Ailing Arrows withstand Kestrel charge

Appleby Arrows - 650* vs Kenmare Kestrels - 460

	Arrows	Kestrels
Keeper	Delaney	O’Hare (C)
Chasers	Fladbury (C)	McNally
	Cauldwell	Rosebottom
	Croaker	Watkins
Beaters	Flitley	Winston
	Belcher	O’Brien
Seeker	Sapworthy	Denshaw

The Kenmare Kestrels have had a privileged run over the last two weeks, with total walkovers against the League’s two current easy beats. Barring a disastrous pair of monumental thrashings in their final two matches, the twin triumphs have officially booked a finals place for the League’s youngest team.

The question was, with two lazy wins and the finals sorted, whether the Kestrels would be able to lift for the occasion against the Top Four Appleby Arrows.

The Arrows were mightily impressive against the Magpies, very nearly toppling the undefeated standard-bearers. Despite the defeat, Maeve Halcyeone had no reason to consider the thought of changing her starting line-up. Kestrels manager Seamus O’Mahoney stayed equally true to his seven, so the early moments were fast and of high quality.

Arrows captain Violetta Fladbury cannot quite live with the pace of today’s youth anymore, but no-one knows better how to marshal a set of quality troops. With Katherine Cauldwell particularly on fire and Cuthbert Croaker benefiting from his first run last week, the Arrows dominated the early exchanges.

It is often said that Beaters are the most important part of any Quidditch team. Ragmar Flitley and Gifford Belcher showed this to very much be the case on this occasion. Kestrel Beaters Vindictus Winston and Griflet O’Brien concentrated on taking their match-defining counterparts out, to try and clear the way for their Chasers. But not only were Flitley and Belcher comfortably able to avoid being struck with any meaningful blows, but they also remained every bit as effective at neutralizing Deirdre McNally in particular.

A couple of hours had passed, with Appleby already clear of the snitch margin, when Kenmare finally got a handle on their opposition. Winston and O’Brien abandoned their opposite numbers to instead attack the off-guard Arrows Chasers. The Kestrels also brought out some serious mean aggression, which is fast becoming a trademark.

Appleby’s Chaser attack was stunted severely when Katherine Cauldwell was taken out from high altitude by Griflet O’Brien. Cuthbert Croaker continued to fight the good fight, ticking over the Arrows’ score as much as possible. But Deirdre McNally compounded the sudden Arrows misery by getting on a frenzied goal-scoring role.

As the fourth hour wound down, so was the Arrows’ lead at a rapid rate. The Kestrels were invigorated by how successfully they managed to get away with their aggressive tactics. Confidence was growing and the Arrows’ lead was down within 50 when Millie Sapworthy took after the snitch. Few Seekers can outrun Florentia Denshaw though and she made massive strides, getting within a few feet of Sapworthy, who is no slouch herself.

But Sapworthy’s distant stop and tight flying lines from were too much of an advantage to close down for Denshaw. Sapworthy won the race to the snitch, denying the frustrated but ever-more confident Kestrels their first genuinely major scalp in a quality season.

For Appleby, also one of the League’s most improved teams compared to 2011, they remained narrowly on track to win out in the tight fight for the Top Four.

Appleby Arrows - 650: Cauldwell 22, Croaker 20, Fladbury 8, Sapworthy Capture

Kenmare Kestrels - 460: McNally 22, Rosebottom 14, Watkins 10

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: CUTHBERT CROAKER (ARROWS)