2010 Cowal Championships: inspiring Argyll pipe band results

Thousands flocked to Scotland’s biggest highland games, Cowal Highland Gathering in Dunoon on Saturday 28th August. The event this year welcomed Dunoon born former Doctor Who actor, Sylvester McCoy (above, cente), as Honorary Chieftain.

In the last major championships of the 2010 pipe band competition season, at the Cowal Gathering, an entry of eleven Argyll pipe bands saw strong results with some bands – like World Champion Novice Band, Oban High school – raising an already high bar in their performance.

The improvement of Rothesay and District senior band in Grade 3B, compared with their recent performance at the World Championship is the story of the Cowal Championships. The band has had an up and down season  but this great finish shows what it can do.

And a major gauntlet thrown down at the highest level of all, is Inveraray & District senior band’s best finish on their first season playing in Grade 1.

All details below.

Results and commentary

The figures given after each Argyll band represent the placings they were awarded for their performance by each of four judges in this order: Piping 1; Piping 2, Drumming and Ensemble. Placings relate to the number of finalists in each grade. When their is a tie for a place, the band scoring the highest for their ensemble work is given the higher place and this ranking is noted as ‘EP’ – Ensemble Preference’.

Novice Grade (18 finalists)

• 1st: Oban High School: (1/1/2/2) holding the rankings achieved in their World Championship performance in three of the four categories – and raising the first piping mark to another No 1 ranking
• 5th: Inveraray & District: (3/8/4/6), dropping three places overall from their World Championship ranking of 2nd in this grade; and dropping places in all categories except drumming, where they held at 4th.
• 6th: Kintyre Schools: (7/6/6/7), two places better overalll than they did in the Worlds and showing a huge improvement in their rankings, two places better under the piping 2 judge and four places better in drumming.
• 7th: Dunoon Grammar School: (8/2/10/9), finished one place higher overall than at the World’s, with their disastrous 19th place then under the piping 2 judge.
• 13th: Rothesay & District: (12/11/11/18) finished one place up overall on their finish in the Worlds, two places up in the under the first piping judge and two places down in the Ensemble.

Grade 3B (14 finalists)

• 3rd: Rothesay & District: (4/6/1/3) had a hugely successful outing at Cowal, finishing no fewer than 7 places higher overall that they’d done in the Worlds, four places higher in Piping 1, two places higher in Piping 2, two places up in Drumming – finishing first and a whopping 9 places higher in ensemble.
• 7th:  Cowal: (7/7/7/7) also had a great finish to the seasons after failing to qualify in the Worlds, coming 10th in their qualifying section. Here their placings were utterly consistent with their overall ranking of 7th – with sevens in all four categories.
• 13th:  Dunoon Argyll: finished with the same placings as Penicuik and District but ranked overall one place behind them as they were ranked lower on ensemble work – the determining category. The band played above its final ranking in three of the four categories with a 10th in Piping 1, a 12th in Piping 2 and Drumming and an on-rank performance at 13th in Ensemble (Penicuik were 12th in this category and 12th overall.).

Grade 3A (12 finalists)

• 3rd: Isle of Islay: (4/2/11/1) The Isle of Islay band has shown its mettle this season after last year’s loss of its major sponsor and serious worries about whether it could meet the cost of competition. As an island-based band, its travel costs have the additional necessity of a long ferry journey. At Cowal, with a podium finish,  they improved two place in this Grade from their performance here last year – and three places overall in their rankings from their showing at the Worlds. In the detailed marking at Cowal 2010, they held their Worlds’ placings in the two piping categories, were up three places in drumming and a gigantic fifteen places in ensemble – finishing in first place.
• 8th: Machrihanish Dunes: (7/8/10/5) this band, new to major competition this season, played above its final ranking in two categories – with a 5th in Ensemble and a 7th in Piping 1; played to its ranking with an 8th in Piping 2; and below its ranking with a 10th in Ensemble.

Grade 1 (14 finalists)

• 5th: Inveraray & District (7/3/7/6), three places up from their finish in the Worlds, the Inveraray & Dstrict senior band  had a storming finish in Cowal to their first season playing at the highest level, Grade 1. Finishing in 5th, they have put down their marker for next year, leaving behind them here two experienced senior bands who had beaten them in the Worlds – Strathclyde Police and Shotts and Dykehead.Very interestingly the Inveraray band, at 3rd,  was placed higher in the Piping 2 category than Northern Ireland’s famed Field Marshall Montgomery band – at 4th -  which finished in 2nd overall; and higher than Scottish Power – at 5th in this piping category and 4th overall. All of this is just the fuel Pipe Major Stuart Liddell will have wanted to see in the band’s tank to drive their campaign next year.  In the category placings, they were up on their Worlds performance across the board,  – two up in each of the two piping categories; three up in drumming; and – another mark of the sort of improvement they want to see – a whacking five places up in ensemble. This was well timed progress for Inveraray and Strathclyde Police tied but, with the Inveraray band’s better ensemble placing, it took precedence in the placings. (For the record and showing the position Inveraray & District is establishing at the top level, the first four in this grade were (1) Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia; (2) Field Marshall Montgomery; (3) St Laurence O’Toole; and (4) Scottish Power.)

Ministerial congratulations

Argyll’s MSP, Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise.Energy and Tourism has noted the resurgence in Pipe Band activity and the successes across th region in recent years. He has seen this confirmed at the 2010 Cowal Games in the notable progress made by both the Inveraray and District Pipe Band who have successfully made the transition to Grade 1; and the continued advance of the Oban High School Pipe Band, confirming their World Champion status won at Glasgow Green a fortnight ago.

Mr Mather has personally contacted both bands to congratulate them on their success. He says: ‘I have been noting the progress of these bands with interest as they are the most visible sign of a huge  growth in interest across Argyll & Bute  in piping and drumming and the disciplines that ensemble playing impose on a successful pipe band operation.

‘The success of the Inveraray and District Pipe Band in recent years culminated in their promotion to the top grade this year. Under the direction of Pipe Major Stuart Liddell they have now consolidated their position there and finished the Cowal Games competition in 5th place, beating long established senior bands in the process. We can confidently expect continued success here.

‘The Oban High School Pipe Band also confirmed their earlier promise with a convincing win in the Novice Band section improving upon their markings from the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow of a fortnight before and establishing themselves as the band to beat in a highly competitive section. The expertise of Pipe Major Angus MacColl and his support team of Donnie MacDougall, Bobbie Davie and Stevie Kilbride has supported the band’s remarkable progress in so short a time.

Success like this comes from dedicated practice and hours of teaching work put in by qualified staff. The support of the community is essential too if a band is to be properly turned out and kitted and that involves a group of enthusiastic supporters for fundraising and encouragement.

‘Argyll has always had a proud tradition in piping and it is good to see that manifesting itself within the international pipe band scene’.

The photographs accompanying this article show:

• Top: former Dr Who actor, Sylvester McCoy, Honorary Chieftain of the Cowal Highland Gathering, with  Dollar Academy Juvenile Pipe Band and Ben Barclay (aged two from Dunoon) in the arena at the event’s venue – Dunoon Stadium.
• Above: Inveraray and District Grade 1 Pipe Band, Argyll’s only band playing at the highest level.