WAPOL narrowly defends Australian Championship title

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia – April 12, 2014 – The Western Australia Police Pipe Band won its second consecutive Australian Pipe Band Championship, besting the Queensland Highlanders Pipe Band on overall ensemble preference after an aggregate points tie over the Medley and MSR events in a three-band contest. There was a three-way tie for drumming in Grade 1.

Although the weather leading up to the event was very wet, the two days of the event were rain-free and sunny, though there was a blustery wind. Due to the timing of the event a week before the Easter long weekend, entries were down and several bands entered ultimately withdrew prior to the event. One New Zealand band attended, but the local bands were, as usual, bolstered by guests from all around the world, including Manawatu, Fife Police, Invercargill and Inveraray & District. Many of the local players, in turn, are guests with some of the world’s top bands in the European summer.

Both the 2012 and 2014 events were run by a single band as promoter, and it was the first time two successive Championships have been held in the same city consecutively, in the modern era. Ballarat hosted the first Australian Championships – and the first pipe band contest in Australia – from 1907-1925, and the 2014 event was Ballarat’s twenty-first time hosting the Championships.

Due mainly to the size of the country, the Australian Championships are held every two years. The competition was promoted by the Federation University Australia Pipe Band (formerly the University of Ballarat Pipe Band. The next Australian Championships will be held at Knox Grammar School in Sydney in October 2016.

Medley
1st Western Australia Police (1,2,1,1)
2nd Queensland Highlanders (2,1,3,2)
3rd Moorabin City (3,3,2,3)
Judges: Robert Mathieson, Brian Switalla (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Brian Niven (ensemble)

MSR
1st Queensland Highlanders (1,1,1,2)
2nd Western Australia Police (2,2,3,1)
3rd Moorabin City (3,3,2,3)
Judges: Nat Russell, June McLeish (piping); Ross Levy (drumming); Viv Riley (ensemble)

Grade 2 (three competed)
Overall
1st The Pipe Band Club
2nd St. Andrew’s
3rd Hawthorn City
4th City of Adelaide
Drumming: The Pipe Band Club

Medley
1st The Pipe Band Club (1,2,1,2)
2nd St. Andrew’s (2,1,3,4)
3rd Hawthorn City (4,4,2,1)
4th City of Adelaide (3,3,4,3)
Judges: Nat Russell, June McLeish (piping); Ross Levy (drumming); Viv Riley (ensemble)

MSR
1st The Pipe Band Club (1,1,1,1)
2nd City of Adelaide (ens pref) (3,3,4,2)
3rd St. Andrew’s (ens pref) (4,2,3,3)
4th Hawthorn City (2,4,2,4)
Judges: Robert Mathieson, Brian Switalla (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Brian Niven (ensemble)

Grade 3 (six competed)
Overall
1st Scotch College Melbourne
2nd Federation University Australia
3rd Williamstown
Drumming: Federation University Australia

Medley
1st Scotch College Melbourne (1,1,2,1)
2nd Federation University Australia (3,3,1,2)
3rd Williamstown (2,2,6,3)
Judges: Nat Russell, June McLeish (piping); Ross Levy (drumming); Viv Riley (ensemble)

MSR
1st Federation University Australia (ens pref) (4,4,1,1)
2nd Williamstown (1,1,6,2)
3rd City of Melbourne (2,3,3,3)
Judges: Robert Mathieson, Brian Switalla (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Brian Niven (ensemble)

Grade 4 (nine competed)
Overall
1st Hawkesbury Nepean No. 2
2nd Scottish Society of New Zealand
3rd Golden City
Drumming: Hawkesbury Nepean No. 2

Medley
1st Scottish Society of New Zealand (2,1,3,1)
2nd Knox Grammar School (1,2,2,5)
3rd Hawkesbury Nepean No. 2 (1,2,2,5)
Judges: Nat Russell, June McLeish (piping); Ross Levy (drumming); Viv Riley (ensemble)

Selection of Marches
1st Hawkesbury Nepean No. 2 (1,1,1,2)
2nd Golden City (3,4,2,3)
3rd Frankston RSL (2,2,5,5)
Judges: Robert Mathieson, Brian Switalla (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Brian Niven (ensemble)

Juvenile (five competed)
Overall
1st Scotch College Melbourne
2nd Haileybury
3rd Scots College NSW
Drumming: Scotch College & Scots College (tie)

Medley
1st Scotch College Melbourne (1,1,1,1)
2nd Knox Grammar (3,2,3,3)
3rd Haileybury (2,3,5,2)
Judges: Nat Russell, June McLeish (piping); Ross Levy (drumming); Viv Riley (ensemble)

Selection of Marches
1st Scotch College Melbourne (1,1,2,1)
2nd Scots College NSW (3,3,1,2)
3rd Haileybury (2,2,4,3)
Judges: Robert Mathieson, Brian Switalla (piping); Jim Baxter (drumming); Brian Niven (ensemble)