Kintyre Schools Pipe Bands opened their 2007 Competition
Season last Saturday 5th May on home ground at the Mull of
Kintyre Championships.
Weather conditions were a tad breezy, but the odd chitter
did not knock the Kintyre Bands off their stride.
The School Bands put together good performances and, at
the end of the day, all 3 Kintyre Bands featured in the
prize list.
In the Grade 4 contest, the Novice Band did remarkably
well against stiff adult competition to claim Second
place. The Band's new Pipe Major, Julie Blue confessed, "I
was a bit nervous as this was my first competitive outing
in charge of the band, but I needn't have worried as the
band did exactly what I asked of them. For most of the
band, today was their first ever pipe band contest, so
they did really well. It sets us up nicely for our first
outing at Novice Juvenile Grade at Gourock this coming
Sunday 13th May."
In Grade 3, Ian McKerral's Juvenile Grade Band produced a
solid musical performance to run out Winners, to the
delight of the local crowd. They were closely followed by
Johnstone Pipe Band in Second and Kintyre Schools new
Grade 3A Band, led by Pipe Major Andy Gibbs in Third
Place. Andy Gibbs said, "I'm really pleased that our new
Band's got onto the prize list at its first ever contest.
The band is mainly made up from last season's Novice
players, but with one or two of my fellow tutors added to
help push the band forward. The young players have
responded magnificently to the challenge."
In the Grade 2 contest, both Kintyre Schools Juvenile and
Grade 3 Bands played up. The Juvenile Band were placed
Fourth behind Dumbarton & District Pipe Band, Strathclyde
Fire & Rescue, and the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
Kintyre's Grade 3 Band was unplaced.
