Update 1: St. Laurence O'Toole 2008 British Champions
Published: June 28, 2008
Birmingham, England - June 28,. 2008 - St. Laurence O'Toole of Dublin won the 2008 British Championships, taking its second consecutive title in 2008 after winning the Scottish in May. Field Marshal Montgomery sunk to sixth place, its lowest ranking in several years. FMM P-M Richard Parkes conducted the band after he had an apparent mishap with his pipe bag. Robert Wiseman Dairies-Vale of Atholl was disqualified for playing the wrong MSR. Weather was overcast but dry all day.
RSPBA rules state that a band must finish with the same number of players with which it starts. Piping judge Peter Snadden had FMM first, while his counterpart, T. Sloan, placed them last. The band was not disqualified. Parkes did not compete with FMM on June 21st at Banbridge, Northern Ireland, because of the incredibly poor weather conditions.
No Northern Irish Grade 2 bands made the trip to Birmingham.
Grade 1 (MSR, 12 competed) 1st St Laurence O'Toole 2nd House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead 3rd Strathclyde Police 4th ScottishPower 5th Boghall & Bathgate 6th Field Marshal Montgomery Drumming: Shotts Judges: T. Sloan, Peter Snadden (piping); Greg Dinsdale (drumming); Trevor Dear (ensemble)
Grade 3B (six competed) 1st Central Scotland Police 2nd Methil 3rd Ayr Society 4th Kirkaldy 5th Troon Blackrock 6th Penicuick Drumming: Central Scotland Police
Juvenile (five competed) 1st Inverary 2nd Dollar 3rd George Watson's College 4th Boghall & Bathgate 5th Vale of Atholl Drumming: Boghall
Grade 4A 1st Black Bottle 2nd University of Bedfordshire 3rd Royal Burgh of Stirling 4th Paris & District 5th Badenoch & Strathspey 6th Hawick
Grade 4B 1st Stockbridge 2nd Dunoon Argyll 3rd Burntisland & District 4th Fraserburgh 5th Stamperland 6th Methil & District
Novice Juvenile 1st Bucksburn & District 2nd Lochgelly 3rd George Watson's College 4th 1st Troon Boys' Brigade 5th Seafield 6th Boghall & Bathgate
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