PBNews

Manawatu wins Turakina

Liam — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:53:44 +0000

Manawatu Scottish Society claimed the Turakina Highland Games in the weekend, pipping NZ Police at the post in both Piping and Drumming. More results available in the read more section.

Noel (Teen) Cameron Cup	Youth Pipe Band	Manawatu Junior Pipe Band
A L Grant Trophy	Grade 4 Medley	Scots College Pipe Band
Wilson Family Trophy	Grade 4 Set	Scots College Pipe Band
Stirling Trophy	Grade 3 Medley	Manawatu Development Pipe Band Pipes & Drums of Horowhenua
Nancy Rhodes Trophy	Grade 3 Set	Manawatu Scottish Development Pipe Band
Phoenix Wine & Spirits Co. Trophy	Grade 1 Medley	Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band
Jock Fitchet Trophy	Grade 1 Set	Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band
Hillary Glasgow Memorial	Drum Corp	Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band
K McMillan Trophy	Bass Selection	Feilding & District Pipe Band
Tullochgorum Trophy	Ensemble	Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band
D & K Fitchet Cup	Premier Band	Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band

Stuart and Shelley Easton

Liam — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:43:19 +0000

PBNews congratulates Stuart Easton and Shelley Easton (nee Reid) on their marriage in the weekend.

Over 200 descend on Christchurch for National Summer School

Liam — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:56:45 +0000

Over 200 pipers and drummers will descend on Christchurch for 2010 National Summer School, held at Christchurch Boys High School over the next week.The School features World Champions J Reid Maxwell and Jack Lee, as well as piping and drumming specialists from throughout the country. For the first time, the Summer School will include a Drum Majors seminar, run by Stuart McHale.

PBNews will be at the Summer School, and will bring you the latest information from there as it unfolds.

Jim Fraser QSM

Liam — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:40:46 +0000

Jim Fraser QSM, stalwart of the Canterbury Pipe Band Scene and a friend to all members of the Pipe Band community, passed away on Tuesday. Jim was awarded the Queens Service Medal in the 2010 New Years Honours list, just days before his untimely death.

Jim’s funeral will be on Wednesday the 13th of January, at Rangi Ruru, starting at 1pm. Our thoughts go out to Francie, Michelle and Bruce and the rest of his family.

Prizes split at Waipu

Liam — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 08:14:41 +0000

Stuart Easton was the eventual winner of the annual New Years Day Waipu Highland Games, after four different competitors took an event each.Stuart Easton, Stewart McKenzie, Iain Robertson and Martin Frewen won one event each in the Open/A Grade, with Stuart Easton overall winning the aggregate.

Open 2/4 March - Martin Frewen
Open Hornpipe & Jig - Iain Robertson
Open Piobaireachd - Stuart Easton
Open MSR - Stewart MacKenzie

Helen MacGregor Memorial Medley - Stuart Easton
Open Aggregate - Stuart Easton

The judge for all events was Greg Wilson.
William Rowe won the B Grade.

Seasons Greetings from PBNews

Liam — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:54:30 +0000

PBNews wishes all those in the piping and pipe band fraternities Seasons Greetings. 2010 is expected to be a big year for New Zealand Piping, with the National Championships in Masterton expected to be the most competitive in years.The Easter Highland Games in Hastings is expected to draw several pipers to the New Zealand Championships, with the Gold Medal, New Zealand Championship and North Island Championship Piobaireachd all on the same day. The Gold Medal and Clasp are now all own choice, which reportedly has enticed many retired players to come back and compete.

The World Championships will see two New Zealand Bands in the Qualifier - The Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band under the new direction of Richard Hawke and James Laughlin, and the Auckland and Districts Pipe Band under Martin Frewen and Glenn Millar. Both bands will vie for one of the top spots.

January 2010 will also see PBNews review the Decade that Was, and announce their picks - with help from several notable names - for the best bands, solo players, and events of the decade.

From everyone who has contributed to PBNews this year, we wish everyone in the piping and pipe band community a happy New Year, and an excellent 2010.

Manawatu win 9th straight Palmerston North Square Day

Liam — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:05:26 +0000

Manawatu Scottish Society Pipe Band won their 9th Palmerston North Square Day Grade 1 Aggregate on Saturday, on a day that was a test for every band in attendance.

Every Grade 1 band in New Zealand was in attendance, and all spent most of the day avoiding the high winds. The MSR was won by Manawatu Scottish, with Auckland and Districts and Canterbury Caledonian Society tied in points, with Auckland and Districts nudging Canterbury Caledonian into 3rd place.

In the Medley, Canterbury Caledonian prevailed over Manawatu and Auckland and Districts.

Manawatu won the championship by one point over Canterbury Caledonian, with Auckland and Districts taking the ensemble prize and third place overall. New Zealand Police, after their winning performance at Victoria Square, finished 4th, with the drum corps once again taking the title. City of Blacktown finished in 5th place.

