|
WORLD PIPE BAND CHAMPIONSHIPS 2013-2015
6th December 2011
The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association has confirmed that Glasgow has won the right to host the World Pipe Band Championships for 2013, 2014 and 2015. The city has been associated with "The Worlds", as they are affectionately known, for more than 60 years.
Some 230 bands from 12 countries around the world entered the 2011 competition which was held on Saturday 13th August at Glasgow Green. More than 30,000 people attended the event, watching more than 8,000 pipers and drummers compete. Each year, the event generates over £10 million pounds for both Glasgow and Scotland's economy.
George Ussher, President of the RSPBA, said: "The partnership we enjoy with Glasgow is incredibly strong and we are continually impressed by the dedication and professionalism of everyone involved in producing such a world-class event.
"The Worlds are the peak of Pipe Band competition and every year we look for an event which reflects that. The bands get such a warm welcome and genuinely look forward to competing at Glasgow Green - and the hospitality of a city which embraces pipe bands. Glasgow has been a tremendous host and I've no doubt the Worlds will be even bigger and better in the years ahead."
Ian Embelton Chief Executive Officer
WORLD SOLO DRUMMING 2011 STEVEN McWHIRTER TAKES TITLE
23rd October 2011
The final RSPBA events of 2011 took place on Saturday 22nd October at the Glasgow Caledonian University.
The annual Andante sponsored World Solo Drumming event as well as the Inaugural International Solos Tenor competition drew large entries with 196 snare drummers and 31 tenor drummers travelling from all over the World.
In the World Solo Drumming there were some familiar faces crowned champions for 2011, all the winners are pictured below with their trophies presented by Nigel Hodgen.
A huge thanks to Glasgow based photographer Scott Campbell for all his pictures on the day.
The Juvenile 1 event was won for the second successive yeah by Ryan Martin from Cullybackey Pipe Band in Northern Ireland. Ryan took the event by 1 point from Logan Akira Taylor (Robert Malcolm Memorial - Canada) with Louis Bendle (George Watsons College - Scotland) finishing in third place. Ryan is pictured below collecting his trophy.
The Juvenile 2 event was won for the third successive year by Grant Casidy from House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead in Scotland. This was Grant’s sixth successive World Solo Drumming title having won Juvenile 1 in 2006, 2007 and 2008 then Juvenile 2 in 2009, 2010 and now 2010. Grant took the event by 2 points from Dean Smyth (Scottish Power - Scotland) with Ewan Fyfe (Inveraray and District - Scotland) finishing in third place. Grant is pictured below collecting his trophy.
The Juvenile 3 event was won by Steven Shedden from House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead in Scotland. Steven is also a previous winner having won Juvenile 2 in 2008. Steven took the event by 3 points from Gavin Orr (Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia - Scotland) with Cameron Ward (Strathclyde Police - Scotland) finishing in third place. Steven is pictured below collecting his trophy.
The Adult event was won by Steven McWhirter from Inveraray and District in Scotland. Steven is also a previous winner having won the title in 2006 whilst playing with SFU. Steven won the event by 9 points winning both the MSR and Hornpipe and Jig events in front of a packed audience. Blair Brown (Simon Fraser University - Canada) finished in second place with 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 champion Barry Wilson (Scottish Power - Scotland) finishing in third place. Steven is pictured below collecting his trophy.
Full summaries of the World Solo Drumming event can be found by clicking here.
Being held on the same day and in the same venue was the inaugural International Juvenile Solo Tenor drumming event.
Unlike the solo drumming events which are graded by age, the tenor event was graded by the players registered band. The Juvenile 1 event was for Grade 4 and Novice players playing 8 parts in quick march tempo with the Juvenile 2 event for anyone playing higher than Grade 4 playing a March, Strathspey and Reel.
Both events were judged by Stephen McQuillan, John McFetteridge and Neil Whitelaw.
The Juvenile 1 event was won by Cameron Anderson (George Watson’s College - Scotland) who took 1st place from all 3 adjudicators. Dhugal Paterson (Carnoustie and District - (Scotland) finished in second place with Lisa Thomson (George Watson’s College - Scotland) finishing in third place. Cameron is pictured below.
