North American Champions: Toronto Police

Maxville, Ontario – July 31, 2004 – Under new Pipe-Major James MacHattie, the Toronto Police Pipe Band captured the North American Championship in testing conditions against a field of three other Grade 1 bands.

After 12 years with hardly as much as a shower, torrential, near-nonstop rain bucketed down for most of the day. The morning’s solo events were drenched with at times black sheets of driving rain and occasional lightning, but the weather broke for most of the bands in the afternoon.

Crowds at the event were severely impacted, and the conditions could only be called disasterous for the world’s biggest piping and drumming event.

In the solo piping, Bruce Gandy had the most aggregate points after winning both the March and the Strathpsey & Reel. About 24 competed in the professional contests.

Bands

Grade 1
1st Toronto Police
2nd 78th Fraser Highlanders
3rd Peel Regional Police
4th City of Washington
Drumming: 78th Fraser Highlanders
Judges: MSR: A. Berthoff, R. MacCrimmon (piping); J. Kerr (drumming); W. Connell (ensemble). Medley: R. McShanon, G. Brown (piping); T. Gladden (drumming); M. Grey (ensemble)

Grade 2
1st North Coast
2nd Windsor Police
3rd Niagara Regional Police
Drumming: Glengarry
Judges: Medley: A. Berthoff, R. MacCrimmon (piping); J. Kerr (drumming); W. Connell (ensemble). MSR: R. McShanon, G. Brown (piping); T. Gladden (drumming); M. Grey (ensemble)

Grade 3
1st Braemar
2nd Ottawa Police
3rd Durham Police
Drumming: Dofasco

Grade 4
1st Hamilton Police
2nd 8 Wing
3rd Windsor Police
Drumming: 8 Wing

Grade 5
1st Jack Dunbar Memorial
2nd Ulster Scottish
3rd Windsor Police
Drumming: Jack Dunbar

Solo Professional Piping
Piobaireachd
1st Douglas MacRae, “Massacre of Glencoe”
2nd Andrew Hayes, Ottawa, “Beloved Scotland”
3rd Ian K. MacDonald, Whitby, Ontario, “Beloved Scotland”
4th Colin Clansey, Ottawa
5th Andrew Berthoff, Toronto, “Lament for Patrick Og MacCrimmon”
6th Michael Grey, Dundas, Ontario, “Mary’s Praise”
Judge: I. Macey

March
1st Bruce Gandy, Halifax
2nd James MacHattie, Toronto
3rd Andy Rogers, Fredericton, New Brunswick
4th Ian K. MacDonald
5th Andrew Hayes
6th John Cairns, London, Ontario
Judge: R. McShannon

Strathspey & Reel
1st Bruce Gandy
2nd Ian K. MacDonald
3rd John Cairns
4th Michael Grey
5th James MacHattie
6th Andrew Berthoff
Judge: W. Connell

Jig
1st Andy Rogers
2nd Colin Clansey
3rd Michael Grey
4th Lionel Tupman
5th Andrew Hayes
6th James MacHattie
Judge: J. McGillivray

Professional Solo Snare Drumming
MSR
1st Craig Stewart, Toronto
2nd Sandy McKail, Hamilton, Ontario
3rd Ian Madeiros, Toronto
4th Daniel Bist
5th Jason Hoffert
Judge: T. Gladden

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Craig Stewart
2nd Sandy McKail
3rd Ian Madeiros
4th Jason Hoffert
5th Daniel Bist
Judge: J. Kerr

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