Sorry xvbn, I missed your reply - if you're sure of the 'A', & 'denim' fits other crossing letters, then I can't see better than Danny's answer, although if they really only want a first name, it's a poor clue imo.
Sticking with 'Ashe' for the moment, I'll throw this into the mix for the "tough material" - not sure if it fits well enough & of course would mean changing the 'M' of 'deniM'...
The ' A' comes from Taster which is my answer to "Sample". I think the rest of the crossing letters are OK so as you say probably a bad clue and could be Andy. Thanks for your help.
Hi xvbn - I just found the note I made of this & have been reminded to return. I'm sorry I missed your reply on Sunday, but thank you for taking the time to confirm the answer :-)