Members of a Doon Valley musical group were celebrating at the weekend after a superb showing against the best in Scotland.

The Dalmellington Band, under the baton of conductor Erik Janssen, was placed third in the championship section at the Scottish Brass Band Championships in Perth, behind the Co-operation Band in second place and the winners, the Whitburn Band.

The band, along with all the championship section competitors, played the test piece The Red Priest, by Philip Wilby, and Dalmellington amassed 191 points – just three behind the winners.

And there was individual joy too for the band’s soprano cornet player, Katie Ankers (inset), who won the trophy for the best soprano player at the two-day event.

A spokesperson for the band said: “Well done to all our soloists today who played brilliantly.

“A special thank you goes to conductor, Erik Janssen who has worked tirelessly with the band over the last week.

“Thank you to our resident conductor Gary Williams who has worked with the band over the last few months in preparation for today’s contest.

“Finally, thank you to all the players who have helped us out today - we couldn’t have done it without you.”

Now the band is beginning to prepare for the Grand Shield competition in Blackpool on May 13.

Another local band, Dunaskin Doon, finished sixth in the event’s first section, scoring 184 points with their performance of A Day In The Life Of A Knight, by Philip Lawrence.