Brighouse and Rastrick Band beat the odds to take fourth in the National Brass Band Championships.

The band (pictured), which won the championships in 2010 and 2011, performed first in the finals of this year’s contest at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Paul Beaumont, band president, said it was a tough slot to get as the judges did not have anyone to compare them to. He said: “Every band dreads going on first as statistics show that you stand no chance of a successful result.”

Fourth place means they will enter next year’s finals automatically. Principal euphonium player David Thornton was given the outstanding instrumentalist award.