Poor Bats outlasted by unconvincing Puddlemere

Puddlemere United - 390* vs Ballycastle Bats - 130

	Bats	United
Keeper	Alford	Wood (C)
Chasers	Quigley	Ramley
	MacDuff	Lochrin
	Thomsonicle	Blijk
Beaters	Ogborne	Burrows
	Smeek	Ellesmere
Seeker	Shettigar (C)	Kiddell

Both the Ballycastle Bats and Puddlemere United are skirting dangerously with ignominty. United started the season with two wins but were completely out of their depth against the Wasps and downright poor against the Harpies last week. The Bats have been unlucky, but have consistently looked below the necessary standard.

For two teams with such hopes for this year, Ballycastle on the back of their success in 2011 and Puddlemere on the strength of their youth, 10^th and 7^th respectively on the ladder is not good enough. Each team knew how the other was feeling, so this match represented a welcome opportunity to gain some ascendancy. But another loss for either side and the wands will be sharpening.

Rubens Smeek returned to the starting line-up for Ballycastle in place of the understandably aggrieved Bianca Skively, while Perdita MacDuff finally earned a much-deserved start.

Encouragingly, Puddlemere finally saw the need for change, with the out of sorts Druella Dingle making way for Alexei Ramley, playing his first minute of the season. After two disappointing weeks from Dougal Blenkinsop and Gunther Ellesmere, something had to be done. But removing one, the older and more experienced Blenkinsop, and not the other, seemed strange.

Although both teams have struggled, they have been generally thereabouts, competitive within individual matches, so the expectation was for some sort of quality Quidditch. But it didn’t happen. Puddlemere were woefully flat, their blushes saved and unlikely lead preserved only by the downright incompetence of the Bats.

With the class of Oliver Wood in goal, the Bats struggled to even get on the board, taking half an hour to register their first goal.

Alexei Ramley lacked a cutting edge in his return to starting Quidditch, but gelled adequately with Nephele Lochrin and the goal-hungry Alcmene Blijk, the Puddlemere Chaser united avoiding the error-riddled performance of their Bat counterparts. But when they got it right, Ballycastle were the more impressive looking athletic line-up, particularly Demeter Quigley. But the seemingly unresolvable Beater problems continued, Smeek and Taurus Ogborne at one stage almost colliding with each other.

But even after as little as two hours, United began to fade. Ignotus Thomsonicle stepped up to bring the Bats back within 150, giving Ballycastle fans hope given the reliable snitch-hunting appetite of their captain Ajas Shettigar. But veteran Puddlemere Seeker Donaghan Kiddell had a point to make after a slow start to the season. He skirted low to the surface, isolating himself from the traditionally high sweeping Shettigar, and it paid dividends. When the snitch skirted with a grandstand façade, Kiddell was there to pounce. Shettigar, as can only be expected, closed the gap rapidly, but he had given Kiddell too great a headstart and he sealed Puddlemere’s much-needed victory.

Puddlemere United - 390: Blijk 15, Lochrin 5, Ramley 4, Kiddell Capture

Ballycastle Bats - 130: Quigley 8, Thomsonicle 5

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: OLIVER WOOD (UNITED)