The Juvenile 2 event was won by Katelyn Garrity (Simon Fraser University - Canada) who took 1st place on an first place preference after tying with Ronan Rodgers (St. Laurence O’Toole - Ireland), both players tied on 6 points but Katelyn placed first from two of the three adjudicators. Third place went to Joanna Fairbairn (Boghall and Bathgate - Scotland). Katelyn is pictured below.
Full summaries for the tenor events are available by clicking here.
Ian Embelton Chief Executive
COWAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 FIELD MARSHAL COMPLETE GRAND SLAM
28th August 2011
The final championship of the 2011 season took place at Cowal on Saturday 27th August. 121 bands and 31 Drum Majors made the annual trip to Dunoon where both the Cowal and Champion of Champions would be crowned.
The Adult Drum Majors event was won by Samantha Gordon - Field Marshal Montgomery. The Juvenile grade was won by Iona Burns - Dumbarton and District and the Junior grade won by Lauren Abraham - Seven Towers.
In Grade 1, Field Marshal Montgomery from Lisburn, Northern Ireland under the leaderships of PM Richard Parkes MBE and LD Keith Orr completed their season unbeaten finishing as Scottish, British, European, Cowal, World Champions and Champion of Champions with a maximum 30 points. Field Marshal took the Cowal title with a 10 point margin.
The runners up were Inveraray and District who completed an excellent second season with their best ever Grade 1 finish. Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia took 3rd place. The other places were taken by St Laurence O’Toole, Strathclyde Police and Scottish Power.
The best drum corps was won by The House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia with their Bass Drummer Scott Currie pictured below. The win also gave Shotts the Drumming Champion of Champions title in Grade 1.
The other Cowal Champions on the day were:
Grade 2 Band - Seven Towers Grade 2 Drumming - Seven Towers
Grade 3A Band - Coalburn I.O.R Grade 3A Drumming - Coalburn I.O.R
Grade 3B Band - Cowal Grade 3B Drumming - Cowal
Grade Juvenile Band - George Watson’s College Grade Juvenile Drumming - George Watson’s College
Grade 4A Band - Scottish Borders Grade 4A Drumming - Kilsyth Thistle
Grade 4B Band - Bellaghy Grade 4B Drumming - Bo’ness
Grade Novice Band - George Watson’s College Grade Novice Band - George Heriot’s School
Being the final championship of the 2011 season the champion of champions awards were also won with the bands and drum corps with the most points over the five major championships.
2011 Champion of Champions (maximum 30 points)
Adult Drum Majors - Paula Braiden, Ballycoan (25 pts)
Juvenile Drum Majors - Iona Burns, Dumbarton and District (26 pts)
Junior Drum Majors - Zoe McDowell, Lisnamulligan (27 pts)
Grade 1 Band - Field Marshal Montgomery (30 pts) Grade 1 Drumming - HOE Shotts and Dykehead (26 pts)
Grade 2 Band - Seven Towers (24 pts) Grade 2 Drumming - Denny and Dunipace Gleneagles (21 pts)
Grade 3A Band - Oban (21 pts) Grade 3A Drumming - Oban (19pts)
Grade 3B Band - Stamperland (16 pts) Grade 3B Drumming - Rothesay and District (20 points)
Grade Juv Band - George Watson’s College (30 pts) Grade Juv Drumming - George Watsons’s College (29 pts)
Grade 4A Band - Scottish Borders (22 pts) Grade 4A Drumming - Ballybriest (21 pts)
Grade 4B Band - Bo’ness (19 pts) Grade 4B Drumming - Bo’ness (23 pts)
Grade Nov Band - Kintyre Schools (27 pts) Grade Nov Drumming - George Watson’s College (26 pts)
Complete summaries of the event can be found by clicking here and the completed Champions tables can be found by clicking here.
Ian Embelton Chief Executive
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 FIELD MARSHAL ON TOP OF THE WORLD
14th August 2011
The biggest day on the pipe band calendar saw over 8,000 pipers and drummers and approximately 40,000 spectators descend on Glasgow Green. Thankfully the terrible weather of the last few days eventually let up with only short showers on a couple of occasions.
