Interceil are this year’s Armstrong #GridOff champions!

It took just two seconds for Interceil to scoop honours at their very first #GridOff competition, held for the second year running by Armstrong Ceiling Solutions to celebrate its national network of Omega contractors.

The Interceil team of Graham Bullock and Steve Curry beat last year’s winners Coyle Suspended Ceilings by two seconds in an incredibly close final at the NEC on 14th March 2018.

Graham and Steve who had travelled from Northumberland with their MD Steve Jones and other colleagues for the occasion, each walked away with an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean watch as well as the winner’s belt from the boxing-themed ceiling installation competition.

“Team Coyle” consisting of Kevin Coyle and Thomas Goodfellow who had travelled from Northern Ireland to defend their title, walked away with ringside tickets to the Haye versus Bellew grudge match.

Compered again by “The voice of boxing” Steve Bunce, this year’s competition attracted more than 10 teams from the Omega network who competed in pairs to install a Prelude 24mm grid and Ultima+ board edge tile system to create a 600 x 600 module grid in a space of 7.2m2 with a floor-to-ceiling height of 2m.

The installations in a mock boxing ring with two ceiling rigs were judged by Sebastien Nalin, from Armstrong’s suspension systems arm, and Ian Young, manager of Armstrong’s installation training centre in Gateshead.

Interceil completed their installation in 06:00:37 in their qualifying round and then 05:14:80 (including 10 penalty seconds) in the final, all the more remarkable given these two do not usually work together.

Coyle did 5:39:34 (including 10 penalty seconds) in their first round and then 05:16:99 in the final.

Interceil’s Steve Curry was “totally over the moon,” to win. He said: “We would have been happy to win second place so that took the pressure off.”

Their MD Steve Jones told organisers: “We at Interceil are so very proud to be involved in this amazing day and social media in the north east has gone crazy. For Armstrong Ceilings to provide a platform to achieve this for the lads who make our industry tick is both fantastic and very rare.”

Kevin Coyle added: “It’s great to be a part of it but obviously we are disappointed we didn’t win.”

“It was a pleasure to be part of such a well-run and prestigious event. Looking forward to next year’s #GridOff. Thanks again from team CSC.”

Last year’s runners-up, the New Forest Ceilings team of brothers Jai and Carlo Kilford from NFC Contracts, were “gutted” when in the very first round of this year’s competition they mis-measured the grid to start with and had to withdraw.

Their partnering competitors, Neil Ashby and Oliver Loftus from SCL Interiors, completed the build in 6:49:55. Oliver said: “It’s tough. It was a bit nerve-racking being first up.”

In Round 2, DV McColl’s “DVM Rescue Ranger” team of Gary Matthews and Eddy Richardson beat Derby Ceilings & Interiors’ “Dangerball” team of Barrie Ball and Daniel Dangerfield by 6:46:37 to 8:44:41.

Round 3 saw Peveril Interiors’ team of Lee Westwood and Carl Barnes complete the build in 6:51:56, in front of ISEC Interior Systems’ “The Staffordshire Two” team of Phil Rowley and Keith Harley with 07.18.02.

Round 4 saw H+L Ceilings’ “Dream team” of John Hunn and Lee Jones complete the build in 7:56:51 but lose out to the eventual winners Interceil.