Snitch and ref controversies overshadow agile Abberley

Montrose Magpies - 290* vs Ballycastle Bats - 110

Line-Ups

	Magpies	Bats
Keeper	Wintringham	Alford
Chasers	Keitch (C)	Quigley
	MacLean	Evans
	MacTavish	Thomsonicle
Beaters	Moriattis	Smeek
	Ollerton	Nutter
Seeker	Abberley	Shettigar (C)

After the three day epic of their preliminary final in 2011, there was an electric sense of occasion about this rematch between the Magpies and Bats. It was Ballycastle who scored the first win, with Captain and Seeker Ajax Shettigar overcoming a late injury scare (having been apparently cursed on his way to the stadium by an irate fan of his former team, the Arrows).

From the start it was Montrose on top though in a match full of attacking frenzy. Both Beater units struggled and Bats Chaser Demeter Quigley was brilliant, scoring a hat-trick of spectacular long range goals. But Ballycastle could not keep up. Captain Royden Keitch, ever the train conductor, dazzlingly directed the Magpie Chaser unit. It was Farquhar MacLean and Fingal McTavish who benefited on the scoreboard and the Magpies quickly shot out to a 90-40 lead inside half an hour, the match proceeding at a supersonic rate of 24 goals per hour.

Controversy then struck when Ignotus Thomsonicle charged at Euan Wintringham in goal. Wintringham roughed his opponent up with a clandestine waist tackle. Thomsonicle was forced to swing towards the post and, still largely incapacitated, reached out and, before he could drop the Quaffle, had his hand knocked through the goal by Wintringham. Despite the clear Keeper foul, Thomsonicle was called for Haversacking and the goal was disallowed.

The referee’s life then came under sudden jeopardy when incensed Bats fans cast all manner of jinxes and curses onto the field. Thankfully, the Ministry of Magic’s new security measures protected the players and officials from direct harm, but the stands were ablaze and the match was halted for an hour.

Upon resumption, the game lasted a mere fourteen further minutes. But it was fourteen minutes of Bats dominance as they closed the gap to 30 points. But it was Montrose, hanging onto a 140-110 lead, who came up with victory thanks to a piece of freakish brillance from Alison Abberley. Ajax Shettigar’s eagle eye as usual caught first sight of the snitch and he immediately shot upwards, with Abberley in pursuit but unable to catch. Magpie Beater Zachariah Ollerton shot a Bludger in Shettigar’s direction. The typically nimble Bats Seeker easily dodged the Bludger. The next few seconds saw a sudden and irrational swoop from Abberley, perplexed glancing from Shettigar and general confusion amongst the masses.

The Bludger, having passed wide of Shettigar, glanced the snitch, skewing it off to the right then down. Abberley, who was behind and clearly seconds from being inevitably beaten to the catch, saw the deflection and shot immediately off to the right before Shettigar could react and snapped up the wildly tumbling snitch.

Montrose Magpies - 290: MacLean 8, MacTavish 5, Keitch 1, Abberley Capture

Ballycastle Bats - 110: Quigley 6, Thomsonicle 4, Evans 1

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: ALISON ABBERLEY (Magpies)