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season review 2005

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winter 2004

Following the setback of being downgraded at the end of the 2004 season, a very determined Royal Burgh of Annan Pipe Band entered the 2005 RSPBA Season.  There were discussions amongst the ranks that the band should enter an appeal to stay in Grade 3A, but after much deliberation, it was decided that the decision of the RSPBA Music Board would be accepted and the challenge of trying to regain their Grade 3A status would be accepted by the band.

Although the band had only formed in March 2004, the improvement could be heard over the last few months of the year.  As the competition material was reshuffled and musical arrangements were changed and implemented, the band were in good shape as the festive period loomed.  As the band took a two-week break for Christmas & New Year, confidence was high that there would be a successful season ahead.

The band returned refreshed in January, but appeared to have lost a step.  The new medley was not played with the same vigour as before and niggling mistakes had began to creep in.  The band would also have decisions to make regarding the Drum Corps.  Leading Drummer Scott Smith had not been attending practices regularly, leaving Paul Oliver in temporary charge of the corps as rumours circulated that Smith and Bass Drummer Scott Irving would be leaving the band.

The band had also confirmed over the winter months that they would wear the Cowal Highland Gathering tartan following several meetings to determine the band's new tartan.  Thanks to the generousity of the Lower Annandale Council & the efficiency of Anderson Kilts in Dumfries, the kit would eventually be ready for the band's first full competition outing in Dunbar.

In January 2005, there were plans put into place between Royal Burgh of Annan Pipe Band, Annan Town Band & the Annan Academy Band to present a concert at Annan Academy with all proceeds to go to the Asian Tsunami Appeal.  Annan Academy was packed as the bands played individually and then combining for the finale to play a selection of music, which included Amazing Grace & the ever-popular Highland Cathedral.  It also gave the band a chance to play the new competition material in public for the first time.

The concert would raise over £2000 for the appeal.  Thanks must go to the Annan Rotary Club who ensured the money was distributed immediately to the affected areas.  Following the concert, the band would realise that the benefit would be the last appearance of Scott Smith & Scott Irving as they would end up leaving in the following weeks.

The Trio Contest at the Dumfries Music Festival would be the first opportunity for the band to perform their Medley selection in a competitive format.  In the week heading up to the contest, the Pipe Major selected the trios to compete in the contest and there would also be a Juvenile Trio competing giving the band a strong presence at Locharbriggs Primary School.  As the day kicked off, the Juvenile Trio of Tim Schoolar, Grant Schoolar & Danny Begg played in the Juvenile Section but despite a good performance, they would not feature in the prizelists.

As the Trio contest kicked off, the main competitors were from Kirkcudbright & District & Lochmaben Pipe Band Society.  The trio of P/M David McCracken, P/S Chris Shearer & Tim Schoolar would place first, with the trio of P/S Chris Shearer, Donald Robson & Derek Coyle in second and competing the 1-2-3 for the band were P/M David McCracken, Garry Hawkins & Gary Duignan.  A fantastic start to the year for the band.

Before the end of March, the Drum Corps would be boosted by the arrival of Bass Drummer Martin Ritchie, Tenor Drummer Davie Nutt & Side Drummer Cameron Bell from Moffat Pipe Band.  The band also appointed Paul Oliver as Leading Drummer.  Paul had led the MacLean Pipe Band to great success in the past so the band were confident that the Drum Corps would go from strength to strength over the season. 

Dunbar would prove to be a great day for the band.  Although practices had taken a turn for the worse in January & February, things would pick up and everyone would generally leave practices in a positive mood and that they would do well over the season.  This belief would be justified at Dunbar, although no one would have expected the end result.

Even as the band struck up to practice on the tuning park, confidence was running high.  The band were hopeful that they would bring their performance in the band hall on to the park.  They did just that, the band put forth an excellent performance in Grade 3 and every member was satisfied with the way they had played.  Hopes were high that they would get into the prizelists against some fine Grade 3A bands.

The result would turn out to be better than anyone had hoped for.  The band finished second behind Strathclyde Fire & Rescue.  An incredible achievement following the disappointment of the previous winter, the band had beaten third placed Bo'ness RBL and fourth placed Coalburn IOR.  Celebrating long into the night, it looked like all the winter's hard work had payed off and, more importantly, had given the band hopes of winning the Scottish Championships the week after.

Following the high of the second place at Dunbar, the band travelled to Dumbarton with high expectations for the Scottish Championships.  It would turn out to be a harsh lesson that consistency wins championships.  The band were playing well on the tuning park and hopes were high that the performance at Dunbar would be repeated.  But as soon as they entered the circle, something had changed, they were no longer firing on all cylinders and although the performance began to improve near the end, it would be too late.

The band would end up finishing eighth, with Bo'ness RBL winning the Scottish Championships.  It was a bitter pill to swallow, as they had beaten Bo'ness the week before at Dunbar.  But it would also serve as motivation to make sure that complacency would not slip in again during the season.

The band would miss the next Major Championships, the European Championships in Banbridge due to high travelling costs, so the next chance to prove themselves would come at the British Championships in Tain in July, so there would plenty of time to build up momentum again for the latter half of the season.

The Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway Branch Championships in Girvan gave everyone a chance to get back to winning ways and at the end of the day, they would.  However it would not be in the manner they hoped.  Whilst tuning, the band had sounded fair but when the band played in the Grade 3 contest, the performance suffered.  

As the band tried to re-group for Grade 2, the performance on the tuning park was better and they managed to put in a better performance in the contest.  The result was a win in Grade 2 and a third place in Grade 3.  The Drum Corps, however, were celebrating a double by winning the Drumming in both grades.

Despite the drumming success, consistency would need to improve in time for the next major. 

Lesmahagow would prove to be one of the most frustrating contests of the season.  Nothing seemed to go right, problems with reeds and sloppy playing would mean that the Pipe Corps approached the line in a nervous mood.  The performance was fairly poor in Grade 3, and in Grade 2 it would not be much better.  However despite the unconvincing performances, the band placed fourth in Grade 3.  The next contest would be on home ground and at last they would see an upturn in form. 

Annan Riding of the Marches is always a big day for the band as they look to impress on home ground.  After leading the ROM parade, they made their way to Annan Academy Playing Fields to compete in the contest.  Following a hectic stint on the tuning park, the band would be satisfied with the way they played.  They would have more time to prepare for Grade 2 and would put in a fair performance in the circle.

After playing up Annan High Street for the Massed Pipes & Drums, the band would march back with six trophies.  The Drum Corps again made a huge impact, winning the Grade 3 drumming prize and Best Bass Section in both grades.  The band would place second in Grade 3, fourth in Grade 2 and they also picked up the Marching & Discipline prize.

The next contest would be the British Championships and a chance to make an impact on the grade despite experiencing inconsistent form since the last major.

The trip to Tain, in the North of Scotland, for the British Championships would be one of the highlights of the season.  The band travelled to Inverness the day before the contest, with a brief stop in Pitlochry.  Despite a late arrival in Inverness, certain band members went to experience the town's nightlife.

Arriving in Tain in a weary state early next day, playing in a major championship seemed to be the last thing on everyone's mind, but perhaps it was what the band needed. Still feeling the effects of the previous night, the tune up went well and the band were quietly confident of gaining a prize.  The performance was perhaps the best all season and everyone left to explore Tain in high spirits.

At massed bands, it was announced that the Drum Corps had won the British Championships, this delight was doubled when the whole band were also announced as British Champions.  In the end, all four judges awarded first place to the band.  Everyone celebrated and even a few tears were shed.  They then headed into Tain to their hotel to continue the celebrations.  The party then spilled into Tain town centre, where a massive street party was being held.  Following a lot of celebratory food and drink, the band headed back to Annan (via more revelling in Stirling) where some band members continued to enjoy the victory in the town's bars.

A wonderful weekend, a massive confidence boost and, at the end of the day, the first major win by an Annan Pipe Band since 1990.  Definitely one to remember

Rolling into Dundonald, the band were in fine mood and were eager to maintain their momentum going into the World Championships, however it would turn out to be difficult to sustain the standard of the Tain performance.

From the start, it seemed that the band were slightly over-confident and the performance suffered as a result.  The Pipe Major was less than pleased with the dip in form.  However, they still managed to keep their prize-winning run up with two fourth places in Grade 2 & 3.  Despite the silverware, it was clear to everyone that a lot of work would need to be done before the World Championships the next weekend.

Even after the disappointment of the previous week, the achievement at Tain would raise expectations for the World Championships.  The band were still confident that they could duplicate the performance that won them the British Championship.

Playing last in Grade 3B, the band sounded good on the tuning park and seemed to be firing on all cylinders again.  On the line, the tempos increased immediately but the playing stayed together and although a small slip in the middle of the selection dented hopes for a win, everyone was still satisfied that the performance was good enough.

At massed bands, the band placed third, a slight disappointment for the members but still a good achievement and yet another major prize for the trophy collection.  It also put them in contention for the Champion of Champions title, but nothing less than a win at Cowal would do otherwise it would be another season in Grade 3B in 2006.

The Cowal Highland Gathering saw the band take a full load of supporters to Dunoon to see if a second major title and hopefully the Champion of Champions title would be won.  Although the contest would be a March, Strathspey & Reel and the season's previous successes had been in Medley contest, confidence was still high that a satisfactory result would be achieved.

However, despite the entire band's satisfaction with the performance, the result did not go their way as they placed 8th, out of the prize list and sadly out of contention for the Champion of Champions title.  However it would only be the second time that year that the band had failed to take a prize back to Annan, so it would turn out to be a highly successful year.

Several lessons were learned in the 2005 season, the Royal Burgh of Annan Pipe Band would take on new members and pick up prizes consistently.  They would fail at the first major, experience the pinnacle of the year at the second and enjoy more success at the biggest contest of the year.  Although the season did see inconsistent levels of performance and the season ended on a disappointing note, there was unlimited promise for the 2006 season as the band looked to improve and head to the top of Grade 3B and beyond.

royal burgh of annan pipe band