-American State
Quidditch Match – Arizona vs. Ohio-

The
result of this game was pretty much decided before the match even began - Ohio
were top of the leaderboard going into the game whilst Arizona were struggling
at the bottom. However, it didn't mean that Arizona didn't put up a good fight
- the morale, determination and fighting spirit of their side was admirable and
never faltered right up to the end.

Arizona
Captain Michelle Caine made the decision to bring Beater duo Siobhan Meiker and
Charlie Dane back into play after taking them off for a game after a horrendous
argument that broke out between the two of them. Speaking before the game,
Caine said:

"Their argument has been settled and
their friendship rekindled. Their teamwork has excelled in all of our training
sessions and I have every faith in them to play a great game out there
tonight."

And
play a great game they did. They flew around the pitch like lightening, hitting
every ball that came their way and putting the Ohio team's dodging skills to
the test. Ohio Beaters Caleb Barnett and Austin Maynor also played an
outstanding game, confusing their opposition a great deal with the new tactic
they were implementing for the first time, which worked a treat.

All
six Chasers played extremely well, and both teams had a lot of great goal
set-ups, but Ohio did a much better job of following through with them. Once
again, Ohio Chaser Brianna Matthews stunned the crowd with her incrdible
finesse and control on her broomstick, flying with the seemingly effortless
grace that all quidditch fans now associate her with. Lucy Hall and Andrew
Newcombe played an excellent game, and Newcombe scored a particularly spectacular
goal in the 118th minute from a good distance away, which had the crowd
erupting in cheers. Arizona Chasers Robert Flay and Luna and Ned Hawk also
tried exceptionally hard, but they struggled to convert their set-ups into
goals, and had a very tough time against Ohio Keeper Josh Braswell who has been
on particularly good form recently.

The
game between the Seekers was also incredibly interesting to watch, with both
teams' Seekers being arguably the best players for their sides - both being
their team Captains. However, despite being a good five years older than his
opposition, Eddie Martin was the man of the match, catching the snitch in a
momentous manouevre in the 163rd minute, showing that age really doesn't
matter. The game finished 360 - 70 to Ohio.

-Grace Waterson