Steven McWhirter: 2022 World Solo Drumming Champion – ten straight, eleven overall

Glasgow, October 22, 2022 – After three grueling rounds, Steven McWhirter of Glasgow was named 2022 World Solo Drumming Champion, winning the Adult / 18 and Older category following three rounds of qualifying, culminating in a Final competition comprising MSR and Hornpipe & Jig events held at Glasgow Caledonian University. McWhirter won both the MSR and Hornpipe & Jig events.

It was a record tenth straight World Championship for McWhirter, breaking his own mark, and his eleventh overall title, bringing him within five of the record 16 held by Jim Kilpatrick. Gareth McLees was second for the third time in his career.

It was the first time back for the contest since 2019, the pandemic causing the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 event.

About 450 enthusiasts worldwide tuned in for the live-stream of the event.

World Solo Pipe Band Snare Drumming Championship
1st Steven McWhirter, Inveraray & District
2nd Gareth McLees, Belfast, Field Marshal Montgomery
3rd Mikey McKenna, Ireland, St. Laurence O’Toole
4th William Glenholmes, Cullybackey, Northern Ireland, Lomond & Clyde
5th Derek Cooper, Pennsylvania, Inveraray & District
6th Gavin Orr, Inveraray & District
7th Jake Jørgensen, Edinburgh, ScottishPower
8th Stephen Creighton, Dublin, St. Laurence O’Toole
9th Andrew Lawson, Glasgow, Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia
10th David Henderson, Glasgow, Police Scotland & Federation
11th Eric MacNeill, Dunedin, Florida, City of Dunedin
12th Robert Graham, Vancouver, Simon Fraser University

MSR
1st Steven McWhirter (1,1,3,1)
2nd Gareth McLees (2,2,1,2)
3rd Mikey McKenna (4,5,2,5)
4th Derek Cooper (8,3,5,3)
5th Stephen Creighton (3,4,10,6)
6th William Glenholmes (5,6,6,7)
7th David Henderson (6,7,12,4)
8th Gavin Orr (9,9,4,10)
9th Andrew Lawson (7,10,9,8)
10th Jake Jørgensen (10,8,11,9)
11th Eric MacNeill (11,11,8,11)
12th Robert Graham (12,12,7,12)
Judges: Jim Baxter, Paul Brown, M. Wilson, B. Martin

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Steven McWhirter (2,2,1,1)
2nd William Glenholmes (1,5,2,6)
3rd Mikey McKenna (7,1,5,2)
4th Jake Jørgensen (3,4,8,3)
5th Gavin Orr (6,3,4,5)
6th Gareth McLees (4,6,3,10)
7th Andrew Lawson (5,8,9,4)
8th Derek Cooper (8,10,6,7)
9th Stephen Creighton (12,7,7,8)
10th Robert Graham (11,11,10,9)
11th Eric MacNeill (9,9,12,12)
12th David Henderson (10,12,11,11
Judges: Paul Turner, Arthur Cook, David Brown, Lee Innes

Over the last year, five qualifying competitions were held, four in the UK and one in Florida, from which four from each – 20 total – gained a bye to the second round Semi-Final of 32.

Blair Beaton of the Grade 1 78th Fraser Highlanders won the top-level Juvenile title, while 2019 winner Kerr McQuillan, newly appointed lead-drummer of Grade 1 Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia, was second.

Juvenile 5 (16 and over but under 18 MSR)
1st Blair Beaton
2nd Kerr McQuillan
3rd Jamie Kerr
4th Martin Duguet
5th Arren McWilliams
6th Jack Murdoch
Judges: Lee Innes, I. Lawson

Juvenile 4 (14 and Older but Younger than 16 MSR)
1st Hollie Chalmers
2nd Benjamin Walker
3rd Adam Bell
4th Eleanor White
5th Dylan Gillespie
6th Freddie Somerville
Judges: Stuart Coils, Alex Dudgen

Juvenile 3 (Younger than 13 MSR)
1st Tommi McAndrew
2nd Oliver Burberry
3rd Callum Butler
4th Jamie Coffey
5th Tom Dixon
6th Emily Hough
Judges: Greg Dinsdale, Adrian Hoy

Juvenile 2 (14 and Older and Younger than 18 Novice Juvenile/Grade 4 March)
1st Tiernan Cavenaugh
2nd Calum Nelson
3rd Damon Wright
4th Mark McKendrick
5th Erica Wyse
6th Janey MacLellan
Judges: Jim Baxter, I. Lawson

Juvenile 1 (Younger than 14 Novice Juvenile/Grade 4 March)
1st Robbie Casey
2nd Oliver Stones
3rd Rollo Nickols
4th Ga Yoen Ho
5th Ryan Shi
6th Daniel Farrell
Judges: B. Martin, M. Wilson

Tenor
World Solo Tenor Champion
1st Jordan Bailie
2nd Chelsea Rebecca Wright
3rd Morvan Walker
4th Andrew Elliott
5th Cameron Sinclair
6th Joanna Fairbairn
Judges: Steven McQuillan, G. Smyth, Niall West

Tenor Juvenile A
1st Courtney Burnett
2nd Hollyander Wallace
3rd Eilidh Scott
4th Alan McCulloch
Judges: Steven McQuillan,  G. Smyth

Tenor Juvenile B
1st Rowan Buscher
2nd Lucy Moller
3rd Caley Morrison
4th Olivia Patrick
5th Emma Gilchrist
Judges: S. Muir, C. Rogers

Juvenile C
1st Flora McNab
2nd Erin McRobbie
3rd Emily Gormley
4th Tiffany Shi
Judges: G. Smyth, Niall West

Juvenile D
1st Eleanor White
2nd Grace Thompson
3rd Ruby Kirkwood
4th Jodie Howatt
5th Fion Buchanan
6th Max Milchip
Judges: S. Muir, C. Rogers

Juvenile E
1st Jill Watson
2nd Kali Currie
3rd Davidsonb
4th Elie-Mae Preston
5th Zara Pate
6th Josh Cunningham
Judges: S. Muir, C. Rogers

One-hundred-twenty-two snare drummers and 46 tenor drummers competed in the Adult and Juvenile competitions.

The competition was run by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association with the organization’ usual precision detail.