The day at Stormont started gloomy but by the afternoon the sun came out making it all change for pipe majors who had anticipated cold and damp conditions.
In Grade 1 Field Marshal hit back with a first prize win on their home turf. Inveraray were three points behind with SLoT a further six points adrift. Good showings from Scottish Power, Fife Police and Shotts. Particularly pleasing for FMM will be winning the drumming title. FM P/M Richard Parkes and L/D Keith Orr are pictured after their big win yesterday with the FMM band in the background leaving the field at Stormont. (Pictures courtesy John Kelly).
Some thoughts from our correspondent at Stormont: ‘Phrase of the day is ‘tempo transition’. It’s now becoming standard to transition tempo in a tune in a Medley. P/M R Mathieson, on duty in Grade 2 today, was a master of that and must be interested to hear it coming back big time.
‘Inveraray, were on second, most musical – technically excellent. Hector the Hero is simply exceptional – the blowing control! FMM played first – technically brilliant. Maybe less creative. SLoT – wow! – most for toe tapping from observing the crowd. Again – gap between best and lower order is wide. Just a thought – most improved band this year the Vale?’
The full result in Grade 1 was:
1 Field Marshal Montgomery
2 Inveraray
3 SLoT
4 Power
5 Fife Police
6 Shotts
Drumming: Field Marshal Montgomery
Other Results:
In Grade 2 the top three places went to in form Scottish bands with Lomond & Clyde consolidating their win at Paisley. Glasgow Skye were second.
Grade 2
1 Lomond & Clyde 2 Glasgow Skye 3 MacKenzie Cal.
4 Manorcunningham 5 Closkelt 6 City of Discovery
Drumming: Lomond & Clyde
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Grade 3a
1 Wallacestone 2 Portlethan 3 New Ross 4 Marlacoo
5 Stirling 6 Coalburn IOR
Drumming: New Ross
Grade 3b
1 Highlanders, 4 Scots 2 Bothwell Castle 3 Quinn Mem.
4 Ayr Society 5 Maj. Sinclair 6 Clogher
Drumming: Quinn Mem.
Juvenile
1 Dollar Acad. 2 George Heriot’s 3 George Watson’s 4 Boghall
5 West Lothian Schools 6 Preston Lodge High
Drumming: George Watson’s
Grade 4a
1 St Mary’s Derrytrasna 2 3rd Batt. Royal Regt. of Scotland
3 Johnstone 4 MacDonald Mem. 5 Tullylaggan 6 Denny & Dunipace
Drumming: MacDonald Mem.
Grade 4b
1 Gransha 2 Kildoag 3 Wicklow 4 Lisnamulligan
5 Elgin 6 Mid-Argyll
Drumming: Gransha
Novice A
1 George Heriot’s 2 George Watson’s 3 Dollar Academy
4 Oban High School 5 Boghall 6 Stirling
Drumming: George Watson’s
Novice B (only two bands entered)
1 Preston Lodge 2 Boghall
Drumming: Boghall & Bathgate
Get full summaries here.
Gilbert Cromie (left) of the Mourne Observer reported: Belfast once again hosted the 2017 United Kingdom Pipe Band Championships and the spacious Civil Service Playing Fields at Stormont provided a very suitable venue. Despite a fairly dismal start to the early morning brighter skies prevailed and at times it was very warm, something that would have been appreciated by both competitors and the large attendance.
All eyes were on Grade 1 which the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band not only retained but also claimed the drum corps prize while British Champions, Inveraray & District, were three points behind in second place. St. Laurence O’Toole claimed third place with the next three bands, Scottish Power, Police Scotland Fife and Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia, well adrift. Only four of the first six bands made the top six drum corps placings with Vale of Atholl (4th) and Boghall (5th).
Lomond & Clyde received the top scores from all four adjudicators to win Grade 2 followed by Glasgow Skye and MacKenzie Caledonia, Manorcunningham (County Donegal), Closkelt and City of Discovery.
Grade 3A was a closely fought affair with Wallacestone & District claiming it by one point from Portlethen & District who beat New Ross & District on ensemble preference with the IPBA band taking the drumming award. Local band Marlacoo & District placed 4th with Royal Burgh of Stirling and Coalburn IOR (B) filling the last two spots.
Grade 3B, with only eight bands, was won by The Highlanders (4 Scots) with Bothwell Castle second and Quinn Memorial third who also lifted the drumming prize. Ayr Pipe Band Society and two Northern Ireland bands, Major Sinclair Memorial and Clogher & District, claimed the remaining prizes.
St Mary’s Derrytrasna from County Armagh continued their good form to win Grade 4A however poor drumming scores did not help the 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland and Johnstone. McDonald Memorial took fourth place and lifted the drumming prize while Tullylagan were fifth and Denny & Dunipace Gleneagles sixth.
NI Branch band Gransha did the double in Grade 4B taking first place and best drum corps while Kildoag were second. Wicklow took third place while British Champions, Lisnamulligan, were fourth followed by Elgin & District and Mid Argyll.
Dollar Academy had a clear winning margin in the Juvenile grade in which the drumming prize was claimed by George Watson’s College. The Novice Juvenile grades were won by. 1st George Heriot’s School (Juvenile A) and Preston Lodge High School (Juvenile B) while the drumming prizes were won by George Watson’s College (Juvenile A) and Peoples Ford Boghall & District Caledonia (Juvenile B).
Northern Ireland drum majors took all three first place spots as well as most of the prizes on offer. The big winners were Alicia Dickson Hamilton (Adult), Emma Barr (Juvenile) and Jamie Cupples (Junior).
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Well done 3b winners, my ex mob