Firing Wasp horde dispose of Kestrels

Wimbourne Wasps - 880 vs Kenmare Kestrels - 460*

	Wasps	Kestrels
Keeper	Brookstanton (C)	O’Hare (C)
Chasers	Pippins	McNally
	Branstone	Rosebottom
	Johnston	Watkins
Beaters	Nutt	Winston
	Oddpick	O’Brien
Seeker	Vogler	Denshaw

Part two time. Just like in the final round of regular competition, the Wimbourne Wasps found themselves up against the Kenmare Kestrels.

The 1 vs 8 match rarely provides a contest of particular interest and although the Kestrels have their table-topping rivals some mild scares in their recent fixture, few expected this tradition to change.

But last night’s Catapult upset reminded everyone just what a fickle game Quidditch can be and there was no room for complacency. The recent struggles of poor old Montrose have solidified the Wasps into almost unbackable favourites, so a shake-up from the revelatory young Kestrels would be more than welcome (to everyone except the nervy Falmouth Falcons.)

But it was clear within seconds, as Jadzia Johnston broke clear for a solo opener, that the Wasps were very much running in third gear in the previous match.

Kenmare did little wrong. Their Chasers in particular took the fight to the minor-premiers. But there was nothing that could be done to prevent a Wasp waterfall. Delphine Branstone in particular put in her best performance of the season, running rings around her opposite numbers.

But the real difference was in the Beater match-up. Gaius Nutt and Erasmus Oddpick were merciless and downright frightening, while Vinductus Winston and Griflet O’Brien struggled to communicate, tempering moments of power with infuriating lapses into confusion.

The Kestrels goal-scoring was spectacular, but they weren’t up to scratch defensively, allowing the Wasps to pull clear of the snitch margin in little more than two hours. But no end was in sight. Venus Vogler’s improvements over the second half of the season have rather buried the important fact that she remains a rookie. Even in such a theoretically straight-forward match, the occasion of the finals had clearly gotten to Vogler who looked slow both through the air and of the eye.

Luckily for Vogler, she was well and truly not required. The Wasps did not let up, drawing further clear despite losing Bruno Pippins to a rather unlucky spiralling long shot from Winston.

It took until late in the fifth hour for the foregone result to finally be formalized. But it was not a perfect day for the Wasps, as Vogler was beaten to the snitch by Florentia Denshaw, ending a promising Kestrels season on a consolatory note.

Wimbourne Wasps - 880: Branstone 38, Johnston 33, Pippins 17

Kenmare Kestrels - 460: McNally 17, Watkins 10, Rosebottom 4, Denshaw Capture

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: GAIUS NUTT (WASPS)