British Solo Drumming Champion 2026: Steven Shedden

Glasgow – August 10, 2026 – The RSPBA’s Glasgow & West of Scotland Branch took advantage of the influx of pipe bands in Scotland for the World Championships by holding the British Solo Drumming Championship at the National Piping Centre’s Otago Street premises, where Australia’s Steven Shedden, leading-drummer of Grade 1 Hawthorn, was victorious.

British Solo Pipe Band Snare Drumming Championship (23 competed)
1st Steven Shedden, Hawthorn (Australia) (2,1)
2nd Gareth McLees, Shotts & Dykehead (Scotland) (1,3)
3rd Craig Lawrie, Uddingston (Scotland) (4,2)
4th Derek Cooper, Ulster Scottish (Northern Ireland) (3,4)
5th Steven Creighton, St. Laurence O’Toole (Ireland) (5,5)
6th Richard Black, Hawthorn (Australia) (6,9) (tie broken by higher placing)
7th Mark McKendrick, Peoples Ford Boghall & Bathgate (Scotland) (8,7)
8th Hamish Wallace, Hawthorn (Australia) (7,8)
9th Glen Creighton, St. Laurence O’Toole (Ireland) (13,6)
10th Edward Roxburgh, Hawthorn (Australia) (9,12)
11th Elizabeth Shaw, Royal Burgh Annan (Scotland) (11,13)
12th Hollie Chalmers, Shotts & Dykehead (Scotland) (16,10)
13th Blair Logan, Uddingston (Scotland) (17,11) (tie broken by higher placing)
14th Kaitlyn Braithwaite, Pipe Band Club (Australia) (14,14)
15th Sebastain Potgieter, Celtic (New Zealand) (12,17)
16th John Murphy, Carrigaline (Ireland) (10,20) (tie broken by higher placing)
17th Angus Jones, Hawthorn (Australia) (15,15)
18th Luca Damiani, City of Dunedin (New Zealand) (21,16) (tie broken by higher placing)
19th Aaron Jess, Ravara (Northern Ireland) (18,19)
20th Gwen Blanchard, Scottish Power (Scotland) (20,18)
21st Duncan McPherson, St. Thomas Alumni (Canada) (19,21)
22nd Craig Shanks, Coalburn IOR (Scotland) (22,22)
23rd Arran McGowan, Kilbarchan (Scotland) (23,23)
Judges: Paul Turner, Arthur Cook

The top four finishers qualify for the Semi-Final of the 2026 World Solo Pipe Band Snare Drumming Championship in October, but because Stephen Creighton, Glen Creighton, McKendrick, Shedden, Shaw, and Wallace had already qualified at previous events, Black, Chalmers, Cooper, Lawrie, McLees and Roxburgh go through.

Those now qualified for 2026 World Solos Semi-Final:

• Blair Beaton
• Douglas Bilsland
• Richard Black
• Blair Brown
• Darren Brown
• Alex Buchanan
• Hollie Chalmers
• Davy Clark
• Derek Cooper
• Stephen Creighton
• Glen Creighton
• Ashley Fyffe
• William Glenholmes
• Robert Graham
• Jake Jørgensen
• Conor Lawlor
• Craig Lawrie
• Cameron Lawson
• Eric MacNeill
• Ewan McDonald
• Mark McKendrick
• Mark McKendrick
• Gareth McLees
• Kerr McQuillan
• Steven McWhirter
• Arren McWilliams
• Michael O’Rourke
• William Pastor
• Edward Roxburgh
• Elizabeth Shaw
• Matthew Shaw
• Shane Stapleton
• Hamish Wallace

The competition is the seventh in the RSPBA’s eight-event league season, culminating at the World Solos, to determine a Solo Drumming Champion of Champions for the year based on total points accrued over the eight contests.