Flat Prides act as Tornado training

Tutshill Tornados - 390* vs Pride Of Portree - 70

	Prides	Tornados
Keeper	McCormack	Stainwright (C)
Chasers	McNewton	Hastings
	MacPunnet	Birch
	Pilliwickle	Culberry
Beaters	Moriattis	Jenkins
	Stroulger (C)	Fitzpatrick
Seeker	McBride	Muntz

Before the start of the season, one would not have predicted an encounter between the reigning champion Tornados and the unfancied Prides as being one of particular intrigue. Yet for a number of reasons, this match kicked off the second portion of the split Round 6 with an anticipatory feeling of the unknown.

Although Tutshill in 4^th were decisively clear of 9^th placed Portree on the table, the truth was that this was largely a result of the mid-table stagger, and in reality their records were just a win apart, with the two teams having won three and two respectively of their five previous matches.

The only change for either team was the perhaps overdue dropping of Salvatrix MacFarlan from the Tornado Chaser line-up, giving Odette Hastings her first chance of 2012.

The Tornados are clearly the better team, but they’ve been below their best this year and had their preparations disrupted by Thursday’s international fixture between England and France. Although each side had one player who saw game time for England (Birch and Stroulger), the Tornados were also without Lucian Stainwright and Aurora Muntz until just 48 hours before game-time due to their commitments as part of the England squad. This has to be disruptive.

Consequently there was even more reason for an already confident Prides to feel that a second consecutive win was on the cards. But confidence can breed recklessness. Hazel MacPunnet and Stephanie Pilliwickle were a tad over exuberant in the early exchanges, wasting possession they had done so well to legitimately control with rash moments of unnecessary flare and the occasional snap of biting indecision. Beater Justin Moriattis also lacked discipline early, handing the Tornados three of their first ten goals in penalties.

The Tornados of 2012 may be far from perfect, but they are efficient and discipline. You can’t give them such a head start and hope to get away with it, and so it proved. By the end of the first hour, already the snitch was almost an irrelevance, with Tutshill having shot to a lead of 160-30.

Belarius McNewton showed signs of fight with a quick-fire hat-trick early in the second hour but Blodwen Birch, showing no signs of fatigue despite two matches in four days, responded immediately.

Not long had Tutshill’s lead extended beyond the crucial 150 point barrier than Aurura Muntz proved the hard work to be largely superfluous, taking it in her own hands to outstrip Musidora McBride to the snitch and finalize an emphatic victory for the premiers.

Tutshill Tornados - 390: Birch 14, Culberry 7, Hastings 3, Muntz Capture

Pride Of Portree - 70: McNewton 4, Pilliwickle 3

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: BLODWEN BIRCH (TORNADOS)