Encouraging Performances for Tweedvale Pipe Band at North Berwick

After a hiatus of 5 years, Tweedvale Pipe Band has resumed competing on the pipe band competition circuit. The band has entered six contests in the later months of the season and has already attended two events. Their first contest was the Scottish Championships at the end of July. Their competition season continued last Saturday at the Royal Burgh of North Berwick Highland Games at Recreation Park, North Berwick. In a welcome change to the weather of recent weeks, the North Berwick contest was played out in dry sunny conditions that brought out large crowds to view the pipe band contests. Playing third in the Grade 3 contest, the band played their March Strathspey and reel set before going on to perform in the Grade 2 contest where the band put in a solid confident performance of their medley set. Tweedvale Pipe Band ended the day placed 11th overall in the open Grade 3 contest, the event being won by Coalburn IOR Pipe Band with the other places being taken by Craigmount Caledonia, Scotia Glenville and Transvaal Scottish Pipe Bands. The band was placed 16th in the Grade 2 contest won by St Andrew’s Pipe Band of Australia.

North Berwick is unique in that there is a “contest within a contest”, confined to bands from the Lothian and Borders area. In the Grade 3 confined contest, the band won fourth place and lifted the W. Quinn Trophy which meant that the band travelled back to the Borders with a trophy from only their second contest back on the circuit, a very pleasing result for the bands efforts over the past few months. Tweedvale Pipe Band would like to thank BARC Coaches for providing transport to North Berwick.

Speaking about the outcome of the North Berwick, Tweedvale Pipe Major Bruce Gillie said “Overall, I was very pleased with today’s performance in the Grade3 and Grade 2 contests, if not the final results, though it is always nice to pick up a trophy. The performances were markedly better than those at the Scottish Championships at the end of July. It’s been a steep learning curve for the band having been away from the contest arena for such a long time and having several band members new to competition. There is still plenty of room for improvement and we now have a definite idea of what we need to work on. I’m pleased with our progress so far and everyone in the band is looking forward to the rest of the season, starting this weekend at the Worlds”

Tweedvale’s competition season continues this weekend when the band travels to Glasgow to take part in the biggest event in the pipe band calendar – the World Pipe Band Championships. Held on Glasgow Green, the World Championships is the last of five major championships held each year and attracts over 200 bands from all over the world to compete in eight grades of competition in front of crowds approaching the 50,000 mark. Tweedvale Pipe Band’s assault on the World title begins at 12.49pm when the band is scheduled to play 9th out of 13 bands in the Grade 3B contest. Grade 3 band have been asked to play a March Strathspey and Reel set for the World Championships qualifying heats, and Tweedvale will be performing their set comprising the tunes “Atholl and Breadalbane Gathering”, “Caledonian Canal” and “The Brown Haired Maid”. Should the band qualify for the Grade 3B final, a medley set will be performed. Following on from the World Championships, Tweedvale Pipe Band will take part in another three contests, at Edinburgh later in August then two local events at Peebles and Innerleithen in early September.

MANY THANKS TO BARC COACHES FOR SUPPLYING THE COACH FOR TRAVEL TO AND FROM NORTH BERWICK.

The full results of the North Berwick Grade 3 contest can be found here.

The full results of the North Berwick Grade 2 contest can be found here.

Details of the Day

Grade 3 – March Strathspey and Reel – Atholl & Breadalbane Gathering, Caledonian Canal, The Brown Haired Maiden.

Grade 2 – Medley – Bessie Weatherston, Wee Buns, Minnie Hynd, Lonely Loch Nan Eun, Because He Was A Bonnie Lad, The Wisemaiden, Dancing Feet.

Number of Pipers – 8.

Number of Side Drummers – 3.

Number of Bass Drummers – 1.

Number of Tenor Drummers – 1.