Drum major Jamie (15) wins World Title

Jamie Cupples (15) from Richhill was crowned Juvenile Drum Major World Champion and Scottish Champion of Champions at the recent World Championships in Glasgow.

The Portadown College student is a member of the Co Armagh Drum Major Class under tutor Andrea Gibson.

It has been a fantastic year for Jamie as these titles are added to those of UK Champion and Northern Ireland Champion of Champion titles he has already won in 2018.

His dad, Alan is also involved in the local pipe band scene and told the Times that Jamie has been interested since he was very young.

Alan said: “He has been competing now for about seven years, he has walked with me in my own band since the age of two.

“This is Jamie’s first year at the Juvenile grade, having already competed at a Junior Level, where he was World Champion twice. It’s been a good year, he has done very well.

“He does work very hard. Andrea Gibson runs the County Armagh Drum Major Class and she has been teaching him. He has also been working closely with Jason Price, one of the seniors.”

“This is the third world champion title in the last four years, two Junior titles and one Juvenile.”

Jamie is a member of Mackenzie Caledonian Pipe Band who are from Dundee. Alan added: “The band he is registered with are Mackenzie Caledonian from Dundee. All the drum majors that are competing have to be registered with a band. We got to know some of the guys out of Mackenzie and they asked him last year would he register with them.

“They flew him over to a concert in Dundee, they were performing to mark their 100th anniversary in February. There’s five major contests in the calendar and he would lead them at these events.”

With a positive start to life as a drum major, the future looks bright for the Richhill lad.

Alan said: “He still has another three years of juvenile grade so you never know after that he will go into the senior grade.

“He’s coming into GCSE year this year, so as long as he keeps the right balance he should be okay.”