Just one year after taking up the baton to lead Pembrokeshire's Phoenix Brass Band, 27-year-old Luke Jenkins from Goodwick has been named Welsh brass band conductor of the year.

Luke and the Phoenix band were pipped for first place by Cwmtawe in the Welsh League contest at Merthyr on Saturday, but such has been their impact in competition in the past 12 months that Luke has been awarded this prestigious title.

"This has been an amazing year," said Luke as he celebrated a hard day's work on

Saturday. "We have brought together an amazing group of players of all ages, keen to have a go at competition, and they have exceeded our wildest dreams."

More awards came in the shape of Best Instrumentalist for Matthew Jenkins and youngest

Fourth Section player Sam Howell.

Being pipped by Cwmtawe leaves Phoenix waiting to hear if they have done enough this

year to gain promotion to the Third Section.

Meanwhile, Goodwick themselves produced arguably their best performance to date, taking

on some of Wales' finest in the hugely challenging piece, Paganini Variations by Philip Wilby. However, on this occasion the band missed out on a podium place.

Goodwick's achievement in competing at this, the highest level in brass banding, is underlined by the fact that no fewer than nine members of their band are teenagers and a further ten, including conductor Matthew Jenkins, are in their twenties, a stark contrast to the age and experience of their rivals.

To prove the statistics, Goodwick's Dan Roche (16) picked up the Trevada Music award

as youngest player in the Championship contest.

Goodwick Brass Band will link up with world's No.1-ranked Cory Band for a spectacular

concert at St David's Cathedral this Saturday 3 December. For details and tickets call 01348 874228 or 01348 872967.