Once regarded as the best sport in the world by Ron Weasley, the legendary sport of quidditch from the Harry Potter series has now spread to the Paly turf. On Thurs., Apr. 30, Gryffindor (the seniors) took on Hufflepuff (the freshmen), and Slytherin (the juniors) played against Ravenclaw (the sophomores) during lunch. Gryffindor triumphed against Hufflepuff with a final score of 70-10; in the following game, Slytherins defeated Hufflepuff 70-10. Gryffindor and Slytherin will battle for first place in Paly’s Quidditch Tournament on Fri., May 1.

Adapted from the Harry Potter books and films, the rules of quidditch used during the Paly tournament have been adjusted in order to fit the abilities of muggles. Each team has offensive players called chasers dressed in blue, and defensive players called beaters dressed in red. The games were a total of eight minutes, with two four-minute halfs. Three minutes into the second half, a person dressed in yellow called the snitch is released; one designated player from each team, called the seekers, must chase the snitch down and attempt to rip off their flag for 30 additional points. In addition, there are two sets of players for each team; the first set plays the first half, and is relieved by the second set when the second half begins.

In the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff game, the seniors started off strong, scoring 10 points right off the bat. Phil Lewis (‘15) and Owen Staiger (‘15) both had hard hits on defense. Hufflepuff quickly caught up and scored 10 points to tie the score. Hufflepuff had an attempted shot which was blocked by keeper Alex Hwang (‘15) and recovered by Lewis, who ran the ball down the field. Priscilla Bell (‘15) had an attempted shot but missed the hoop by just a few inches.

After halftime, the second set of players came on to the field. John Carter (‘15) scored the first goal for Gryffindor and the crowd went wild. Carter threw his broomstick in an excited celebration. Hufflepuff quickly rebounded and scored again. Kevin Mullin (‘15) scored the last hoop for Gryffindor before the snitch was released. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor’s seekers chased down the snitch in an aggressive flurry. Ultimately, the snitch’s flag was torn off by a Hufflepuff, but it did not count because the seeker was out of bounds. The final score for the game was 70-40, with Gryffindor coming out as the champion of the first day.

Starting off the Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw game, the sophomores had a competitive edge with a 10-point goal made in the first 10 seconds by Jordan Schilling (‘17). An attempt was made on the sophomore’s posts by Ryan Reed (‘16), followed by four successful shots including a hard hit by Kevin Bowers (‘16) into the ring. After the snitch’s release, Dami Bolarinwa (‘15) managed to snatch hold of a flag and score an additional 30 points for the team. The game finished with a final score of 70-10.

Gryffindor and Slytherin, the ultimate rivals, will battle it out on (and perhaps off) the lacrosse field at lunch on Friday. Be there to cheer on the seniors or juniors!