The East Yorkshire Motor Services Band are still celebrating after delivering a ‘cracking’ performance to win the Senior Cup in Blackpool on the weekend.

Mastermind

The victory was masterminded by Frans Violet, ‘imported’ from Belgium to lead the band’s assault. Frans had only one week to prepare the band – after making an air, sea and road dash for Hull straight after leading Brass Band Willebroek in the defence of its European title in Stavanger the previous weekend.

After the announcements of the results in Norway, he flew from Stavanger to Brussels, took a speedy taxi to his car at home — and then headed for Rotterdam to catch the ferry to Hull.

With him was Jef Vermeiren, a Willebroek player who was principal cornet on Saturday for EYMS.

No conspiracy theories

Willebroek finished third in the European, ironically behind winners Cory, conducted by Dr Robert Childs, founder of the Hull band in 1989. However, there were no conspiracy theories on display at the announcement of the results as Frans took EYMS into the winners enclosure after a thoroughbred reading of Martin Ellerby’s 'Elgar Variations'.

The victory promotes the band to the Grand Shield, just one step away from the British Open.

The adjudicators, Derek Broadbent and Chris Wormald, were both highly impressed with the band’s showing, with remarks such as ‘superb sound and balance’ and '..this was a cracking performance' highlighted in their written remarks4BR

Tough task

Band chairman John Mathews told 4BR: "It is our 20th anniversary in 2009 and it would be a fantastic birthday present for us to qualify for the British Open. It would be a tough task, but not impossible, and the anniversary gives us every incentive to go for it.”

Cracking performance

The adjudicators, Derek Broadbent and Chris Wormald, were both highly impressed with the band’s showing, with remarks such as ‘superb sound and balance’ and '..this was a cracking performance' highlighted in their written remarks.

Invitation

Frans Violet spent two nights in Hull with the band late last month to get to know the players at first hand, after accepting the EYMS invitation to take them to Blackpool.

In between, Norman Law, helped prepare the band in readiness for Frans’ arrival on Bank Holiday Monday.

The Blackpool success confirms EYMS’s rich vein of form in 2008, which has also seen them qualify for the National Finals.

Thanks

John Mathews continued; "On behalf of the band and committee, I would like to thank both Frans Violet, and Norman Law for all of the hard work they each put in, to secure a first place in the Senior Cup for EYMS Band."

He added: "Norman has been training the band for some weeks now, and when Frans came over to Hull from Stavanger on Bank Holiday Monday, they proved to be a force to be reckoned with. After the initial language barriers were crossed, Frans really started to put his artistic flair on the piece. By contest day the band really were up for the challenge."