FOUR young pipers from Ardrossan Academy took third place in the Scottish Schools Championships in Kilmarnock at the weekend.

Cameron Smith, Eilidh Dunwoodie, Eilidh Dunbar and Leesa Dunwoodie, all members of the Caledonian Piping Club, were delighted by the excellent result in Sunday's competition at William McIlvanney Academy.

They were part of only two teams to represent North Ayrshire at the big event.

Gerard McClumpha, leading piper at the club said: "We are a small group, with very limited competition experience in comparison to all our other competitors.

"But with hard work and dedicated listening to the voices of experience around them, they pulled off a fantastic 'win', for them, at the event, which was organised by the Scottish Schools Piping and Drumming Trust.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: Caledonian Piping Club

"They were competing against more established schools like St Ninian's High School, East Dumbarton Region and others, all of whom have top rated individual solo players or top grade band pipers as tutors, sometimes practising on a daily basis.

"We are but minnows in a big pool, so to come away with anything is a great achievement.

"Our third place also a marked progression from last year's event, when we were fourth.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald: The pipers with North Ayrshire Provost Anthea DicksonThe pipers with North Ayrshire Provost Anthea Dickson (Image: Caledonian Piping Club)

"But we also had to overcome a couple of hurdles recently, with the loss of one of our better players, and the fact I was unable to take the quartet on to compete, due to still recovering from serious injury.

"They were on their own and stood up when required."

Well done to the pipers!