Gandys overall ‘at’ Aboyne

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The result of the online Aboyne Highland Games piping contests saw father and son, Bruce and Alex Gandy of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, take the first and second overall spots.

Pipe Major Ben Duncan of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards was awarded third place overall.

Held online due to the coronavirus pandemic, competitors were assigned their tunes in advance and uploaded their audio recording to a file sharing online portal.

A spokesman for Aboyne said the competition was successful but everyone concerned agreed that they hoped not to run it in this way again.

Despite the physical event being cancelled, Aboyne Games committee held a flag lowering ceremony on Saturday during which Jack Taylor played Chris Armstrong’s composition, ‘Salute to the Front Line.’

Results:

Ceòl Mòr – 1. Bruce Gandy (Lord Lovat’s Lament); 2. Jamie Forrester (The Earl of Ross’s March); 3. Andrew Rogers (Lament for the Union); 4. Pipe Major Ben Duncan (Lord Lovat’s Lament); 5. David Wilton (Lament for the Earl of Antrim).
Judges: Ian Duncan, Stuart Samson and Duncan Watson.

Also competing in the Ceòl Mòr final were Brodie Watson-Massey, Calum Brown, Jonathon Simpson and Liz Drury.

March – 1. Alex Gandy; 2. Fraser Allison; 3. Calum Brown; 4. Pipe Major Ben Duncan; 5. Teddy Krogh.
Judges: Malcolm McRae and Bill Wotherspoon.

Also competing in the March final were Brodie Watson-Massey, Bruce Gandy, Callum Wynd, Jonathon Simpson and Lachie Dick.

Strathspey & Reel – 1. John Dew; 2. Bruce Gandy; 3. Alex Gandy; 4. Pipe Major Ben Duncan; 5. Calum Brown.
Judges: Murray Henderson and Bill Wotherspoon.

Listen to John Dew’s winning Strathspey & Reel:

Also competing in the Strathspey & Reel final were Andrew Donlon, Brodie Watson-Massey; Fraser Allison; John MacDonald and Jonathon Simpson.

Aboyne was first held in 1867 in the Deeside village.