Field Marshal completes perfect season with win at final Cowal Championship
Dunoon, Scotland – August 31, 2013 – Field Marshal Montgomery finished a perfect season by winning the fifth and final RSPBA major, the Cowal Pipe Band Championship, in an event that was historic for several additional reasons. It marked the final championship for St. Laurence O’Toole Pipe-Major Terry Tully, who is retiring after the 2013 season following more than 30 years as leader of the band, highlighted by its World Championship victory in 2010. It also marked the end – at least for now – of the Cowal Pipe Band Championship itself, after losing its status as an RSPBA major. Once considered the de facto World Championship, Cowal’s 120-year history is one of the most storied in pipe band history. The games will continue, but not as a pipe band championship.
Grade 1 (medley, 1 competed)
1st Field Marshal Montgomery (1,1,2,1)
2nd Boghall & Bathgate (2,2,5,2)
3rd ScottishPower (3,3,6,3)
4th St. Laurence O’Toole (4,4,3,4)
5th Inveraray & District (6,7,1,6)
6th Shotts & Dykehead (5,5,7,5)
Drumming: Inveraray & District
Judges: Sam Young, Jim Semple (piping); Ciaran Mordaunt (drumming); David Clark (ensemble)
Grade 2 (MSR, 12 competed)
1st Buchan Peterson (3,1,1,1)
2nd Lomond & Clyde (1,2,2,2)
3rd University of Bedfordshire (4,5,3,4)
4th Oban (5,3,4,5)
5th Glasgow Skye (7,4,5,3)
6th Dumbarton & District (9,6,6,6)
Drumming: Buchan Peterson
Judges: John McCarlie, Nathaniel Russell (piping); David Brown (drumming); Alistair Aitken (ensemble)
I thought the Cowal pipe band championship would remain but would not have major status? I may be wrong but the pipe band competition will still continue as far as I know?
Not as a pipe band championship.
This was not the final Cowal Pipeband Championship as stated in your article, it was the last major of a 3 year contract with the RSPBA. There will still be the Cowal pipeband championship on the last Saturday in August as usual, competing for the same trophies, it will not be a counter for champion of champions as it will not have major status. It will be interesting to see how many bands travel over the Irish sea to Belfast next year, no doubt it will be well attended by the Irish bands which number more than 100
It makes sense to have at least one Major in Northern Ireland. There the greatest number of players per head of population in Northern Ireland and the best band in the world come from Northern Ireland…
It makes even more sense to pick the one part of the UK that, statistically, has the lowest rainfall averages/likelihood throughout summer, and hold the event in the town nearest that exact spot. The bands don’t really care about anything else but the weather…..and the proximity of the local pubs, of course.