The online junior piping and drumming competition organised by Fife-based pipe band, Burntisland & District, has been voted a success by competitors, judges and organisers. A total of 202 entries were received in the piping (128 on pipes and 74 on chanter) from competitors in seven countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Ireland, USA, New Zealand and Australia. Most competitors were attached to one of 48 pipe bands.
Competitors were asked not to ‘play up’ but to stick to their own age class events.
Organiser, Bryan Spears, said that with such a large entry, each category was assigned a different day of competition. Entries were received up until 5.00pm on April 11 with the first competition categories taking place one week later when Mark Stewart and Stuart Coils judged the Age 14 and under Beginner Chanter (Two-part March) and the Age 12 and Under Beginner Stick and Pad (Two-part March) categories respectively.
One week later, the final categories were the Age 16-18 Strathspey & Reel (four parts on pipes) category – judged by Gold Medallist and Pipe Major of Police Scotland Fife Pipe Band, Dougie Murray – and the Age 16-18 Strathspey & Reel (four parts on snare) category, that was judged by Stuart Coils.
Competitors submitted their (audio-only) recordings by email. If aged under 16 then this was done by their parents/guardians.
A competitor prize raffle took place yesterday.
The judges each offered general feedback via video which could be viewed via the band’s Facebook page and these have been viewed over 10,000 times. They also provided each entrant with written feedback specific to each entrant. The judges all provided their time freely.
RESULTS:
Chanter
Age 14 and Under Beginner March (two parts) – 1. Catherine Spears (Fife, Scotland); 2. Gregor Murray (Fife, Scotland); 3. Ben McGaugie (Clackmannanshire, Scotland); 4. Evie Busher (Fife, Scotland); 5. Ellis MacDonald (Renfrewshire, Scotland); 6. Owen Livingstone (Fife, Scotland).
Judge: Mark Stewart.
Piping
Age 12 and Under 2/4 March (four parts) – 1. Euan McCarten (Argyll, Scotland); 2. Poppy Spears (Fife, Scotland); 3. Maggie McConnochie (Canterbury, New Zealand); 4. Lachlan Rennie (Dundee, Scotland); 5. Tayla Eagle (Christchurch, New Zealand); 6. Owen McCreadie (West Lothian, Scotland).
Judge: Dougie Murray.
Age 12 and Under Strathspey & Reel (four parts) – 1. Archie Johnson (Isle of Mull, Scotland); 2. Tayla Eagle; 3. Maggie McConnochie; 4. Euan Mcarten; 5. Rory Menzies (Aberdeenshire, Scotland); 6. Poppy Spears.
Judge: Shaunna Hilder.
Age 13-15 March (four parts on pipes) – 1. Finlay Peden (West Lothian, UK); 2. Gregor Grierson (Dumfries and Galloway, UK); 3. Lewis Maxwell (Clackmannanshire, UK); 4. Christopher McCartan (Argyll and Bute, UK); 5. Archie McNab (Perth and Kinross, UK); 6. Logie Johnston (Argyll and Bute, UK).
Judge: Shaunna Hilder.
Age 13-15 Strathspey & Reel (four parts each) – 1. Finlay Peden; 2. Archie McNab; 3. Dugald MacKechnie (Stirling, UK); 4. Gregor Grierson; 5. Lewis Maxwell; 6. Chris McCartan.
Judge: Mark Stewart.
Age 16-18 March (four parts) – 1. Brogan Townsley (Perth & Kinross, UK); 2. Gregor MacDonald (Argyll and Bute, UK); 3. Amaidh Stoddart (Argyll and Bute, UK); 4. Arianna MacLellan (Renfrewshire, UK); 5. Hamish Scott (Western Isles, UK); 6. Hardie Crawford (Ross & Cromarty, UK).
Judge: Mark Stewart.
Age 16-18 Strathspey & Reel (four parts each) -– 1. Brogan Townsley; 2. Gregor MacDonald; 3. Hardie Crawford; 4. Thabiso Motaung (Johannesburg, ZA); 5. Timothy Lincoln (Johannesburg, ZA); 6. Amaidh Stoddart.
Judge: Dougie Murray.
Drumming
Age 12 and Under Beginner March (two parts, stick and pad) – 1. Calum Butler (Co. Limerick, Ireland); 2. Gregor Noble (Fife, UK); 3. Cameron McAllister (Argyll, UK); 4. Janey MacLellan (Johnstone, UK); 5. Matthew Gibb (Perth & Kinross, UK); 6. Leo Hogg (Fife, UK).
Judge: Stuart Coils.
Age 12 and Under 2/4 March (four parts) – 1. Zac Taylor, (Clackmannanshire, Scotland); 2. Joseph Charlton (Perth & Kinross, Scotland); 3. Tommi McAndrew (Aberdeenshire, Scotland); 4. Callum Anderson (Aberdeenshire, Scotland); 5. Carter Green (New Brunswick, Canada); 6. Leo Hogg (Fife, Scotland).
Judge: Steven McWhirter.
Age 12 and Under Strathspey & Reel (four parts) – 1. Oliver Burbury (Clackmannanshire, UK); 2. Tommi McAndrew; 3. Calum Anderson.
Judge: Steven McWhirter.
Age 13-18 Beginner March (two parts, stick and pad) – 1. Ewan Allen, (West Lothian, UK); 2. Brandon McGovern (Fife, UK); 3. Bonga Busani, (Johannesburg, South Africa).
Judge: Lee Innes.
Age 13-15 2/4 March (four parts) – 1. Kerr McQuillan (East Dunbartonshire, Scotland); 2. Georgia Eagle (Christchurch, New Zealand); 3. Robbie Pate (South Lanarkshire, UK); 4. George Irvine (Clackmannanshire, UK); 5. Erica Wise (Fife, UK); 6. Megan Lewis (Fife, UK).
Judge: Stuart Coils.
Age 13-15 Strathspey & Reel (four parts each) – 1. Kerr McQuillan; 2. Georgia Eagle; 3. George Irvine (Clackmannanshire, UK); 4. Erica Wyse.
Judge: Lee Innes.
Age 16-18 March (four parts) – 1. Guy Kellas (Edinburgh, Scotland); 2. Daniel Mulcahy (Cork, Ireland); 3. Arren McWilliams (Co. Down, Northern Ireland); 4. Amy Wallace (Johannesburg, South Africa).
Judge: Lee Innes.
Age 15-18 Strathspey & Reel (four parts) – 1. Daniel Mulcahy; 2. Guy Kellas; 3. Scott O’Neill (South Lanarkshire, UK); 4. Oscar Schoenmaker (Queensland, Australia).
Judge: Stuart Coils.
Overall:
Age 14 & Under: Catherine Spears.
Age 12 & Under: Euan McCartan.
Age 13-15: Finlay Peden.
Age 16-18: Brogan Townsley.