Beatrix on top in European Championships

From a Drum Corps Europe press release: A breathtaking musical and visual show in Sparta Stadium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, yesterday ended with the crowning of four European champions. DCE European Championship titles went to Beatrix Hilversum (the Netherlands -- open class), Str?¤ngn?¤s (Sweden – A class), DrumSpirit Dadizele (Belgium -- percussion class) and Jong Beatrix Hilversum (the Netherlands -- Cadet class). A total of 2,300 spectators watched the performances of the participants, the highest number of visitors in the history of Drum Corps Europe. Almost all caption awards went back to Beatrix Hilversum, while the prize for best percussion went to Jubal from Dordrecht, the Netherlands. Even during the prelims, it was obvious that Beatrix stood the best chance of winning the title.However, the scores of the top five were extremely close, with Jubal in a surprising fifth place. In the evening, Beatrix was again the strongest contender, followed by Northern Star and Jubal, both of whom improved by two places at the expense of Kidsgrove Scouts and Juliana. In the A-Class, the battle for the title was between Distant Thunder (UK) and Str?¤ngn?¤s (Sweden). Last year this ended in a draw, but this year the highest honor went to Str?¤ngn?¤s, who also scooped up all the caption awards. Newcomer DrumSpirit (Belgium) took the championship flag for the percussion class. Last year's winners, Rhythm Stars from Sneek, the Netherlands, had to be content with silver this time. However, the difference in points with the champions was less than 1.5 points. Just like last year, the Cadet class was won by Jong Beatrix. Jong Beatrix dominated in all captions, with the exception of best effect. Scores can be found on the DCE Web site.