The Adult Drum Majors event was won by Alicia Dickson - Matt Boyd Memorial who also won the Scottish Championships back in May. The Juvenile grade was won by Lauren Hanna - Drumlough and the Junior grade won by Zoe McDowell - Lisnamulligan.
In Grade 1, Field Marshal Montgomery from Lisburn, Northern Ireland under the leaderships of PM Richard Parkes MBE and LD Keith Orr continued their unbeaten domination of the 2011 season as they took the title by 18 points, the winning points margin in over a decade taking first places in both MSR and Medley.
Simon Fraser University from Canada finished in 2nd place with Scottish Power breaking into the elite top 3 for the first time in over a decade. The other places were taken by Inveraray and District who continued their amazing 2nd season in the top grade placing in every major so far, St Laurence O’Toole and Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia.
The overall best drum corps was won by The House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia with their Leading Drummer Jim Kilpatrick MBE pictured below.
It was quite unusual to see three different drum corps lifting titles in the top grade. Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia took the best drum corps in the MSR events, Field Marshal Montgomery won the medley event whilst HOE Shotts secured the overall title with two second places.
The other World Champions on the day were:
Grade 2 Band - Seven Towers Grade 2 Drumming - Denny and Dunipace - Gleneagles
Grade 3A Band - Oban Grade 3A Drumming - Police Service of Northern Ireland
Grade 3B Band - New York Metro Grade 3B Drumming - New York Metro
Grade Juvenile Band - George Watson’s College Grade Juvenile Drumming - George Watson’s College
Grade 4A Band - Scottish Borders Grade 4A Drumming - Scottish Borders
Grade 4B Band - Closkelt Grade 4B Drumming - Bo’ness
Grade Novice Band - Kintyre Schools Grade Novice Band - Kintyre Schools
Complete summaries of the event can be found by clicking here.
We head to Cowal for the final championship of the 2011 season on Saturday 27th August with the coveted Champion of Champions titles up for grabs and Field Marshal Montgomery try to make it a clean sweep.
Ian Embelton Chief Executive
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 FMM CONTINUE WINNING STREAK
26th June 2011
The European Pipe Band Championships were held on Saturday 30th July 2011 with 100 bands and 57 Drum Majors made the trip to the Belfast.
Once again the sun shone giving everyone a very hot day, a rare sight so far this season, with large crowds flocking to the wonderful Stormont Venue.
The Adult Drum Majors event was won by Brian Wilson from Lomond and Clyde (pictured below from a previous win - we will replace this image soon). The Juvenile grade was again won by Stephen Gilchrist from Ballycoan adding to his British title last month. The Junior grade won by Emma Barr from Ravara.
In Grade 1, Field Marshal Montgomery from Northern Ireland continued their wonderful 2011 season remaining unbeaten so far. Pipe Major Richard Parkes MBE is pictured below.
St. Laurence O’Toole from Eire once again took the runners up spot finishing 6 points behind Field Marshal. The other places were taken by Inveraray and District taking their first ever top 3 at a major championships, Scottish Power, Fife Constabulary also taking their highest ever finish and Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia. The best drum corps was won by The House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia pictured below.
The results of the European Championships also decided the final pre qualification placed for the the World Championship Grade 1 event. More information available here.
The other European Champions on the day were:
Grade 2 Band - Ravara Grade 2 Drumming - Dumfries and Galloway Const.
Grade 3A Band - Isle of Islay Grade 3A Drumming - Isle of Islay
Grade 3B Band - Stamperland Grade 3B Drumming - Badenoch and Strathspey
Grade Juvenile Band - George Watson’s College Grade Juvenile Drumming - George Watson’s College
Grade 4A Band - Ballybriest Grade 4A Drumming - Ballybriest
Grade 4B Band - Achill Grade 4B Drumming - Closkelt
Grade Novice Band - Kintyre Schools Grade Novice Band - George Heriot’s School
Complete summaries of the event can be found by clicking here.
Ian Embelton Chief Executive
BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 FMM MAKE IT 3 IN A ROW
26th June 2011
The Scottish Power Renewables British Pipe Band Championships were held on Saturday 25th June 2011 with 126 bands and 33 Drum Majors made the trip to the Annan. This was the second year of the Championships three year deal with Annan.