Grade 1 MSR

1st - Manawatu Socttish (1,1,2,5)

2nd - Auckland and Districts (4,2,1,3)

3rd - Canterbury Caledonian (2,3,3,2)

4th - NZ Police (3,4,4,1)

5th - City of Blacktown (5,5,5,4)

Judges - A Hanning, B Eade (Piping), S Young (Ensemble), R Levy (Drumming)

Grade 1 Medley

1st - Canterbury Caledonian (4,2,1,2)

2nd - Manawatu Scottish (1,1,3,4)

3rd - Auckland and Districts (3,3,2,3)

4th - NZ Police (2,4,4,1)

5th - City of Blacktown (5,5,5,5)

Judges - N Foster, D Pierce (Piping), G Bilsland (Ensemble), J. Reid Maxwell (Drumming)

New Zealand Police storm Victoria Square

Liam — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:04:16 +0000

The New Zealand Police Pipe Band took away the aggregate Grade 1 Prize at Victoria Square in the weekend, heading off the local band Canterbury Caledonian Society.In Grade 2, newly promoted City of Invercargill Pipe Band pipped St Andrews College at the post. City of Invercargill is under the new leadership of Pipe Major Alasdair McKenzie (Scottish Power) and Soctt Birrell (Boghall and Bathgate). Grade 3 was won by John McGlashan College, and Grade 4 was taken out by the South Canterbury Pipe Band - formerly the City of Timaru Pipe Band. St Andrews won the Juvenile Grade for the third year in a row.

Grade 1 MSR

1st - Canterbury Caledonian Society (2,1,1,1)

2nd - New Zealand Police Pipe Band (1,2,2,2)

Grade 1 Medley

1st - New Zealand Police Pipe Band (1,1,1,1)

2nd - Canterbury Caledonian Society (2,2,2,2)

Grade 1 Drumming - Canterbury Caledonian Society (MSR Preference)

Grade 1 Ensemble - Canterbury Caledonian Society (MSR Preference)

Grade 1 Overall - New Zealand Police

Grade 2 MSR

1st - City of Invercargill (2,1,1,2)

2nd - St Andrews College (1,2,2,1)

Grade 2 Medley

1st - City of Invercargil (2,1,1,1)

2nd - St Andrews College (1,2,2,2)

Grade 2 Drumming - St Andrews College

Grade 2 Ensemble - City of Invercargill

Grade 2 Overall - City of Invercargill

Full results available here.

SFU pull out of New Zealand Tour

Liam — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:07:25 +0000

The World Champion Pipe Band, Simon Fraser University, have pulled out of their proposed New Zealand trip. This was supposed to be their second trip to New Zealand, after a successful concert in 2001. It is reported that numbers able to make the trip was the main factor in not being able to attend.

A Grade, Clasp & Silver Chanter 2009 - Brendon Eade

Liam — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:06:19 +0000

Brendon Eade from Hamilton this weekend completed a rare triple, winning not only the prestigious Silver Chanter, but the A Grade and the Former Winners Clasp in the same weekend.

Brendon captured the Open NZ Piobaireachd Championship, the A Grade Strathspey and Reel, and the A Grade 2/4 March. Jono Quay (Melbourne) won the New Zealand Championship Strathspey and Reel, with Ben McLaughlin winning the A Grade Hornpipe and Jig.

In the B Grade, Richard Cox took most points, with George Stick winning most points C Grade. Callum Fraser won most points D Grade.

Willie Rowe won the William Boyle Under 21 Championships this year, with wins at Waipu and a second at Christchurch to take the prize.

The Silver Chanter was won this year by Brendon Eade, with Jono Quay finishing closely behind in second. Ben McLaughlin placing third. Brendon went on to finish his extraordinary weekend with a win in the Clasp, with Stuart Easton and Jamie Hawke finishing the prizes.

Silver Chanter

1st Brendon Eade

2nd Jono Quay

3rd Ben Mclaughlin

Judges: Jim McGillivray, Alistair Munro, Lewis Turrell

Clasp (MMSSRR)

1st Brendon Eade

2nd Stuart Easton

3rd Jamie Hawke

Judges: Jim McGillivray, Alistair Munro, Lewis Turrell

Open Piobaireachd

1st Brendon Eade, “The Old Men of the Shells”

2nd Stuart Easton

3rd Daniel Milosavljeic

Judges: Jim McGillivray, Alistair Munro

Strathspey & Reel

1st Jono Quay

2nd Stuart Easton

3rd Brendon Eade

Hornpipe & Jig

1st Ben Mclaughlin

2nd Stuart Easton

3rd Brendon Eade

2/4 March

1st Brendon Eade

2nd Jono Quay

3rd Stuart Easton