Far from Seventh Heaven for Tweedvale Pipe Band.

Tweedvale Pipe Band left empty handed from the 8th Innerleithen Pipe Band Championships in Victoria Park Innerleithen, after two below average performances in the Grade 3 and Grade 2 contests left the band well out of the prize lists. The weather conditions on the day were changeable, though thankfully no serious rain affected Tweedvale’s preparations for the Grade 3 medley contest. The band entered the Grade 3 contest arena 7th out of 10 bands and it was immediately obvious from the march off that things were not going well – rushed playing, missed breaks and playing mistakes littered the performance. When the results were announced, the band found itself placed 7th out of 10 bands – a fairly disappointing result,  though no better than the band deserved. The Grade 3 contest was won by Boghall and Bathgate Juveniles, with George Watson’s Juveniles, Royal Scots Borderers and Methil & District pipe bands taking the other places. Though not making the prize list on the day, Tweedvale’s performance in the Grade 3 contest was the second best of the Lothian & Border Branch bands which means that the band has earned themselves another five points towards its standing in the RSPBA Lothian & Borders Branch Champion of Champions table. In the Grade 2 contest, Tweedvale Pipe Band fared little better with the performance of the MSR set afflicted with mistakes and nervous playing. In the Grade 2 contest, Tweedvale finished 5th out of 6 bands with George Watson’s Juveniles taking top spot. The band’s Drum Major picked up the band’s only prize of the day, coming 3rd in the Adult Drum Major’s contest

Tweedvale Pipe Major Bruce Gillie, speaking after the Innerleithen Championships, said "Our Grade 3 performance was by far the worst we have played in several years. We are capable of so much more. For some unknown reason, the performances that happened in the tuning up park were not reproduced on the contest park. It was a completely different band to that which played so well at Bathgate a few weeks ago. I’m hoping that Saturday was just a collective bad day and that we can regain our competitive edge before the next contest.”

Tweedvale Pipe Band will now take an enforced break from the competition circuit until late July. The band will next be on the competition trail at the European Pipe Band Championships to be held at Battery Park Greenock on Saturday 26 July where the band will participate in the Grade 3B contest. Following on from the European Championships is the contest at North Berwick. The North Berwick event is a “contest within a contest” as the RSPBA Lothian & Borders Branch championships are held at the same time. Tweedvale Pipe Band has entered both the Grade 3 and Grade 2 events at North Berwick. North Berwick is one of the 6 local events that count towards the RSPBA Lothian & Borders branch Champion of Champions title.