It was a perfect day for Quidditch. There was a clear sky and a light breeze. The air slowly warming as the sun crept over the horizon. As the stands gradually filled, so did the excitement in the pitch. Today, a match was to be played that would test the skills of two Quidditch teams to the limits. Even though it was friendly, this match had been anticipated between the teams for the whole season, for it was their chance to show who was best; the Wimborne Wasps or the Falmouth Falcons.

The crowd rippled with excitement when a smiling middle-aged wizard walked up to the commentating box, and waved his hands at the eager crowd, smiling. The wizard then sat down to the magical microphone and took a deep breath;

‘Welcome to Falkhouse Lane, the home of the Falmouth Falcons!’ A great cheer went up from the Falcons end of the pitch. ‘Who will today be facing the Wimborne Wasps!’ Another cheer, this time from the Wasp supporters. ‘So let’s welcome the teams, first the home side, the Falcons.’ As he said this, the Falcon supporters stood up to welcome their team;

‘We have Moore! Lucket! Duckworth! Downing! Turner! Meads! And Tailor!’ As every player’s name was boomed across the stadium, they walked out onto the pitch, carrying their broomsticks over their shoulders, finally standing around a semi-circle at their end of the pitch.

‘And now, the Wasps! Evans! McCoy! Nutterfield! DaVise! Bull! Pervise and Frogster! The Wasps filed out in order and took their place, opposite the Falcons. ‘And now give a warm welcome to our referee, Mr Bob Moir! A spatter of applause echoed around the pitch as the referee walked on, carrying the crate which contained the balls. He set the crate down on the small centre circle, and kicked it open so the four balls flew up into the warm air.

The players went up with them, the Falcons Chaser grabbing the Quaffle and setting off towards the Wasp goal. The Falcons formed the halkshead attacking formation, speeding towards the goal hope at amazing speed. The supporters cheered as they saw Donna Luckett, one of the Falcon’s Chaser, take aim. But it wasn’t to be. Just before Lukett could shoot, a Bludger came speeding down towards her, hit by Bull, and forced her to swerve, dropping the Quaffle into the awaiting arms of Evans, the Wasp Chaser. He sped down the field, towards the goal hope, and scored with a magnificent shot.

‘That’s 10-0 to the Wasps!’ shouted the commentator as Evans took a lap of honour. After that, the Falcons beaters became more ruthless, swinging about in the idea that if they didn’t hit the Bludger, then at least they would have cracked someone’s skull open. This earned the Wasps a free shot, and Pat Pervise put it away easily.

It was another hour before the Falcons scored. DaVise, the other Beater, had been blocking the Falcons Chasers instead of taking care of the Bludger, so the referee gave a free shot to the Falcons. The Wasp supporters buzzed loudly as Luckett put the Quaffle through the hope to make it 10-10.

Despite scoring, the Falcons were still playing dangerously, and it was only a matter of time before another penalty was awarded to the Wasps.

As Evans took aim a beam of light shot out of the supporters and hit Jamie Nuterfield, the Wasps Keeper, on the chest. Jamie bent over, winded, and slowly fell of his broom. The medi-wizards rushed out from the sides of the pitch, trying to stop him falling before he hit the ground. But what they hadn’t noticed was Jamie turning into a horned toad in mid air, and so totally failed to catch him, as well as standing on him repeatedly, looking up into the sky and wondering where he could have disappeared. It was full ten minuets before someone noticed a small, squashed toad lying in the mud.

Jamie-The-Toad was finally escorted of the pitch on a stretcher, by which time the culprits of Jamie’s sudden amphibianism had been caught. A group of young pimply wizards were dragged out of the throng of Falcon supports, and found to be very drunk, and were taken down under the stands for questioning.

Finally the game continued. Now that the Wasps didn’t have a Keeper, it became much easier for the Falcons to score, and as the game went on the score egged up to 90-10 to the Falcons. The wasps where now completely relying on their Seeker to end the game before it was beyond saving.

It was when the Falcons scored for the tenth time that Reggie Frogster, the Wasps Seeker spotted the Snitch. This was his chance! The Falcons Seeker, Nicola Tailor, was too busy cheering her own team’s goal, to notice a glint at the Wasps end of the pitch. Reggie moved slowly forward, unnoticed. When he saw that Tailor had not seen him, he sped up. He was halfway to the Snitch before she noticed, and came streeking after him. But it was to late, Reggie spread his hand out in front of him and closed it on the snitch, just before Tailor speeded past him.

As Reggie glided up into the air, and the Falcon fans realised that victory had been snatched away from them, all hell broke lose…literally. They jumped down onto the pitch, intent on getting to grips with the team that had just beaten them. The Wasps, sensing danger, stayed up in the air, until continuous fire balls sent from a dozen angry wand ends forced the to fly over the pitch and out of site…Evans flailing desperately at a flaming broom end.

Twenty-three wizards and witches ended up spending the night in Ministry cells, after being arrested in the ensuing riot of the match. Ministry officials also had great trouble returning some wizards to their natural shape, one witch enjoyed being a Boa Constrictor so much that she wouldn’t let any Ministry wizard come close enough to turn her back.

Falcon fans are now not allowed to take wands into matches, much to the relief of Keepers everywhere.