Cannons trashed in tedious Wanderer win

Wigtown Wanderers - 1590* vs Chudley Cannons - 200

	Wanderers	Cannons
Keeper	Warburton	Trimble (C)
Chasers	Shimpling	Munch
	Melvina	Oglethorpe
	Anstice	Bell
Beaters	A.Parkin (C)	Redfern
	Thruston	Ramkin
Seeker	B.Parkin	Prang

After a surprise run to the Semi Final in 2011, glory in 2012 has thus far been scarce for the Wigtown Wanderers. But last week they broke their drought at the exact right time with an impressive win over the Puddlemere United. Now in Round 9 they had a golden opportunity for a likely second consecutive win and just maybe a genuine run towards the finals.

Naturally Ralph Bobbin saw no reason to tinker with an improving and gelling line-up. But as ever, such stability couldn’t be further from the norm with Euclid Dedworth’s Cannons. Cannons Beater satisfaction seems impossible to find and so despite their own dreadful performances earlier in the season, Gavin Redfern and Robin Ramkin inexplicably found themselves starting again. Alannis Bell’s selection over Rebecca Rumstich was at least more justified.

A few weeks ago this match may have been the ultimate masochistic contest, with the league’s two most mediocre teams battling to avoid last. But Chudley seem to have fallen even further away than before since their solitary win, while the Wanderers, although hardly top of the line, have at least found the kind of form needed to differentiate them from lowly Chudley and genuinely compete.

Momentum was with Wigtown after last week’s triumph and so they comfortably ambled away to a large easy lead.

By the time the second hour had settled in, the snitch had already been rendered irrelevant by Aileen Anstice’s continued rebirth into a world class Chaser. The only moment of concern for the Wanderers came when veteran Captain Alaisdair Parkin’s wayward bludge accidently struck the arm of his own Chaser, Saundra Melvina. Parkin in fact was noticeably scratchy, continuing a concerning run of indifferent form.

Sister Parkin fared little better. Begonia first caught a glimpse of the snitch inside the first hour, beginning a succession of sightings of which none came to fruition. Ironically, it appeared to be the descendants of the Wigtown dynasty who were struggling to compete. Meanwhile all five other Wanderers were efficient and dominant.

As usual, Keeper Charlie Trimble and Chaser Xanthus Munch provided a lone hand for the hapless Cannons. When the Wanderers tied late into the first six-hour stint, they were even able to peg a few goals back.

The Cannons could at least leave Bodmin Moor knowing they won the sixth hour 70-60. But that aside, there was no contest and Parkin’s inability to snap up the snitch prolonged the tiresome torture.

In the end it took until more than eight hours had elapsed and Begonia Parkin had left the field for the match to finally end. Reserve Wanderer Seeker Catriona Cameron just managed a somewhat lazy snitch catch to end a long but unmemorable match, in the considerable favour of the ever-improving Wanderers. 

Wigtown Wanderers - 1590: Shimpling 50, Anstice 47, Melvina 19, Drummond 13, MacKenzie 11, Beardsley 4, Cameron Capture

Chudley Cannons - 200: Munch 11, Thickey 4, Bell 2, Pringle 2, Oglethorpe 1

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: AILEEN ANSTICE (WANDERERS)