Editor’s Notebook: Massed Bands/ SPA Date & Tune/ Lorient/ Weekend Games/ Book Success

The RSPBA is to trial a new method of forming massed bands. It is hoped to shave at least an hour of the process of getting all competing bands together for the announcement of the prizes. Various ideas have been tried before but nothing has really worked. Yesterday the Association announced the following: ‘To improve the presentation and reduce the time it takes to get all the massed bands onto the field…

Editor’s Notebook: Field Marshal/ Visiting Walter/ Neil Fraser/ Games Reminders/ Tutor Wanted

There was an anonymous comment on PP yesterday regarding Field Marshal Montgomery and their win at the Scottish Pipe Band Championships on Saturday. It questioned their success. It has been deleted. Will commentators please be aware that if they are going to be controversial, and nothing wrong with that, they really need to be accountable for what they say. The writer asked if I was at the Scottish and was…

Scottish Pipe Band Championships – Field Marshal Triumph

Field Marshal Montgomery (pictured today) were declared Scottish Pipe Band Champions at a warm and largely dry Levengrove Park, Dumbarton. The victory gave P/M Matt Wilson and P/Sgt Ben Duncan their first championship win. The Scottish was considered by many to be the first for Grade 1 this year given that the UK event at Ingliston, Edinburgh, earlier in the month only attracted two entries. Ten played at Dumbarton. The…

Mull Games Results

Scotland’s ferry fiasco continues to cause severe disruption to life in the inner and outer Hebrides, writes the Editor. You cannot go about your business confident that you will be able to get off or on to a particular island at a particular time. Tobermory and Mull are no different and ‘boat issues’ meant late arrivals and early departures for many participants at the annual games held yesterday, July 24,…

Inveraray Games Results (updated with comment)

Dank start gave way to dry conditions. Overall champion was Ben Duncan (pictured above). Very healthy entries throughout the grades: 18 in the P/A Piobaireachd, 25 in the B and 25 in the C. Piping Convenor Brian Spalding said there were more than 100 players across all contests. This was a very well run games. Cover for the pipers and judges, and very efficient stewarding. P/A Piob1 Stuart Liddell, Lord Lovat’s…