(Updated) Inveraray wins Virginia Championship

Norfolk, Virginia – April 23, 2016 – The first Virginia International Tattoo American Pipe Band Championships were won by Inveraray & District in Grade 1, and Metro New York in Grade 2. The contest was held at Scope Plaza in downtown Norfolk in cool but mostly sunny conditions, until there was a severe weather warning with sudden 50 mph winds, and half-inch hail stones predicted, so the plaza was evacuated and the Grade 1 Medley was held in the Scope Arena. The closing massed bands were able to be held outdoors after the storm.​

A total of eight bands, four each in Grade 1 and Grade 2, competed in the events, which were part of the well-established Virginia International Tattoo, at which the bands had performed throughout the week. It was the first contest for new Metro New York Pipe-Major Matthew Welch.

The competition doubled the usual number of judges for each event. The contest was not officially sanctioned by any pipe band association but, according to Andrew Carlisle, the head of the piping degree program at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh and a member of the Grade 1 Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band and who was in charge of appointing the judges, the competition was “strongly supported by the EUSPBA and Dan Cole (president) had been involved from day one of the planning process, but we opted not to be sanctioned.” Half of the judges are competing members of Grade 1 bands, including David Hilder, the Pipe-Major of Dowco-Triumph Street. Organizers did not disclose the judges until the day before the competition.

Inveraray competed with North American pipers in its ranks, including Andrew Douglas, Eric Ouelette, both formerly of the Grade 1 Stuart Highlanders, and former Spirit of Scotland member Jim McGillivray.

Grade 1
Overall
1st Inveraray & District ($US$2500)
2nd Police Scotland Fife ($1000)
3rd Toronto Police ($500)
Best Drum Corps: Inveraray & District
Best Piping: Inveraray & District

Medley
1st Inveraray & District (1,1,1,1; 1,1; 1,1)
2nd Police Scotland Fife (2,2,3,2; 2,2; 2,2)
3rd Toronto Police (4,3,2,4; 4,4; 3,3)
4th Peel Regional Police (3,4,4,3; 3,3; 4,4)
Judges: Andrew Carlisle, Ian Duncan, Ken Eller, Nat Russell (piping); Jon Quigg, Mark Wilson (drumming); Michael Grey, David Hilder (ensemble)

MSR
1st Inveraray & District (1,1,1,1; 2,1; 1,1)
2nd Police Scotland Fife (2,2,2,2; 1,2; 2,2)
3rd = Peel Regional Police (3,4,4,3; 3,4; 4,3) / Toronto Police (4,3,3,4; 4,3; 3,4)
Judges: Andrew Carlisle, Ian Duncan, David Hilder, Nat Russell (piping); Jon Quigg, Mark Wilson (drumming); Ken Eller, Michael Grey (ensemble)

Grade 2
Overall
1st New York Metro ($2500)
2nd MacMillan ($1000)
3rd Great Lakes ($500)
Best Drum Corps: MacMillan
Best Piping: New York Metro

Grade 2
Medley
1st New York Metro (3,1,1,1; 2,2; 1,1)
2nd MacMillan (1,4,3,2; 3,1; 4,3)
3rd Midlothian Scottish (2,3,2,3; 4.4; 3,2)
4th Great Lakes (4,2,4,4; 1,3; 2,4)
Judges: Andrew Carlisle, Ian Duncan, David Hilder, Nat Russell (piping); Jon Quigg, Mark Wilson (drumming); Ken Eller, Michael Grey (ensemble)

MSR
1st New York Metro (1,1,1,1; 2,2; 1,1)
2nd MacMillan (3,2,3,2; 1,1; 2,3)
3rd Great Lakes (2,3,2,4; 3,3; 4,4)
4th Midlothian Scottish (4,4,4,3; 4,4; 3,2)
Judges: Andrew Carlisle, Ian Duncan, Michael Grey, David Hilder (piping); Jon Quigg, Mark Wilson (drumming); Ken Eller, Nat Russell (ensemble)

Drum Fanfare: Police Scotland Fife ($1000)

Do you have competition results? Be sure to share them with us using the format above, along with a few pictures, by sending them to us by email.