The Simon Fraser University Pipe Band finished in fifth place at the world championships in Scotland on Aug. 15.
That’s better than last year when the local pipers placed sixth overall.
“We really upped our game this year, and between the qualifier and finals, had four really strong performances,” pipe major Alan Bevan said in a press release. “We’re back in the top six, which was really important for us, and we’ll be working to climb even further next year.”
Band manager Rob MacNeil noted this year’s contest was fierce among the top contenders in many of the judging categories, with a number of ties and close results leading to the final scores.
A total of 8,000 pipers and drummers from 230 pipe bands played on Glasgow Green over two days. It’s estimated that around 40,000 people attended the event.
For the first time in a decade, a Scottish band, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia, took the top prize.
The SFU band is a household name in Scotland, having been one of the world’s top pipe bands for more than 30 years, finishing in the top three more than 20 times. The group brought home the championship title in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2009.
