‘Better to travel in hope than to arrive’, so it’s said, which proved to be the case for Friary’s annual pilgrimage to a wet and windy Blackpool for the Spring Festival. Tipped for promotion from the Senior Trophy to the Senior Cup by 4barsrest, both in their preview of the contest and after all bands had played, Friary’s disappointment was palpable when they were awarded seventh place by judges Lynda Nicholson and Simone Rebello for their performance of Eric Ball’s Journey to Freedom. We needed a top four finish,’ explained Friary’s Chairman, Nigel Stevens. ‘We thought we’d done enough for promotion but it wasn’t enough for the judges. Although it’s disappointing, there’s no point in dwelling on it. We have the All England International Masters contest coming up at the end of May, so we have to put Blackpool behind us and focus on this new challenge.’