RSPBA Changes World’s Grade 1 Prizes

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) got the Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championship result wrong, and has reversed the announced fifth and sixth prizes.

The correct result is 5th prize: Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia (Scotland); 6th: 78th Fraser Highlanders (Canada).

According to a written statement sent to various outlets, “the results for 5th and 6th places respectively in grade 1 were incorrectly announced. This was due to a tie between Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band and the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, in which the split should have been made on a piping preference rather than a[n] MSR preference, given that the bands tied in both overall place points and ensemble points.”

There is apparently no stipulation that ties are broken by overall MSR event rankings. According to section 3.84 in the printed RSPBA rule book,

“In the event of a tie the decision shall be reached as follows:
In any type of Band Contest:
1st Preference – Ensemble total.
2nd Preference – Piping total.
3rd Preference – Piping – Musical performance.
4th Preference – Drumming – Musical performance.
5th Preference – Ensemble – MSR.
6th Preference – Piping – Musical performance – MSR.
7th Preference – Drumming – Musical Performance – MSR.
8th Preference – In the event of a tie in the World Pipe Band Championship Drumming the corps with the highest points in the March, Strathspey and Reel contest shall be the winner.”

The second and third place bands, Field Marshal Montgomery and Simon Fraser University, also tied, with the RSPBA reporting the tie was broken by the MSR mark. The placing apparently holds true. The bands were also tied in ensemble marks, but Field Marshal had the better overall marks in piping.

Post-contest controversy had arisen earlier because of the disparity of results from various piping judges across the two events in the Grade 1 final. For example, piping judge Ian Roddick ranked Boghall & Bathgate first in the Medley event, while his counterpart, J. Campbell, ranked the band seventh. The 78th Fraser Highlanders were ninth and fourth from Roddick and Campbell.

Boghall had a similar ranking spread in the MSR event, with eleventh and third placings from piping judges Dixie Ingram and George Shepherd, respectively.

p|d

What do you think? We always want to hear from our readers, so please use our comment system to provide your thoughts!

Do you have news? Be sure to send your information to pipes|drums. We can’t report what we don’t know about! Please remember to support the businesses that advertise and make the not-for-profit p|d possible.