McWhirter captures a second World Solo Drumming Championship (video)

Glasgow – October 22, 2011 – Steven McWhirter, Leading-Drummer of the Grade 1 Inveraray & District Pipe Band, captured his second World Solo Drumming Championship title at the annual RSPBA-run contest at Glasgow Caledonian University.

McWhirter was placed first in both the MSR and Hornpipe & Jig sections for a commanding victory. ScottishPower Leading-Drummer Barry Wilson, who had won the award for the past four years in succession, settled for third, while Blair Brown of Simon Fraser University had his best finish ever with a second-prize overall.

The top-six in the aggregate prize list featured four  five past winners of the championship. McWhirter won his first World Solo Drumming Championship in 2006.

Following is video of Steven McWhirter performing with Inveraray & District Pipe-Major Stuart Liddell at the Pipes+Drums Recital at the Piping Live! Glasgow International Festival of Piping on August 10, 2011.

Adult Section Overall
1st Steven McWhirter8
2nd Blair Brown
3rd Barry Wilson
4th Gordon Brown, Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia
5th Jim Kilpatrick, House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead
6th Stephen Creighton, St. Laurence O’Toole

MSR
1st Steven McWhirter
2nd Gordon Brown
3rd Blair Brown
4th Barry Wilson
5th Jim Kilpatrick
6th Stephen Creighton

Judges: Alistair Aitken, Jim Baxter, David Brown

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Steven McWhirter8
2nd Blair Brown
3rd Barry Wilson
4th Jim Kilpatrick
5th Gordon Brown
6th Chris McNicholl, Strathclyde Police

Judges: Arthur Cook, Ciaran Mordaunt, Paul Turner

Also in the Adult Final but not in the prizes were, in order of finish in the aggregate: Aaron McCarten, Field Marshal Montgomery; Eric Ward, Strathclyde Police; Reid Maxwell, Simon Fraser University; Gavin Noade, Field Marshal Montgomery; and Andrew Lawson, House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead.

Seventy-one drummers competed in the grueling event, which comprised three first-round heats and two second round heats before the 12-contestant Final.