The Velociraptors Take Home Gold at British Quidditch Cup
The British Quidditch Cup (BQC) concluded on March 12 with the Velociraptors defeating the Bristol Brizzlebears in the final match, 260*–60. 32 teams competed in the weekend tournament:
- Bangor Broken Broomsticks
- Brizzlebears
- Brizzlebees
- Cambridge University Quidditch Club
- Chester Centurions
- Derby Union Quidditch
- Durham Direwolves
- Durhamstrang
- Exeter Eagles
- Falmouth Falcons
- Hogyork Horntails
- Holyrood Hippogriffs Firsts
- Keele Squirrels
- Leeds Griffins
- Leicester Thestrals
- London Unspeakables
- Loughborough Longshots
- Manchester Manticores
- Norwich Nifflers
- Nottingham Nightmares
- Oxford Quidlings
- Portsmouth Horntail Strikers
- Radcliffe Chimeras
- Reading Rocs
- Sheffield Quidditch Club
- Southampton Quidditch Club Firsts
- Southampton Quidditch Club Seconds
- Swansea Seven Swans
- Tornadoes Quidditch Club
- Velociraptors Quidditch Club
- Warwick Quidditch Club
- Werewolves of London
These teams were split up equally into eight groups, A–F. The group draw was performed on February 5, and you can view it below.
After some impressive Quaffle play in the final match, with the Velociraptors taking the lead, Snitch Sean Lee came into play, where Velociraptors Seeker Tom Heynes ultimately caught the Snitch to secure the win. After their victory, Heynes spoke of how it felt to help his team win the tournament.
So it’s a fantastic feeling winning the final, some great games we’ve had along the way and the best tournament we could have hoped for. I[‘d] like to thank all the players for putting their hearts into the team, and the fact we only came in a year ago was fantastic, and it means so much to everyone involved.
The President of QuidditchUK, Mel Piper, commented on the quality and excitement of the tournament.
This has been the most exciting British Quidditch Cup to date, with the quality of gameplay between teams being absolutely inspiring. The finals between the Velociraptors and Brizzlebears were the culmination of a hard year of training, and QuidditchUK congratulates the Velociraptors with their hard-fought victory.
Did you catch any of the British Quidditch Cup? Let us know in the comments below! Photos from the tournament can be found here.
*Denotes Snitch Snatch