Water Quidditch World Cup 2015
by Nick Neve 29 Jun 2015 09:06 BST
13 June 2015
Young sailors from across Rutland joined together to take part in the inaugural Water Quidditch World Cup, held at Rutland Water.
The World Cup kicked off in true Harry Potter style, with the sailors (all from Rutland Sailing Club, Oakham School and Stamford School) being divided into teams by the Sorting Hat. The youngest member of each team automatically became both the team captain and the team 'Seeker'.
The World Cup event was the brainchild of Oakham School teacher and sailing coach, Nick Neve. As well as arranging the event, Nick ingeniously devised the rules of the game. As with the 'real' game of Quidditch, teams had to find and catch the 'Snitch' (a ping pong ball released into the water). 'Bludgers' were wet sponges that teams could use to distract the opposition, and broomsticks were, of course, replaced with small sailing boats!
Sailing took place between 6pm and 11pm and resumed again just before 4am, finishing at 8am! Many of the sailors took the opportunity to camp overnight, to have marshmallows at midnight and to enjoy the Hogwarts themed tuck (including chocolate frogs!) As it was an incredibly still evening, judges added a light air amendment to the rules (allowing paddling), which certainly added to the fun!
Slytherin won the semi-final by dubious tactics (what else would you expect?) resulting in a final between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. It was a thrilling match, which saw Slytherin take home the inaugural World Cup. In the final chase for the Snitch, Ravenclaw were hit off track by an incredibly well-thrown Bludger, meaning that Slytherin, quite literally, snatched it from their grasp! Oliver Bunce, an Oakham School sailor, collected the trophy on the behalf of his team.
"It was a great night," says Nick. "Sailing should always be enjoyable, as well as a serious sport. I can't think of anything better than Oliver and his team having fun playing Water Quidditch this month, then putting their game faces on when they take part in the National Schools Championship next month."
The event was to raise money for the RNLI, the charity that raises money to save lives at sea. Overall the event has raised nearly £3,000, with donations still welcome (visit www.justgiving.com/WaterQuidditch), and next year's event is already being planned.