Brian Lamond funny and good to win Wheel prize

Edinburgh – February 7, 2015 – Brian Lamond of Inverkeithing, Scotland, emerged the overall winner of the annual Pipe-Majors’ Wheel of Fortune solo piping contest at the Danderhall Miners Club in southern Edinburgh and put on by the Grade 2 City of Edinburgh Pipe Band.

Lamond was first in the Freestyle event, which required contestants to spin a wheel to determine some of what they had to play. Lamond had to include a tune by G.S. McLennan, a hornpipe, Irish jigs, Irish reels, a polka, and two of his own compositions, “The Illywhacker” and “The Sleepfighter.” He was also first in the Joke event, where pipers had to tell a funny story or joke, which was judged by the audience.

Lamond, age 46 and the former pipe-major of the Grade 1 Dysart & Dundonald Pipe Band, competes infrequently, but was the winner of the first Wheel of Fortune competition in 2006.

First in the MSR event was Niall Stewart of Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland, while Alasdair Henderson of Dunoon, Scotland, was overall runner-up and Callum Beaumont of Bo’ness, Scotland, was third.

Angus J. MacColl, Angus Nicholson and Lee Moore also competed. Back-to-back winner Douglas Murray withdrew due to illness.

For the piping events, Gordon Campbell, Barry Donaldson and Ian Duncan judged.