Summer of victories for Magherafelt girl

Fourteen-year-old Abigail added the All-Ireland Championship at New Ross to her collection of wins earlier this month.

She also won the UK Championship in Belfast on June 16 and the European Championship on June 30.

Her father, Kyle, this week said it had been a hectic few months for the family but very rewarding.

“For the rest of the season Abigail is continuing with her practice and plans to compete in the remaining major championships of the season,” he said.

At the end of this month she will be in competing in the Scottish Championships at Dumbarton.

Then, on Saturday, August 18, the teenager is in action at the World Championship in Glasgow.

This is Abigail’s final year in the Junior Drum Major grade and next season she will move to the Juvenile grade.

She is a member of the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonian Pipe Band - a grade one band from Shotts in the North Lanarkshire region of Scotland.

The band has won the World Pipe Band Championships sixteen times.

Her two brothers, Marcus and Matthew, are members of the same band, and are championship drummers.

Abigail had been in their shadow for some years but now she has started to make an impact at the major competitions around the UK and Ireland.

She is looking forward to travelling over to Russia to take part in the annual International Military Music Festival will be held on Red Square, Moscow, at the end of August.

Kyle said they were hopeful Abigail will continue to improve when she goes to Junior grade.

The whole Wenlock family is involved in the pipe band scene and look forward to attending competitions and renewing old acquaintances.

Kyle is a former drummer with Tamlaght O’Crilly Pipe Band who ‘retired’ from the pipe band scene in 2014

However, he still provides advise and encouragement to his three children and, perhaps more importantly, drives them in the family camper van to competitions in Ireland and the UK.