2014 Sherriff Memorial Champion: Liam Hilder

Hamilton, Ontario – November 15, 2014 – Liam Hilder of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, gained the 2014 George Sherriff Memorial Amateur Invitational Solo Piping Championship with a first in the 6/8 March, and thirds in the Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey & Reel events. The Sean Regan won the Piobaireachd, while Kevin McLean took the MSR. It was the nineteenth annual Sherriff Memorial, this year’s event at held at St. Paul’s United Church. The contest is staged by the Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario and put on by a team of volunteers led by organizer Bob Worrall. The competitions is supported by many sponsors, including pipes|drums.

Liam Hilder received a full set of engraved pipes from McCallum Bagpipes, airfare to compete in Scotland. Regan was awarded a complete bound Piobaireachd Society Collection from Scott’s Highland Services. For winning the MSR, McLean got a new blackwood Henderson chanter from R.G. Hardie.

In October, Liam Hilder also won the overall award at the Nicol-Brown Amateur Invitational, completing a rare double in one year of the world’s two top amateur solo piping competitions.

Overall

1st Liam Hilder

2nd Kevin McLean, Maple Ridge, British Columbia

3rd Sean Regan, Woodstock, Virginia

Piobaireachd

1st Sean Regan, “Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon”

2nd Kevin McLean, “The Red Speckled Bull”

3rd Liam Hilder, “The Piper’s Warning to His Master”

4th James Dyson, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, “MacCrimmon’s Sweetheart”

5th Tyler Bridge, Guelph, Ontario, “Tullach Ard”

MSR

1st Kevin McLean, “John MacDonald of Glencoe,” “”The Ewe wi’ the Crookit Horn,” “The Smith of Chillichassie”

2nd Andrew Hutton, Brantford, Ontario, “Major Manson’s March to Clachantrushal,” “Lady Loudon,” “The Brown-Haired Maid”

3rd Liam Hilder, “The Hills of South Uist,” “Delvinside,” “The Sheepwife”

4th Tyler Bridge, “Mrs. John MacColl,” “The Ewe wi’ the Crookit Horn,” “Lt.-Col. DJS Murray”

5th Kaitlin Kimove, Stoney Creek, Ontario, “Inveran,” “Tulloch Castle,” “The Cockerel in the Creel”

6/8 March

1st Liam Hilder, “Fairview Cottage,” “The Trees of North Uist”

2nd James Dyson, “Dornoch Highland Gathering,” “All the Blue Bonnets Are Over the Border”

3rd Tyler Bridge, “Bonawe Highlanders,” “Dundee City Police Pipe Band”

4th Sean Regan, “Dr. Ross’s 50th Welcome to the Argyllshire Gathering”

5th Tyler Harris, St. Catharines, Ontario, “MacLeod of Mull,” “Cameron MacFadyen”

Also competing but not in the prizes were Andrew Hahn, Valley Center, California, and Jack Williamson, Topeka, Kansas.

Judges for all of the events were Andrew Berthoff, Toronto; Patricia Henderson, Kirriemuir, Scotland; and Iain MacDonald, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Stay tuned to pipes|drums for videos from the MSR competition.