The vagaries of Vogler dominate Wasp win

Wimbourne Wasps - 220* vs Pride of Portree - 20

	Prides	Wasps
Keeper	Merriweather	Brookstanton (C)
Chasers	MacPunnet	Pippins
	Pilliwickle	Branstone
	Mordaunt (C)	Johnston
Beaters	Moriattis	Nutt
	Van Hoorn	Oddpick
Seeker	McBride	Vogler

For the Wimbourne Wasps, this clash was about being as clinical and professional as possible and not losing focus against an opponent they were clearly destined to defeat comfortably (save for a freak snitch catch).

The Prides were extremely disappointing against the Arrows and could have felt the need to make mass changes. But the extenuating circumstances of that morose encounter, as well as necessity, limited the alterations to a single perhaps surprising shift. Belarius McNewton, somewhat unluckily, made way for Hazel MacPunnet. Of the three Prides Chasers it was clearly the ailing veteran Maisie Mordaunt who had looked the most out of touch in the first two matches, but as Terrence Stroulger remained incapacitated, Mordaunt was retained on account of her temporary captaincy.

While Stroulger’s continued convalescence may have been an unexpected blow, the absence of Jericho McCormack was not. McCormack remains in St Mungo’s, recovering from the physical, mental and emotional trauma of his kidnapping ideal.

This left the inexperienced and outclassed Craggus Merriweather to try and halt the Wasps Chasers. For the second week in a row, his efforts were not altogether too shabby, but the writing was on the wall from the start.

Within just half an hour the Wasps slowly and methodically ground out to a comfortable 70-20 lead.

But it almost came crashing down in a heartbeat when Musidora McBride caught a lazy a distracted Venus Vogler off guard and lunged for the snitch. It was an amateurish lapse from the clearly pressure-addled Vogler. A loss here to the lowly Prides could have signalled a temporary and perhaps unrecoverable halt to her promising young career. But redemption was swift. Vogler showed why the premiership favourites insist on her talents even through the errors, with a mind-blowing catch, arcing over McBride, flipping off her broom inches past McBride’s, twisting to meet the snitch’s change of direction, then somehow pulling up her terminable tumble towards the turf.

It was a get out of jail free card of the highest level for the erratic and irascible young starlet, but another two points in the Wasps championship charge.

Wimbourne Wasps - 220: Branstone 3, Pippins 3, Johnston 1, Vogler Capture

Pride Of Portree - 20: MacPunnet 1, Pilliwickle 1

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: DELPHINE BRANSTONE (WASPS)