The St Clement entry – Winter Wonderland: A Polar Paradise – was docked points for arriving late for the start of the afternoon parade.
The Prix d’Honneur was awarded to The Optimists Club for their Oliver float, with St Peter’s Music Evolution entry claiming the Prix d’Excellence for runners-up.
Battle organisers have promised to review the judging process after receiving a number of complaints about how events had unfolded.
Organisers implemented their wet-weather contingency plans on Thursday morning, which meant the Battle judges visited the floats in their sheds rather than carrying out the usual inspection at Millbrook.
Under the new plan, St Clement – winners of the Prix d’Honneur in 2017 – were due to be judged at 11.30am. However, a judging delay meant that the float couldn’t leave its base at Le Marais Farm, St Lawrence, until almost 12.30pm. After a collision with a tree branch en route to Victoria Avenue caused further delays, the float did not join the parade until more than an hour after the 2.30pm start.
Graham Gibson, chairman of the St Clement Battle Association, said there was huge disappointment at what had happened.
‘It was a real roller-coaster,’ he said. ‘We finished at 11pm on Wednesday, which was amazing, and actually had some sleep for once.
‘We cleared our shed, as we were asked to accommodate other floats, and then our judging slot was late, which caused us to leave late. The float had only two hours to get to the arena, which is a journey for which we normally allow four hours.
‘We were waiting at the Avenue, and it didn’t look like the float would get here at all, but when we did get on the Parade, it was absolutely incredible. People were roaring and we were engulfed at the end.’
Mr Gibson said he was not seeking to take anyone’s prizes away, but that he would be asking Battle organisers to reinstate the 18 points deducted.
Optimists’ Battle chairman Steve Bouchard, who designed the winning float, said he was disappointed that his team’s success had been tarnished.
‘We supported the decision to delay the floats in the morning because of the weather,’ he said. ‘Every exhibitor is in the same position, and the rules are laid down, but I do have sympathy for St Clement.’
Mr Bouchard said that while he did not yet have a breakdown of the judges’ marks, he understood that his float had won by more than 18 points, which means that the deduction was not a critical factor in determining the overall winner. He criticised Battle organisers for not making a statement to this effect in order to scotch some of the inflammatory comments circulating on social media.
Event director Jackie Donald confirmed that points had been deducted from St Clement, but stressed that the panel of judges was independent.
‘We will be having an inquiry once Battle is finished, so wouldn’t want to make any comment until after that,’ she said.
