Northern Meeting 2026 Day 2: Beaumont wins Clasp; Bonar wins A-Grade MSR; A-HP&J: Liddell; B-HP&J goes to Knichel

Inverness, Scotland – September 4, 2026 – Callum Beaumont of Guardbridge, Scotland, won the 2026 Clasp, the most prestigious non-invitational award in the solo piping world. It was his sixth win (2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2026). Well short of 40 years old, he is on track to top the great Donald MacPherson’s record of nine Clasps.

Beaumont joins Chris Armstrong (Silver Star winner); Calum Brown (Inverness Gold Medal); Alasdair Henderson (Masters winner); Finlay Johnston (Bratach Gorm winner and FWMSR Oban winner); Stuart Liddell (Glenfiddich 2025 and 2025 London Champion); Sean McKeown (Oban Gold Medal winner); Iain Speirs (second in the Oban Senior Piobaireachd); and Greg Wilson (Senior Piobaireachd winner).

Because of duplicated invitation qualifications, the second prizewinner in the Clasp is next in line: Alan Bevan of Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Cameron Bonar of Surrey, British Columbia, won the A-Grade MSR, thus becoming eligible for the Silver Star Former Winners MSR at Inverness beginning in 2027. Bonar’s Pacific Northwest contemporary, Argyllshire Gathering Silver Medallist Zepahn Knichel, won the B-Grade Hornpipe & Jig, likely catapulting him into all things A-Grade in 2027.

Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland, won his seventh (2009, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2025, 2026), Hornpipe & Jig for Premier and A-Grade pipers.

In the Juniors, 16-year-old Lachlan Rennie of Broughty Ferry, Scotland, won both the Piobaireachd and MSR in the under-18 category

Also competing: Chris Armstrong, Glasgow; Angus D. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland; Andrew Hayes, Nepean, Ontario; Alasdair Henderson, Edinburgh; Jack Lee, Surrey, British Columbia; Stuart Liddell, Inveraray, Scotland; Colin MacLellan, Edinburgh.

A-Grade MSR (37 entries accepted)
1st Cameron Bonar, “Jimmy Young,” “The Cameronian Rant,” “John Morrison, Assynt House”
2nd Connor Sinclair
3rd Ross Conner, Campbeltown, Scotland
4th Bradley Parker, Chapelhall, Scotland
5th Alastair Lee, Surrey, British Columbia
Judges: Peter Hunt, Ronnie McShannon, Bob Worrall

Also competing: Bobby Allen, Glasgow; Calum Brown, Peterculter, Scotland; Glenn Brown, Glasgow; Gordon Bruce, Kilwinning, Scotland; Sandy Cameron; Greig Canning, Kirkcaldy, Scotland; Andrew Carlisle, Pittsburgh; Seumas Coyne, Glendale, California; John Dew, Glasgow; Andrew Donlon, Washington, DC; Stuart Easton, Palmerston North, New Zealand; Michael Fitzhenry, Glasgow; Jamie Forrester, Haddington, Scotland; Jenny Hazzard, Edinburgh; Liam Kernaghan, Wellington, New Zealand; Steven Leask, East Kilbride, Scotland; Alastair Lee, Surrey, British Columbia; Angus J. MacColl, Benderloch, Scotland; Cameron MacDougall, Orange, New Jersey; Peter Macgregor, Dunfermline, Scotland; Cameron May, Lesmahagow, Scotland; Ben McClamrock, Washington, DC; James MacHattie, Summerside, Prince Edward Island; Sean McKeown, Bowmanville, Ontario; Derek Midgley, Tinton Falls, New Jersey; Callum Moffat, Lockerbie, Scotland; Craig Muirhead, Stirling, Scotland; Innes Smith, Sheriffmuir, Scotland; Darach Urquhart, Glasgow; Calum Watson, Bathgate, Scotland; Brodie Watson-Massey, Edinburgh; Campbell Wilson, Czech Republic; and Callum Wynd, Dunblane, Scotland.

