Editor’s Notebook: Circle Formation/ Royal Piper/ NZ Judges/ Band Medleys/ 1st Port Poem

Those bands getting themselves into a tizzy over the prospect of a change to the circle formation can rest easy. It ain’t ever going to happen. There has been considerable huffing and puffing since my last foray into this forbidden zone. The ‘we love the circle campaign’ is in full swing. Like us all, bands are change averse and are happy with the status quo. Why should pipers and drummers…

Captain John MacLellan Solos Results

‘P’ Piob1 Finlay Johnston, £3002 Iain Speirs, £2403 Callum Beaumont, £2004 Stuart Liddell, £1805 Glenn Brown, £160 ‘P’ MSR1 Stuart Liddell, £1902 Callum Beaumont, £1603 Iain Speirs, £1304 Glenn Brown, £1105 Finlay Johnston, £80 Eight entered the ‘P’ Grade events; Overall: Iain Speirs ‘A’ Piob1 Sarah Muir, £2502 Steven Leask, £2003 Cameron Macdougall, £1804 Innes Smith, £1405 Andrew Donlon, £100 ‘A’ MSR1 Steven Gray, £1502 Matt Wilson, £1203 Greig Canning,…

P/M Jim McWilliams 1938 – 2022

It is our sad dutry this morning to report the deaths of two outstanding piping and pipe band figures, Allan Chatto, Australia, and Jim McWilliams, Canada. We also have details of the funeral of Hector Russell who passed away last weekend. It will be held in Cardross Crematorium on October 5 at 2.15pm. Map here. Readers are directed to our comments section where a number of personal messages have been…

Hector Russell 1945 – 2022

I am saddened to report the sudden passing of piper Hector Russell, writes the Editor. Hector suffered a heart attack at his home in Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, and died on Saturday. He was 77. His death comes only a few weeks after the completion of his ‘Pipe Music of Alex M MacIver’, a book he compiled in tribute to his former teacher and which was recently reviewed with acclaim on Piping…

Editor’s Notebook: Look Back at the Season/ Inverness/ Worlds MSRs/ BB Fears/ South West School

So summer’s lease has come and gone and I think we can look back on a very successful return to competition in both solo and band worlds. Next year will be even better I feel, all things being equal. I think the standards in the Grade 1 bands were every bit as good as before the shutdown – but maybe not so in the solos. A lot of weak interpretation…