Hat-trick
of Victories at Innerleithen for Tweedvale Pipe Band!!
Tweedvale
Pipe Band scored a double hat-trick of victories at the 5th Innerleithen Pipe Band Championships held in Victoria
Park Innerleithen last Saturday 17 June. The band won the Grade 4 title at Innerleithen for the third successive year AND
it was the bands third successive contest win in the 2006 competition season. Competing against eight other bands in Grade
4 Tweedvale put in a strong melodic performance of their set of marches, “Jack’s Welcome Home, Sruleen Park, Bessie
Weatherston and Lord Lovat’s Lament”. The performance obviously caught the ear of all four judges each of whom
put the band in first place, making Tweedvale the only band who achieved this feat on the day. The band was awarded the Lodge
St Ronan’s 856 Social Club Jubilee Trophy for 1st place in Grade 4, and also took the Innerleithen Pipe Band
Quaich for Best Drum Corps and the Innerleithen Union Club Quaich for Best Bass Section. To round off their prize-winning
day, Tweedvale were also awarded the prize for Best Band along the Street in the after contest street parade along Innerleithen
High Street. In addition to the trophies for the Innerleithen contest the band were also awarded the first place trophy they
had won at Hawick a fortnight previously but which was awarded in error to another band. Not to be outdone by the band, Tweedvale
Drum Major Andy Lyon took second place in the Adult Drum Major’s contest. Other places in the Grade 4 contest were taken
by Stow, Penicuik & District and Methil & District Pipe Bands who took second, third and fourth place respectively.
Tweedvale
Pipe Major Bruce Gillie, looking back to the Innerleithen Championships, said "I’d like to congratulate the band on
a great contest result. It’s always good to win a contest but winning it on home soil is a bit special. I’d like
to mention the drum corps who yet again took the best drum corps prize at their fourth successive contest and also the bass
section who appear to have taken possession of the best bass section prize at Innerleithen, this being the fourth successive
year they have won it. We now have to take this form and translate it into success at the Major Championships, starting this
coming weekend at the British. We have been working hard at our qualifying piece and if we get it right on the day I see no
reason why we cannot do well.”
The next
event for Tweedvale Pipe Band is the second major of the year, the British Championships. The trip to the British Championships
will commence early in the morning of Saturday 24 June as the band depart Innerleithen at 6.30am in order to be in Pitlochry
in good time for their scheduled performance in the qualifying heats at 10.35am. Pitlochry is an ideal venue for a major pipe
band championship, and over 120 bands from all over Europe will converge to compete in six grades of competition to determine
the British Champions for 2006. Tweedvale Pipe Band will be competing in the Grade 4A event and are hoping to emulate or surpass
their previous best result in this championship which occurred back in 2002 when the band secured third place. After the British Championships the band will enjoy a well deserved break from the contest arena before
re-commencing their contest season at the end of July when the band travels to Gourock to take part in the third Major Championships
of the year, the Europeans.