Premier/A-Grade Hornpipe & Jig (51 entries accepted)
1st Stuart Liddell, “Raigmore,” “The Jig of  Slurs”
2nd Cameron Bonar
3rd Ross Conner
4th Alasdair Henderson, Edinburgh
5th Calum Brown, Peterculter, Scotland
Judges: Lewis Barclay, Robert Barnes, Murray Henderson

Also competing: Bobby Allen; Callum Beaumont; Alan Bevan; ; Gordon Bruce; Sandy Cameron; Greig Canning; Andrew Carlisle; Seumas Coyne; John Dew; Andrew Donlon; Cameron Drummond; Ben Duncan; Brendan Eade; Stuart Easton; Michael Fitzhenry; Jamie Forrester; Alex Gandy; Bruce Gandy; Andrew Hayes; Jenny Hazzard; Nick Hudson; Liam Kernaghan; Steven Leask; Alastair Lee; Angus D. MacColl; Angus J. MacColl; Ian K. MacDonald; Cameron MacDougall; Cameron May; Ben McClamrock; James MacHattie; Sean McKeown; Derek Midgley; Fred Morrison; Sarah Muir; Craig Muirhead; Douglas Murray; Bradley Parker; Connor Sinclair; Innes Smith; Iain Speirs; Calum Watson; Brodie Watson-Massey; Campbell Wilson; Greg Wilson; and Callum Wynd

B-Grade Hornpipe & Jig (39 entries accepted)
1st Zephan Knichel
2nd Ruairidh Brown, Dunblane, Scotland
3rd Liam Nicolson, Melbourne
4th Joe Biggs, Ajax, Ontario
5th Anna Kummerlöw, Kladrum Germany
Judges: Jimmy Banks, Ian Duncan, Patricia Henderson

Also competing: Fraser Allison; Keith Bowes; Alistair Brown; Eireann Cameron; Kyle Cameron; Callum Carn; Joshua Chandler; Kristopher Coyle; Callum Davidson; Jacob Dicker; Piers Dover; Bobby Durning; Jamie Elder; Andrew Ferguson; James Frazer; Edward Gaul; Norman Gillies; Andrew Hall; ; Dan Lyden; Cameron MacLeod; Angus MacPhee; James McPetrie; Ross Miller; Hector Munro; Daniel Nevans; Louis Newman; Angus Nicolson; Matt Pantaleoni; Andrew Pattison; Ryan Praskovich; Michael Rogers; Jonathon Simpson; Andrew Smith; Jack Williamson

Juniors

Younger than 18
Piobaireachd
1st Lachlan Rennie, Broughty Ferry, Scotland
2nd Morla Bruce, Alexandria, Scotland
3rd Arthur MacKay, Livingston, Scotland
4th Rory Cairns, Edinburgh
Judges: Alan Forbes, Bill Wotherspoon

Also competing: Hugh Anderson, Tobermory, Scotland; Alasdair Bullock, Lochawe, Scotland; Oscar Butler, Clochan, Scotland; Callan Erskine, Perth, Scotland; Kai Hay, Buckhaven, Scotland; Grace Kelman, Inverness, Scotland; Aiden Low, Kelty, Scotland; Charlie Mack, Port Seton, Scotland; Lorne McIntyre, Haddington, Scotland; Rory Menzies, Aberdeen, Scotland; Harris Morford, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland; Lily Robertson, Oban, Scotland; and James Silcock, Falkirk, Scotland

March, Strathspey & Reel
1st Lachlan Rennie
2nd Arthur MacKay
3rd Rory Menzies
4th Grace Kelman
Judges: Mike Cusack, Donald MacPhee

Also competing: Hugh Anderson; Morla Bruce; Alistair Bullock, Lochawe; Oscar Butler; Callan Erskine; Kai Hay; Aiden Low; Charlie Mack; Lorne McIntyre; Harris Morford; Lily Robertson; and James Silcock.

Younger than 15

Piobaireachd
1st Seota Nakano-Tang
2nd Mirren Silver, Inverness, Scotland
3rd Rory Forbes, Edinburgh
4th Larry Presslie, Aberdeen, Scotland
Judges: Mike Cusack, Donald MacPhee

Also competing: Cailean Acamovic, Prestonpans, Scotland; Harper Cheyne, Inverurie, Scotland; Adam Fersia, Edinburgh; Jack Folan, Perth, Scotland; Archie Leonard, Edinburgh; and Travis McKenna-Johnston, Annan, Scotland.

March, Strathspey & Reel
1st Rory Forbes
2nd Larry Presslie
3rd Jack Folan
4th Seota Nakano-Tang
Judges: Mike Cusack, Donald MacPhee

Also competing: Cailean Acamovic; Harper Cheyne; Adam Fersia; Archie Leonard; Travis McKenna-Johnston; and Mirren Silver.