Ruthless champions cast aside Chudley challenge.

Tutshill Tornados - 580* vs Chudley Cannons - 50

	Cannons	Tornados
Keeper	Trimble (C)	Stainwright (C)
Chasers	Munch	Hastings
	Oglethorpe	Birch
	Rumstich	Culberry
Beaters	Wigglesworth	Jenkins
	Buttermere	Fitzpatrick
Seeker	Prang	Muntz

2012 hasn’t gone entirely to plan for the champion Tutshill Tornados. But it is only through the context of being reigning premiers that this has been anything resembling a poor season. They remain well ensconced inside the top four and at least as well off as they stood this time last year.

Last week’s win over Puddlemere United was the first time the Tornados’ began to truly resemble the late-season invincibles of 2011, which must put each and every team on alert. The Chudley Cannons’ shock win over the Holyhead Harpies in Round 6 remained fresh enough in the minds of players and fans to give them inspiration and hope.

But the 2011 champions against 2011 wooden-spooners was never going to be a truly enthralling contest. For the second week in a row the Cannons’ four Quaffle handlers were admirable, but no match for the young yet mature trio of Blodwen Birch, Colwyn Culberry and rookie Odette Hastings. There are many Tornados’ fans, no doubt influenced by her finals heroics last year, who still do not sit easy with the dropping of Salvatrix MacFarlan, but one could hardly justify her return based on the incumbent performances.

It was in striking the Bludgers’ that the Cannons were again convincingly outstripped. Alaricus Jenkins remains as wily as ever, but more importantly is warming brilliant to his mentoring role which has seen Cepheus Fitzpatrick come on in leaps and bounds.

As the match entered its third hour, slowly petering out, it was Fitzpatrick and Hastings who continued to step up and stand out as the form players on the day, making Aurora Muntz’s job easy. Muntz duly stepped up the plate and efficiently gobbled the snitch to complete  a good day’s work.

Considering the fact that League Cup winning and international representative stars such as MacFarlan, Calliope Entwistle and Andros White are being forced to the sidelines by the Tornados’ new prodigal pair, it could be said that their team is even stronger than the champions of 2011. If Tutshill’s results aren’t scaring their prospective rivals, that fact surely will.

Tutshill Tornados - 580: Birch 17, Hastings 17, Culberry 9, Muntz Capture

Chudley Cannons - 50: Oglethorpe 3, Munch 2

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: ODETTE HASTINGS (TORNADOS)