Beater masterclass kicks off Tornado defense

Tutshill Tornados - 470* vs Wigtown Wanderers - 120

Line-Ups

                              

	Tornados	Wanderers
Keeper	Stainwright (C)	Rostell
Chasers	MacFarlan	Drummond
	Entwistle	Shimpling
	Birch	MacKenzie
Beaters	Jenkins	A.Parkin (C)
	Fitzpatrick	Starky
Seeker	Muntz	B.Parkin

So it began. The 2012 British and Irish Quidditch League kicked off Friday night with a match between the 2011 champion Tutshill Tornados and fan favourite Wigtown Wanderers. As a match, the season opener often has a trend of not quite living up to the mass hysteria of the unending pre-season. This time it was no different, although at least avoided the farce of last year’s 770-10 thrashing by the Magpies over the Prides. The Tornados were scratchy early-on, but after an hour had reached an impressive level not unreasonably below the heights they reached on the way to last year’s League Cup. The Wanderers were not awful, but clearly suffered from the flatness that can come with a sudden return to competitive Quidditch.

Although the final result may not have been a close one, the start certainly provided drama befitting a season opener. Within fifteen seconds a brutal assault from Wanderer Beater and Captain Alaistair Parkin went within inches of flattening Tornado Seeker Aurora Muntz. The bludger struck Muntz’s broom, which she somehow managed to regain control of, then rebounded into the waist of Parkin’s own Chaser Barclay Shimpling. Cepheus Fitzpatrick then pounced and floored the Wanderers Seeker with a nasty Bludger to the small of the back. With that early two man Chaser advantage, the Tornados duly went on the attack with Blodwen Birch scoring the first three goals of the season inside a two minute period.

The Wanderers rallied and for the first hour the match was competitive, Birch and Maighdlin MacKenzie in particular trading goals. As the season ticked into its second hour Tutshill led 100-60. The Wanderers were in range, but from there it was all Tornados. Alaricus Jenkins struck MacKenzie with a powerful Bludger in the fifty-third minute, adding a second Chaser to Wigtown’s handicapped list. They were subsequently unable to keep up, the Tornados running away to a 200 point lead over three and a half hours before Muntz snapped the snitch from just under Calliope Entwistle’s ear (as well as the flabbergasted referee’s) to finalise a 470-120 victory.

Tutshill Tornados - 470: Birch 17, MacFarlan 12, Entwistle 3, Muntz Capture

Wigtown Wanderers - 120: MacKenzie 5, Drummond 5, Shimpling 2

Player Of The Match: BLODWEN BIRCH (Tutshill Tornados)