The prestigious Lochnell Intermediate Piping Championships for professional solo pipers aged under 22 was held on Saturday, October 21, at Lochnell Castle, Benderloch, Argyll.
The overall champion piper with most points in the Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey & Reel sections was Brodie Watson Massey.
As well as receiving the Jimmy McIntosh Memorial Trophy for Piobaireachd, he also received the Royal Scottish Pipers’ Society Bronze Medal and £200.
The full results were as follows:
Piobaireachd
1 Brodie Watson Massey, £120, Lament for Donald Duaghal MacKay
2 Gregor MacDonald, £80, End of the High Bridge
3 Cameron May, £60, Blue Ribbon
4 Ruairidh Brown, £40, Lachlan MacNeill Kintarbert’s Fancy
MSR
1 Ruairidh Brown, £120
2 Brodie Watson Massey £80
3 Cameron May, £60
4 Luke Kennedy, £40
Each competitor received substantial expenses on top of any prize money. The competition was created to celebrate 150 years since the inauguration of the Argyllshire Gathering. This was its third year.
It brought together seven of Scotland’s finest Intermediate players: Ruairidh Brown, Andrew Ferguson, Luke Kennedy, Cameron May, Gregor MacDonald, Bobby Allen, Brodie Watson Massey and, from Australia, Liam Nicholson.
Each piper had to submit four tunes of his own choice, tunes given in the final tuning room.
The event was held in the chapel in Lochnell Castle with the kind permission of the Earl of Dundonald and hosted by his son Lord Archie Cochrane.
The judges for both events were P/M Jimmy Banks MBE, Alasdair Henderson and John Wilson. Fear an Tigh was Robert Wallace.
Sponsors were The Wyfold Charitable Trust, Duncan Louis Stewart Foundation, Alik Campbell of Lochnell, Piobaireachd Society, Andrew Holman of Kilfinichen and the Royal Scottish Pipers Society.