Prize-winning ways continue for Tweedvale Pipe Band.

Tweedvale Pipe Band maintained their prize-wining streak last Saturday at the Royal Burgh of North Berwick Highland Games when the band took the Nether Abbey Hotel Trophy for fourth place in the Grade 4 open pipe band contest. Playing seventh out of 18 bands, Tweedvale took full advantage of the great weather conditions – sunny and dry – to put in another assured performance of their competition piece. North Berwick is unique in that there is a “contest within a contest”, confined to bands from the Lothian and Borders area. For the second successive year the band won this confined contest and lifted the Lochcarron Trophy. This success was the fifth time out of five contests that the band has been the top placed Lothian & Borders band in Grade 4 at local competitions and confirms that the Band will be awarded the RSPBA Lothian & Borders Branch Champion of Champions title at the end of the season. Tweedvale Pipe Bands attendance at the North Berwick contest was made possible by generous coach sponsorship form Veitch’s Corner House to whom the band extends its thanks.

Speaking about the outcome of the North Berwick, Tweedvale Pipe Major Bruce Gillie said "It was a good result on Saturday, though I was slightly disappointed not to have been placed higher. I thought our performance was as good as any we’ve put in at smaller contest this year, though there are still one or two things to be worked on at practices. I’d like to thank Veitch’s Corner House for sponsoring our coach last Saturday. The result has set us up for a good run at the World Championships this Saturday and I know all the players in the band will be keen to put in a good performance."

Tweedvale’s competition season continues this weekend when the band travels to Glasgow to take part in the biggest event in the pipe band calendar – the World Pipe Band Championships. Held on Glasgow Green, the World Championships is the fourth of five major championships held each year and attracts over 200 bands from all over the world to compete in six grades of competition. Tweedvale Pipe Band’s assault on the World title begins at approx 10.45am when the band is scheduled to play second out of 13 bands in one of three qualifying heats. Four bands per heat go through to the afternoon final. Tweedvale are hopeful of maintaining its recent good form in Major Championships by qualifying for the final and taking a place, the band having previously been placed third at the British Championships and second at the European Championships this year.