1st Quidditch Lunatica Tournament
Paris Frog (Paris, France) and the Milano Meneghins (Milano, Italy) traveled almost to the tip of the Italian boot to play the hosts, Lunatica Quidditch Club (Brindisi, Italy), in the first Quidditch Lunatica Tournament. The tournament took place on May 4th and 5th and the format was a double round robin. The first round had a 12-minute seeker floor with games lasting up to 25 minutes. Round Two was played using overtime snitch rules (no off-pitch snitching) but with a 5-minute seeker floor. Games in the second round were shorter and lower-scoring. Ben Morton, captain of Keele and UK Quidditch, and QuidditchUK chairman, snitched every game of the tournament. Said Morton, “I did snitch every game. It was incredibly fun. Fortunately it was not until the adrenaline left my system that I realized just how tired and ‘quinjured’ I was.”
Photo courtesy of Paris Frog Quidditch.
Paris Frog, a very physical and tough defensive team, won the tournament, going 4-0 and only allowing 20 quaffle points the entire tournament. The captains of both Milano and Lunatica cited Paris Frog’s bludger control as a major aspect of their fantastic defense. When they had bludger control, Paris Frog’s beaters played conservatively, always staying back on defense. Two armed beaters plus a rugby-style chaser defense made scoring on Paris Frog nearly impossible. Morton, who travels throughout Europe for quidditch, remarked that Paris Frog has improved greatly since the European Regionals: “Their teamwork and fitness is of rival to any team I have seen. Stopping this team from winning the tournament would’ve been a near impossible feat.”
Photo courtesy of Paris Frog Quidditch.
Milano Meneghins went 1-3, losing to Frog twice and going 1-1 against Lunatica. Milano is considered by many to be the best team in Italy right now due to their strategy and tactics. Milano captain and IQA European Expansion Team Manager Michele Clabassi was happy with the way his team played. He noted, “What we did well, I think, was limiting the physicality of our opponents… and answering it with teamplay.”
This was Lunatica’s first time competing in a tournament, and their opponents were experienced teams that placed second and third at the European Regionals in October. Prior to the final match of the day, Lunatica was 0-3. To earn their first win, Lunatica caught the snitch in regulation and overtime for an 80*^-70 win over Milano. Team captain Andrea Miglietta said, “I’m happy about the debut of my team, considering the strength of our opponents. I’m especially proud of how we reacted after the first 3 defeats, earning a win in our fourth match.”
Photo courtesy of Paris Frog Quidditch.
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