2024 European Champions: Field Marshal Montgomery; North Stratton stuns in Grade 2

Perth, Scotland – August 11, 2024 – Field Marshal Montgomery became the 2024 European Pipe Band Champions at a warm and sunny South Inch Park at the fourth and final RSPBA major championship before the World’s on August 16-17 in Glasgow. It was the first major championship win for the band in 2024.

While Field Marshal Montgomery took the event and Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathagte Caledonia won the drumming, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia turned heads with two firsts in piping, placing fourth.

North Stratton of Edmonton, Canada, won Grade 2, and the next two prizes were taken by non-British bands.

As pipes|drums noted before the event, Field Marshal Montgomery and North Stratton’s wins meant four different champions in both grades in the four major competitions this year, setting the World Championships up for an extra-interesting culmination.

With the European Championship only five days before the start of the World Championship, there was an influx of “overseas” contestants, including two in Grade 1 and six in Grade 2.

Conversely, several Grade 2 bands from Ireland and Northern Ireland did not attend Perth due to logistical and economic constraints, bringing the total number of entries from those countries to only seven. Six-time World Champions Simon Fraser University and the 78th Fraser Highlanders from Canada also chose not to compete at the European.

The long-running Perth Highland Games sponsored the 2024 European at the eleventh hour, returning all five majors to the UK season for the first time since 2022.

The last of the results were announced after 7 pm.

Grade 1 (four-parters MSR, 12 competed)
1st Field Marshal Montgomery (Northern Ireland) (2,2,2,1)
2nd Inveraray & District (Scotland) (3,3,3,3)
3rd Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland) (5,5,1,2)
4th Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia (Scotland) (1,1,7,8)
5th St. Laurence O’Toole (Ireland) (4,4,5,6)
6th Police Scotland Fife (Scotland) (6,6,4,4)
7th ScottishPower (Scotland) (7,7,6,5)
8th St. Thomas Alumni (USA) 8,9,8,7)
9th Police Scotland & Federation (Scotland) (11,8,9,9)
10th Johnstone (Scotland) (10,10,11,10)
11th City of Dunedin (USA) (9,12,10,11)
12th Closkelt (Northern Ireland) (12,11,12,12)
Judges: Terry Lee, Ross Walker (piping); Alex Dudgeon (drumming); Paul Turner (ensemble)

Grade 2 (medley, 13 competed)
1st North Stratton (Canada) (2,5,1,5)
2nd The Pipe Band Club (Australia) (1,1,5,7)
3rd Manorcunningham (Ireland) (4,4,8,1)
4th Royal Burgh of Annan (Scotland) (5,2,6,4)
5th Glasgow Skye Association (Scotland) (6,9,2,3)
6th Uddingston (Scotland) (7,6,4,8)
7th Ulster Scottish (USA) (8,3,9,6)
8th Peel Regional Police (Canada) (3,7,10,9)
9th Los Angeles Scots (USA) (9,8,13,2)
10th Buchan Peterson (Scotland) (14,11,3,10)
11th Portlethen & District (Scotland) (12,12,7,12)
12th City of Edinburgh (13,10,11,11)
13th Coalburn I.O.R. (Scotland) (10,13,14,13)
14th Greater Midwest (USA) (11,14,12,14)
Judges: Robert Shaw, Alvis Kerr (piping); Paul Brown (drumming); Peter Snaddon (ensemble)