Piping Press

Inveraray are New Scottish Pipe Band Champions

Inveraray held on to the Scottish Pipe Band Champions crown for 2017 in a close fought contest at Levengrove Park, Dumbarton. Runners up were Field Marshal Montgomery with St Laurence O’Toole from Dublin third. SLoT also won the drumming. Best band on parade (Marching and Discipline): Buchan Peterson. Part of the Inveraray front rank is pictured above.

140 bands took part across all grades. Conditions were not cold but blustery with intermittent heavy showers.

Full results:

Field Marshal gave an outstanding performance today at Levengrove Park

Grade 1 –  Medley (5 to 7 mins., submit 2)
1 Inveraray
2 Field Marshal Montgomery
3 SLoT
4 Scottish Power
5 Shotts
6 Fife Police
Drumming: St Laurence O’ Toole

Grade 2 – MSR (submit 2)
1 Lomond & Clyde
2 Glasgow Skye
3 Closkelt
4 MacKenzie Cal.
5 City of London
6 Grampian Police
Drumming: Glasgow Skye


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Grade 3a – Medley (3 to 5 minutes)
1 Deeside Cal.
2 City of Inverness
3 Wallacestone
4 2622 Highland RAF
5 Vale of Atholl
6 Kintyre Schools
Drumming: 2622 Highland RAF

Grade 3b – Medley (3 to 5 minutes)
1 Annan
2 Quinn Mem.
3 Ayr
4 Bothwell Castle
5 Scots Guards Assoc. (South)
6 Manchester Fire & Rescue
Drumming: Annan

Juvenile – MSR
1 Dollar Acad.
2 George Watson’s
3 North Lanarkshire Schools
4 Boghall & Bathgate
5 George Heriot’s
6 West Lothian Schools
Drumming: Dollar Acad.

Playing requirements for remaining grades:

Grade 4a
1 3rd Batt. Royal Regt. of Scotland
2 Scots School Albury – Australia
3 Tullylagan
4 Bowhill
5 Johnstone
6 Lochryan
Drumming: Tullylagan

Grade 4b
1 Kilmarnock
2 Kelty & Blairadam
3 Bessbrook
4 Elgin
5 Davidson’s Mains
6 Stow
Drumming: KilmarnocK

Novice A
1 Oban High School
2 George Watson’s
3 Dollar Acad.
4  Ross & Cromarty P&D School
5 Boghall
6 George Heriot’s
Drumming: Ross & Cromarty P&D School

Novice B
1 Oban High School
2 N Lanarkshire Schools
3 Bucksburn
4 MacKenzie Cal.
5 Kintyre Schools
6 Preston Lodge
Drumming: Bucksburn

The picturesque park juts out into the confluence of the rivers Clyde and Leven and as such can be very exposed in high winds.

Levengrove Park

Today’s competition, the penultimate championship of the pipe band summer, is seen as an important pointer for the World Pipe Band Championships on August 11 and 12, though that must be tempered with caution.

Firstly many overseas bands will not arrive in Scotland until next weekend aiming to play at North Berwick, Bridge of Allan and then the Worlds.

And if we look back at Grade 1 last year we can see how results at the Scottish can have little bearing on what happens on Glasgow Green. In 2016 at Dumbarton, Inveraray gained four straight 1s making them Scottish Champions in G1 and hot favourites for the Worlds. In second we had St Laurence and in third Shotts. FMM were pushed to a lowly (for them) fourth – a full 13 points behind P/M Stuart Liddell’s band. Yet what happened at the Worlds? P/M Richard Parkes and FMM pulled yet another title out of the bag with scintillating playing over the two legs.

• Stay tuned to Piping Press for our exclusive reports on the Grade 1 and Grade 2 contests.


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