Killer Kestrels conquer Caerphilly

Kenmare Kestrels - 570* vs Caerphilly Catapults - 220

	Kestrels	Catapults
Keeper	O’Hare (C)	Quigg
Chasers	McNally	Denison
	Rosebottom	Lympsham
	Mason	Lafarge
Beaters	Winston	Lofthouse (C)
	Tuckett	Aderonis
Seeker	Denshaw	Bryson

The Kenmare Kestrels and Caerphilly Catapults have a few things in common. Not only are they two of the League’s youngest and most promising building units for the future, but the circumstances of their season have been largely mirrored, albeit slightly in favour of the luckier Caerphilly.

Neither team were fancied at all pre-season yet both surprised with their early season competitiveness. But the results haven’t really been translated. Both beat the Wanderers recently but at a cost. Kenmare’s win was of course an epic, from which many of the players have yet to fully recovery, emotionally if not physically. Caerphilly looked unconvincing, in particular their under-pressure Seeker Brynmor Bryson. Then to cap it off, both suffered subsequent lessons at the hand of the Montrose Magpies.

With the Kestrels bye last week, the Magpies were the last opponents for both teams, and the two very similar short contests brilliantly set up the intrigue of this clash. On the one hand, there is the like lack of momentum and confidence bred from such a defeat, but more promisingly, both teams came into the match unusually fresh, off minimal game time over the past three weeks.

The Catapults only change was a predicted one, with Rufus Hitchin scrapped in goal in favour of Nigel Quigg. The situation was more complex for the Kestrels, with all the changes brought about the Wigtown epic and no-one having particularly impressed except Deirdre McNally for a number of weeks.

Kenmare entered the match lower on the table, without match-practice, clearly looking the worst on form, and with more changes. The match narrative was therefore somewhat of a surprise.

But even more surprising was the way it happened.

The Kestrels shot out of the blocks, as they have developed an encouraging knack for. Deirde McNally was her usual biting self, but it was Polly Mason and Ulysses Rosebottom who surprised, scoring a bulk of the goals.

In the first hour Kenmare outscored Caerphilly thirteen goals to six, but led by Asgeir Lofthouse as ever, with Crisiant Lafarge providing the forward thrust, they turned the tables in the second hour.

At the two hour juncture the teams sat tied on 210 in what had been a predictably open and high-scoring affair. But it was hear that the real surprises started. The early Kestrels’ dominance was due in part to the rather unexpected efforts of the experienced but struggling Rabanus Tuckett and largely unknown Vindictus Winston with their Bludger bats in matching Lofthouse and Aderonis. Tuckett took Lafarge out early with a vicious strike from which she was luckily quickly able to recover.

But with their Chasers clearly fatiguing and Caerphilly beginning to take a strangle-hold on the match, Tuckett and Winston went into gear-crazy. They attacked with zeal and zest and within the space of twenty deadly minutes; Lofthouse, Lafarge and Bryson were all down and out for the count.

This seemed to inspire the Kestrel Chasers, not to return to their earlier high-speed frenetics, but too their own brand of power Quidditch. It was a most unusual style of play to see from what is largely a team of diminutive and nimble kids, but it was undeniably effective.

Florentia Denshaw’s continuing struggles allowed Brynmor Bryson time to recover, but it was of little use to the Catapults because the Kestrel lead was already well and truly safe. But still it was Denshaw who dotted the I and compounded the Catapult misery with a high-altitude catch from nowhere against the run of play.

Kenmare Kestrels - 570: McNally 18, Mason 15, Rosebottom 9, Denshaw Capture

Caerphilly Catapults - 220: Lafarge 15, Lympsham 5, Denison 2

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: VINDICTUS WINSTON (KESTRELS)