Ebbw Valley, who went on to win the First Section later in the day shows), they will be a band to watch out for on this form.

Here he moulded an outstanding rendition of Philip Harper's colourful 'Napoleon on the Alps' that would have made the old Emperor green with envy — aided by principal cornet Duncan Broadley who was such a classy 'Best Instrumentalist' award winner — his cadenza in particular rattled off with startling aplomb.

"A well polished performance", Glyn not surprisingly wrote in his remarks, with Mark summing things up by stating that it had, "...lots to admire. Well done soloist and MD."

How Warren Gatland would have loved to have read that in the Western Mail on Monday morning.

Hoping for

"That's the type of start we were hoping for,"Gareth told 4BR. "Everyone has come together with a focus to enjoy their banding. It's great to be able to conduct players with this communal attitude — from the organisation to the performance on stage.

We know we have lots of work to do to keep improving, but this is a solid foundation to work from."

Usk built

Joining them there will be a band that has already tasted National success, as Usk (Fourth Section champion in 2015) showed that they have certainly built on that success by coming runner-up under young MD James Jones.

Although not as imposing in depth of sound, their neatly portrayed account full of lighter tonality certainly caught the imagination to gain the all-important qualification spot ahead of a very solid account from Newtown Silver.

Grandeur and bluff

And with each of the eight contenders bringing out the sense of purpose in the opening section, the reflection in the second and the sense of grandeur and bluff in the third (Mark Wilkinson stating that all the bands emerged with a great deal of credit in trying to capture the contrasting styles), well-directed performances from Briton Ferry, Ynyshir and Severn Tunnel filled the remaining top-six places.

"The overall standard was good,"he later told 4BR. "All the bands here can take something from their performances to work on for the future. You could really hear why Welsh banding is strong at this level — all the conductors knew what they were doing and the soloists were so confident."

None more so than Taff Vale Brass. Keep an eye out for Warren Gatland and his coaching team in the audience at Cheltenham.

This was the stuff that would have put a smile on Warren Gatland's face; confident and imposing, with all the ensemble basics topped with a huge dollop of flair4BR

Result:

Third Section:

Test Piece: Napoleon on the Alps (Philip Harper)
Adjudicators: Mark Wilkinson and Glyn Williams

1. Taff Vale Brass (Gareth Ritter)*
2. Usk (James Jones)*
3. Newtown Silver (Steve Edwards)
4. Briton Ferry (Jeff Pearce)
5. Ynyshir (Gary Davies)
6. Severn Tunnel (Daniel Hall)
7. RAF St. Athan Voluntary (Alan Bourne)
8. Ogmore Valley Silver (Alice Jones)

Best Soloist: Duncan Broadley (cornet) — Taff Vale Brass

*Qualify for National Final