PRE-SEASON UPDATES

By Alys Blackwell and Perseus Wright.

Brooms, quaffles, bludgers, golden snitches, players giving their everything and fans shouting from the bottom of their lungs -amplifying charm included- is what Quidditch is made for.

Whilst the new season can’t be here soon enough, here are some sneak peeks that everyone will definitely enjoy -or hate. 

From our side, we even have a new lineup on the writers’ front! Whilst we wish Callista Earnshaw and Edward Callbeck a very much earned retirement, we salute the voices that will bring you Quidditch this season. 

Reporters Alys Blackwell and Perseus Wright will provide you with all the details, and the ups and downs of the pre-season coverage, filled with the excitement and unexpected moves that will ultimately shape the teams, ready for this 2033-2034 league.

And what a year seems to come ahead! 

Without much further ado, find below all the facts, changes, exits and moves that will certainly help you on whether to place or not a bet on the upcoming matches.  

-Appleby Arrows: 
The Arrows seem to be satisfied with their line-up from the previous season. With no changes to report, Captain and Seeker Everett Butcher will try to bring back victory for his team… Whatever it takes. 

-Ballycastle Bats:
After the tumultuous results from the last season, -and others before-, the Ballycastle Bats seem to have finally let go Seeker Avery Whittle, officially replacing him with Cassian Fleetwood who has now become a permanent placement for the team. It is rumoured Fleetwood has signed for three seasons, and depending on ‘how much of a burden it is his talent’, he might even bring the Bats to a better future.

-Banchory Bangers: 
When things do not go as intended, the best is to… Transfer players, of course! 

Or in this case, make a dodgy deal with the Falmouth Falcons, send Beater Anah Trengove to them, and receive in exchange another in the form of Lachlan Stewart -The Real Lachlan Stewart- in the hopes things will look brighter -or more Scottish. With Stewart signing a trade for three seasons, the Bangers aren’t done with surprises yet. 

The Scottish team has suffered the retirement of Doirend Rayne, and in order to make things ‘better’, they have scored a transfer from Puddlemere United for one whole season; technical Chaser Jack Jones, who also has a preference for involving himself in different brawls. 

Hopefully these changes do not overheat the brawling spirits in the team! 

-Caerphilly Catapults:
The Catapults have catapulted their last season’s keeper Hestia Withka, sending her to the Holyhead Harpies. In her place, they have gotten the Harpies’ ex-Keeper Biddy Ó Ceithearnaigh, who has signed with them for two seasons, in the hopes to bring a new point of view for the team from Caerphilly. 

Another change will be on the Chasers’ front, with Kasandra Bélanger retiring from the pro-world and Shay Clark transferring from the Wigtown Wanderers with a contract for three seasons.

-Chudley Cannons: 
Coming off their last victory, the great Chudley Cannons have decided there’s little reason to ruin or mess around with a winning formula. The team remains intact, but they have made sure that at least Callum Thorne is committed to another two years. 

Apparently, winning one season was enough evidence that they have it all figured out… Bold strategy.

-Falmouth Falcons: 
Last season was definitely not the Falcons’ favourite. With a strong start, the team had one of the most noticeable ups and downs when it came to performance. 

Perhaps that is why they saw an opportunity of getting rid of their best player Seeker Dot Townsend -who allegedly retired after not being able to perform up to the Falcons’ standards- and replacing her with the most infamous Ballycastle Bats’ player from last season’s roster: Avery Whittle. 

Of course, this was definitely a non-biased decision, as Whittle definitely does not bring any monetary support with him to the team. And it definitely isn’t a coincidence that his contract is only for one year. 

On another news, and as mentioned before, they have decided to trade Lachlan Stewart -the Real Lachlan Stewart- for ex-Banchory Bangers’ Beater Anah Trengove, who has now signed with the Falcons for three seasons. 

-Holyhead Harpies:  
With Biddy Ó Ceithearnaigh departing from the Harpies and leaving her Captaincy free, it seems like the team needed one of the girls to step in, and the lucky -or onlucky one- was Beater Lillibeth Bennet. 

However her leadership will be, it is something to be seen, although for now, she will need to reorganise the team with the new transfer replacing Ó Ceithearnaigh.

Former Caerphilly Catapults’ Keeper Hestia Withka has finally followed her mother’s steps into the queendom of the Holyhead Harpies, signing for at least three years with the team. 

With these new updates, the All-Girls team hopes for a season where they don’t have to be left knock-knock-knocking at the Finals’ doors. 

-Kenmare Kestrels: 
The Kestrels have added some big guns to their defensive/offensive lineup with a recent Hogwarts graduate, Reika DuBios. This newly signed Beater will be replacing Blossom Fairbairn with a one season contract, after Fairbairn’s announced her retirement during last summer.

-Montrose Magpies: 
The Magpies go into the new season without making any changes. With their roster staying untouched, they are putting all their chips in one basket and relying on familiarity and consistency to carry them through this. 

-Pride of Portree: 
A massive transition for Pride of Portree this season. Long time manager Francis Carlisle is set to retire, with ex-Chaser Valentine Weekes reportedly lined up to take over the role. Will he be able to step out of his shadow? Or will he drive Pride to the ground?

On the pitch, Amrishaya Kol will step up as the new Captain, taking on a bigger leadership role within the squad. With that being said, the team has received two recently graduated new faces -one more horrifying than the other- Argyle Demoray and Troy Mercer, two chasers that have signed for three seasons.

-Puddlemere United: 
Puddlemere United have strengthened their attacking line with the signing of Noah Hawtrey, transferring from Pride of Portree. This Chaser signed a two season contract, hopefully bringing a new offensive strategy to the team. 

Adding to their next lineup, is also Dani Ferrer, an international new player from Valencia, Spain. He is joining the team as Puddlemere’s new Seeker, after the retirement of Callum McClarken, their previous one.

-Tutshill Tornadoes: 
No changes for the Tutshill Tornadoes. The dreams of the team still remain as they were: non-existent. 

-Wigtown Wanderers:
Wigtown Wanderers have made a major signing ahead of the new season, bringing in Sombre Sunshine from the France international team. The Chaser has signed a three season contract  with the Wanderers. Adding her international experience could freshen up the talents a bit on their frontline. Lets see if this prospect has what it takes to hang with the big wigs….you see what I did there.

-Wimbourne Wasps: 
No changes here. The Wimbourne Wasps enter the new season with the exact squad, confident that what didn’t work before would work this time. Is this arrogance? Or is there something more we are missing here? Stay tuned this season to find out what happens next. 


And with these changes, updates, retirements, new faces, trades and transfers, you, esteemed reader, are no longer uninformed.