Newcastle to host State Shield 2018

By Cameron Caccamo, QA Media DirectorQuidditch Australia has today announced that the 2018 State Shield will be played in Newcastle over the weekend of October 13th and 14th. The games will take place at Wanderer’s Oval inside Magic Park, the home ground of Broadmeadow Magic Football Club. Newcastle Quidditch Club has successfully hosted the annual Midwinter Cup tournament for several years, most recently just this past weekend. With plenty of tournament management experience and a fantastic location, 2018's State Shield will be an event to remember. The State Shield is Quidditch Australia’s premiere tournament. Each year, the best players around the country gather to play for their state and for glory. Last year, the Victorian Leadbeaters emerged victorious in Brisbane, seeing off the NSW Bluetongues and the Queensland Thunderbirds. More details about the event, including which teams will feature this year, are to be announced shortly. The President of the Newcastle Quidditch Club, Eleonora Leopardi, is excited to see such high-level Quidditch come to Newcastle, saying that this tournament “will showcase the best of Quidditch to the students at the University and the local community.” 

“We are confident that with the assistance of Quidditch Australia, as well as the effective collaboration with Magic FC and the University of Newcastle, we will be able to provide a great tournament experience for teams and spectators”- Eleonora Leopardi, Newcastle Quidditch Club President

Leopardi also highlighted that the entire weekend will be a spectacle, as the Club will “focus on ensuring that everyone travelling to Newcastle for State Shield has a pleasant stay, before, during, and after the competition.” Quidditch Australia’s Events Director, Merryn Christian, was very happy to have secured an excellent location for this year’s State Shield Tournament; saying “Newcastle offers a chance to engage the local community with our sport and show off the highest level of competition we have to offer.” “After a successful inaugural year in Queensland, we are excited for what 2018 will bring as we continue to expand our sport across the country.”  Quidditch Australia will be making a call out for volunteers to assist in the running of the event over the next week. Keep an eye on the Quidditch Australia Facebook page and this website for more information on the event.

University of Sydney Unspeakables claim 2018 Midwinter Cup

By Cameron Caccamo, QA Media DirectorThe University of Sydney Unspeakables have won their second tournament in as many weeks yesterday, claiming victory in Newcastle’s Midwinter Cup following their win last week at Melbourne Mudbash. In the final, they were able to overcome local rivals and defending Midwinter champions, Sydney City Serpents, in a 100*-80 thriller. In a see-sawing game which saw neither side go ahead by more than two goals, Alex Cunningham again starred for USyd, catching snitch Jono O’Brien to give the Unspeakables their second piece of silverware for the year. Max Brenner and Brandon Frison did most of the damage on the scoreboard, with a desperate Serpents defence unable stop their drives.  The beating game was superb from both teams, with the Unspeakables able to maintain bludger control for most of the match. Harry Jones was pivotal in his return to the red and gold; helping lead the Unspeakables with bludger in hand and claiming the Tournament’s Most Valued Player award in the process. While neither team was at full strength, the Serpents were bolstered by several players from other teams. Star Dropbear beater Nathan Morton joined the Victorian Leadbeater beater Nicola Gertler and ANU chaser Portia Ashton in temporarily donning the silver and purple, and helped plug the gaps left from several key Serpents missing.  For USyd, the return of Matthew Mew-Sum for a single tournament was quite the boon, playing well despite more than six months away from Quidditch.  In two years of playing the Midwinter Cup, the Serpents had not lost a game; in fact, they had won every other game out of snitch range. They were able to beat the Unspeakables in round robin play 110*-20 in one of the first games of the tournament this year. However, USyd were able to find another gear just in time for the final. Both teams came into the final off big wins in their respective semi-finals. USyd bested host club Newcastle Fireballs 140*-30, while the Serpents saw off the UNSW Snapes on a Plane 120*-30. With no third-place play off, Newcastle and UNSW shared third place for the tournament. This win continues a remarkable run for the Unspeakables. They are currently sit undefeated on their state league (NQL) ladder, and won the Melbourne Mudbash tournament last week against a mercenary team mostly made from Serpent players. USyd will be looking to continue this form as NQL play resumes with friendly games this weekend, before ranked games resume later in August. They will face the Serpents again most likely in September in what is sure to be another fiery clash. Photo credit: Taylor Angelo, University of Sydney Quidditch Club. 

AUSTRALIA PLACES FIFTH AT QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP

Australia has placed fifth the fourth iteration of the Quidditch World Cup in Florence, Italy overnight. Team Australia, affectionately known as the Dropbears, lost only two games over the weekend; both to the United States, in pool play and in the quarter final.America went on to win the gold at the event, while Belgium and Turkey shocked everyone to come second and third respectively. The United Kingdom came fourth, just missing out on the podium.On the first day of the tournament, Australia put in amazing performance, notching up impressive wins against The Netherlands (220*-0), Austria (170*-10), and Vietnam (170*-20).A close game against the United States - a rematch of the 2016 final which Australia won - was the only blemish on their day one record, with a strong comeback by the US leaving them as 90*-60 victors.Entering bracket play on day two, the sixth-seeded Dropbears faced Mexico in the Round of Sixteen, winning that game 110*-30.Due to the complex draw and seeding system, this meant a Quarter-Final against the United States. Showing off a revised playstyle that was better suited to the Dropbears, America ran away with the game 100*-20 - knocking out Australia and meaning for the first time, we would not win a podium place at this World Cup.The campaign continued in consolation matches for fifth place, by first taking on host nation Italy in a rematch from the Opening Ceremony exhibition. The Dropbears were too strong once again, winning 180*-50.In the fifth-place play-off game, Australia put together another cohesive offensive effort to beat a strong France outfit 210*-80.Coach Gen Gibson said after the tournament: “We played our best game, and there's no shame in losing a tight game against the world champions. We brought our all, and showed the world we are one of the powerhouses. We worked hard to be here, and have loved every second. The world still knows the high quality of play Australia is capable of. Not to mention the quality of our referees, snitches and volunteers.”Manager Nic Hirst said after the tournament: “It was another incredible World Cup for Australia, with the team training hard for months. Over a hundred Australians made it over to Europe to support the Dropbears, and it is humbling having the support we did. Special thanks to those that volunteered time to help the Team and the event; from running the live stream to refereeing games, we could not have done this without all of you”President of Quidditch Australia and Dropbears Vice-Captain Luke Derrick said after the game: “The end result may look disappointing, but that’s not how the team sees it. This is a huge achievement for the team, and every single one of them and the support team behind us - especially Coach Gen Gibson - deserve a huge amount of praise. This is a testament to how far the Australian Quidditch community has come. We have strengthened our domestic competition over the years, producing quality player after quality player. We had a concrete plan to choose our best players for Team Australia and have them train together several times before the World Cup began. We may not have been able to beat an American outfit significantly better than their 2016 squad, but our strong results against other top teams from around the world shows that our plans worked brilliantly and we will come back even stronger in 2020. It has been an absolute privilege to help lead this team, and Quidditch Australia as a whole.”For media enquiries, contact: Cameron Caccamo0468 641 642media@quidditch.org.au