Good day for Ulster bands at World Championships
Pipe Bands by Mervyn McConnell
The 2003 World Pipe Band Championships took place last Saturday on a warm sunny day at a crowded Glasgow Green in Scotland with a record crowd of 40,000 with more than 7,000 bandsmen and women from 230 bands.
They poured in from Canada, America, Denmark, Japan, Italy, Oman, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland with a single unifying purpose: to will the World Pipe Band Championships.
It was a day which saw Killadeas from Co. Fermanagh achieve the glory of claiming the Grade 3A world championship title in both piping and drumming.
What a season it has been for this outfit under the leadership of Pipe Major Kenny Ferguson and Leading Tip Stephen Young.
The band had dropped out of the competition arena for a few years and to come back bigger and stronger and achieve such a great victory is great credit to all in the band.
The world championship title in drumming was won in 4A by Leading Tip Willie Wray and his Castlerock drum corps. This was Willie's fifth world title. What a champion drummer this man is.
Ulster bands also had the amazing feat of taking runner up place in every grade at the championships Field Marshal Montgomery lost their world title in Grade 1 to Shotts and Dykehead, now competing under the name of The House of Edgar, who also won the drumming title.
Many in the Park had Field Marshal way out in front of all the rest but get the CD when it becomes available and judge for yourself.
The results show just how close all the winning bands were in Grade 1. Field Marshal were runner-ups on MSR preference from Simon Fraser University from Canada. Strathclyde Police, favoured by many to win the event, had to settle for fourth while the 78th Fraser Highlanders from Canada took fifth place on MSR preference again over Boghall & Bathgate.
Special congratulations to Ballycoan Pipe Band who were competing for their first season in Grade 1. They qualified for the final play off of 14 bands and finished in a commendable 11th place.
In runner up place in Grade 2 was Pipe Major Nigel Davidson's Bleary & District band who just lost out by a whisker to Clan Gregor from Scotland who also won the drumming. There was also a good result for Ballinderry Bridge from Ulster who took the fifth placing in this grade.
Syerla, under Pipe Major Brian McMullin, took runner up place in Grade 3A with Finvoy taking a commendable sixth placing.
Pipe Major Robert Campbell and Bready Pipe Band had a super
result coming second over 30 other bands in Grade 3B
with favourites Quinn Memorial ending up in fourth place and
Altnaveigh Memorial in sixth position.
In Grade 4A the Seven Towers, with Pipe Major David Reid, were in second place with Marlacoo in third Aughintober in fourth and St.Patrick's Bandon in sixth. And in the final grade of 413 Queen Elizabeth under the direction of Lady Pipe Major Iris Gilmore were defeated by Old Meldrum and ended up in second place. Cullybackey Juniors won sixth placing in this grade.
Laura Jane Lawson was the only drum major from Ulster to win a world title and she took the junior drum major championship crown.
Congratulations to all our winning bands and drum majors. The Ulster Pipe Band Championships will take place this Saturday, 23 August, in Pollock Park Lurgan commencing at 12 noon where 62 bands and 45 drum majors will compete for the championship title.
Cleland Memorial Pipe Band, whose bus was burnt in Scotland, wish to thank the Antrim Pipe Band for all their help in getting them back home to Northern Ireland.
| Grade 1. | 1st House of Edgar Shotts & Dykehead (also best drums). 2nd Field Marshal Montgomery. 3rd Simon Fraser University (Canada) 4th Strathclyde Police. 5th 78th Fraser highlanders (Canada). 6th Boghall & Bathgate. |
| Grade 2. | 1st Clan Gregor (also best drums) 2nd Bleary & District. 3rd Windsor Police (Canada) 4th ASCO Buchan. 5th Ballinderry Bridge 6th Niagara Regional Police (Canada) Grade 3A. 1st Killadeas (also best drums). 2nd Syerla. 3rd Lanarkshire. 4th Lochgelly High School. 5th Finvoy. 6th Holbaek (Holland) |
| Grade 3B. | 1st Prince Charles USA. 2nd Bready. 3rd Black Raven. 4th Quinn Memorial. 5th Fort Collins USA (also best drums). 6th Altnaveigh Memorial. |
| Grade 4A. | 1st Williamwood. 2nd Seven Towers. 3rd Marlacoo. 4th Aughintober. 5th Bo'Ness RBL. 6th St.Patrick's Bandon. Best Drums Castlerock. |
| Grade 4B. | 1st Old Meddrum. 2nd Queen Elizabeth. 3rd Kilsyth Thistle. 4th 8 Wing Trenton (also best drums). 5th Newmans & District. 6th Cullybackey Junior. |
| Senior Drum Major. | 1st John Noble. 2nd Brian Wilson 3rd Kathy Megarry. 4th Alistair Patterson. 5th Grant Craig. Juvenile. 1st Alan Morton. 2nd Jennifer Elvin. 3rd Jason Paguio. 4th Barry Purcell. 5th Victoria Singer. |
| Junior. | 1st Laura Jane Lawson. 2nd Ryan Ferry. 3rd Elizabeth Sloan. 4th Caroline Clydesdale. 5th Joanne Wilson. |
Ulster Star
22/08/2003
