Grizly Grinderford injury sours fierce Falcon win

Falmouth Falcons - 640* vs Tutshill Tornados - 340

	Tornados	Falcons
Keeper	Stainwright (C)	Frobisher
Chasers	MacFarlan	Grinderford (C)
	Birch	Otterburn
	Culberry	Meadows
Beaters	Jenkins	Bundy
	Fitzpatrick	Wagtail
Seeker	Muntz	Mostafa

Both the Tornados and Falcons had started the season with generally sound and high level gameplay but without having shown that X factor needed for the League Cup. This clash would be a crucial yardstick for both teams to measure whether their hopes are genuine or fanciful.

The only change to either team was a strange one, with the Falcons removing the admittedly scratchy Caliban Goodfellow from the Chaser Unit in favour of Matilda Otterburn, thereby reversing their gender polarity to the female side within the Quaffle-handlers. For a team as iconic and infamous for its physical gospel and consequent male-centric attitude, it is nearly unprecedented.

But then with Marina Grinderford present, strength is hardly lacking. It was Grinderford who made the difference in the early stages.

The battle of the match was fought between two legendary old stagers, and the two skippers. Marina Grinderford’s freakish form continued, but she had met her match in the wise old and still nefariously nimble King of the Keepers Lucian Stainwright.

With Meadows as intimidating as ever and Otterburn not continuing the early season trend of new starter rustiness, the Falcon Chaser Unit were an awesome and terrifying proposition. The Tutshill Chasers, in particularly a frustrated and flustered Salvatrix MacFarlan, were fluent in attack but powerless in defense.

Falmouth was equally dominant in the Beater contest. Cepheus Fitzpatrick’s struggles with aim continued, while Alarcius Jenkins looked surprisingly out of his depth for a League Cup winner.

But it was Jenkins who made what could be a lethal play to the Falcons entire season, just when the match looked gone with Falmouth over 200 clear. Unable to match Cyprian Bundy and Gordon Wagtail’s Bludger finding ability, an angry and flummoxed Jenkins instead charged bodily at Matilda Otterburn. Bundy, ever the violent but noble defender of damsels in distress; ignored his pursuit of Blodwen Birch to instead fire a spitting Bludger in Jenkins’ direction.

But the Welsh national Beater was merely drawing fire, not just away from his own Chasers, but towards a charging Marina Grinderford. With Grinderford sweeping by just feet away, Jenkins redirected Bundy’s Bludger flush into the Falcon captain’s hawkish face. Grinderford fell to the ground with such velocity that her own teeth contined to rain down on her motionless body for a dozen seconds afterwards.

Missing their stalwart and more importantly, livid beyond the point of efficient coherence, the Falcons slipped.

Colwyn Culberry stepped up at the goal face and led the Tornado resurgence, all the way back towards the snitch margin. But they weren’t quite there yet with the score at 380-310 and so Aurora Muntz was slow and conservative in her circling above the pitch. When the conveniently timely snitch then came into play, Oakden Mostafa had an unassailable advantage. The unorthodox Mostafa missed a couple of ungainly grabs at the snitch, allowing the Tornado deficit to hit the magic 150, putting Falcon hearts in mouths. But Muntz was not close enough to capitalise and on the third attempt Mostafa sealed victory.

Now the Falcons must nervously await news on their Captain’s injuries.

Falmouth Falcons: 640 - Grinderford 29, Otterburn 12, Meadows 8, Mostafa Capture

Tutshill Tornados: 340 - Culberry 16, Birch 15, MacFarlan 3

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: MARINA GRINDERFORD (FALCONS)