Watson’s successfully defends title to win Juvenile World Championship

Glasgow – August 15, 2025 – George Watson’s College of Edinburgh successfully defended their title by winning the Juvenile World Championship at Glasgow Green on the first day of the 2025 World Pipe Band Championships in what the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and sponsors Glasgow Life branded a “Youth Championship Day.” Watson’s also won the drumming.

West Lothian Schools two firsts in pipng and a second in ensemble were enough to overcome a seventh in drumming to beat 13 other competitors to win the Novice Juvenile A grade.

Coincidentally, Zimbabwe’s St. John’s College Harare also won Novice Juvenile B with two piping firsts and a second in ensemble to counter a seventh in drumming. The following two placings went to bands from Australia. Glasgow Academy won the drumming but were eleventh overall.

Novice Juvenile B was run in two heats of 15, 12 bands going through to the final, starting at 5:30 pm.

The conditions were spectacularly good, the only weather challenge being ensuring members of competing bands stayed hydrated.

Novice Juvenile A (Prescribed MSR)
1st West Lothian Schools (Scotland) (1,1,7,2)
2nd Lochgelly High School (Scotland) (9,3,4,1)
3rd George Watson’s College (Scotland) (NovA) (6,5,1,6)
4th Brisbane Boys’ College (Australia) (3,2,9,5)
5th High School of Dundee (Scotland) (2,4,13,4)
6th The Scots College, Sydney (Australia) (5,14,3,3)
7th Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland) (4,6,6,11)
8th Dollar Academy (Scotland) (8,8,5,7)
9th St. Columba’s School (Scotland) (7,7,8,9)
10th North Lanarkshire Schools (Scotland) (10,11,11,8)
11th George Heriot’s School (Scotland) (12,9,10,10)
12 St. John’s College (Zimbabwe) (14,13,2,14)
13th Oban High School (Scotland) (11,10,14,13)
14th Preston Lodge High School (Scotland) (13,12,12,12)
Judges: Robert Mathieson, Jennifer Hutcheon (piping); David Brown (drumming); Paul Brown (ensemble)

Novice Juvenile B (Prescribed Marches)
1st St. John’s College Harare (Zimbabwe) (1,1,7,2)
2nd Scotch College #2 (Australia) (3,2,6,6) (ens.pref.)
3rd Scots College Sydney (Australia) (2,3,3,9)
4th Lochgelly High School Junior (Scotland) (4,5,12,1) (ens.pref.)
5th Oban High School (Scotland) (8,7,2,5) (ens.pref.)
6th Dollar Academy (Scotland) (6,4,5,7)
7th Bucksburn &  District (Scotland) (7,9,8,3) (ens.pref.)
8th Falkirk Schools (Scotland) (5,8,10,4)
9th High School of Glasgow (Scotland) (9,6,9,10)
10th Burntisland & District (Scotland) (12,11,4,8) (ens.pref.)
11th Glasgow Academy (Scotland) (11,12,1,11)
12th Kintyre Schools (Scotland) (10,10,11,12)
Judges: Don Bradford, Peter Hunt (piping); Stuart Coils (drumming); Tom Brown (ensemble)