A huge thanks must go to the ground staff of Dumfries and Galloway Council as only days earlier the park had 3 inches of rain sitting on it, apologies to the bands for the rearrangements of bus parking which had to happen due to the rainfall.
Thankfully the rain stayed away for most of the day allowing almost all the competitors to play in dry conditions, and to revert to normal for our marchpast and prize giving event.
The Adult Drum Majors event was won by Paula Braiden (pictured below) from Ballycoan in Northern Ireland. The Juvenile grade was won by Stephen Gilchrist, also from Ballycoan giving them a brilliant double with the Junior grade won by Zoe McDowell from Lisnamulligan who also won the Scottish title back in May.
In Grade 1, Field Marshal Montgomery from Northern Ireland made it two championships from two for 2011 retaining their title to make it 3 British titles in a row. Pipe Major Richard Parkes MBE is pictured below.
St. Laurence O’Toole from Eire once again took the runners up spot finishing 1 point behind Field Marshal. The other places were taken by Scottish Power, Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia, Strathclyde Police and Inveraray and District. The best drum corps was won by St. Laurence O’Toole adding to their Scottish title won in May. Leading Drummer Stephen Creighton is pictured below.
The other British Champions on the day were:
Grade 2 Band - Ravara Grade 2 Drumming - Ravara
Grade 3A Band - Manor Cunningham Grade 3A Drumming - Manor Cunningham
Grade 3B Band - St. Laurence O’Toole Grade 3B Drumming - St. Laurence O’Toole
Grade Juvenile Band - George Watson’s College Grade Juvenile Drumming - Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia
Grade 4A Band - Ballybriest Grade 4A Drumming - Ballybriest
Grade 4B Band - Achill Grade 4B Drumming - Achill
Grade Novice Band - Kintyre Schools Grade Novice Band - George Watson’s College
Complete summaries of the event can be found by clicking here.
Ian Embelton Chief Executive
SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 FMM TAKE FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
21st May 2011
The first championship of the 2011 season was held on Saturday 21st May 2011. 134 bands from across Europe competed in terrible conditions which never stopped all day.
The howling winds and driving rain which started early in the morning and hadn’t ceased by the end of Grade 1 sadly affected the competitors experience, the visitor numbers and by 3pm left the Association with little choice but to cancel the marchpast forcing the prize presentation into the hospitality tent.
But of course the event went on with 134 bands and 37 drum majors bearing the elements.
The Adult Drum Majors event was won by Alicia Dickson from Matt Boyd Memorial in Northern Ireland. Alicia had a very consistent 2010 season placing in the top 3 at every championship. The Juvenile grade was won by Iona Burns from Dumbarton and District with the Junior grade won by Zoe McDowell from Lisnamulligan.
In Grade 1, current Champion of Champions Field Marshal Montgomery from Northern Ireland retained their title making in it 3 Scottish titles in a row. The band struggled to fit in the outer circle as it took to the field with 43 players including 9 pipers in the front rank.
St. Laurence O’Toole from Eire took the runners up spot finishing 2 points behind Field Marshal. The other places were taken by Scottish Power, Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia, Inveraray and District and Fife Constabulary who secured their first ever top 6 championship finish since their inception. The best drum corps was won by St. Laurence O’Toole.
The other Scottish Champions on the day were:
Grade 2 Band - Grampian Police Grade 2 Drumming - Denny and Dunipace Gleneagles
Grade 3A Band - Oban Grade 3A Drumming - Oban
Grade 3B Band - Stockbridge Grade 3B Drumming - Stockbridge
Grade Juvenile Band - George Watson’s College Grade Juvenile Drumming - George Watson’s College
Grade 4A Band - Scottish Borders Grade 4A Drumming - Kilsyth Thistle
Grade 4B Band - Closkelt Grade 4B Drumming - Bo’ness RBL
Grade Novice Band - George Watson’s College Grade Novice Band - George Watson’s College
Complete summaries of the event can be found by clicking here.
Ian Embelton Chief Executive
|