PUDDLEMERE, England -- There is no cause for concern for anyone who spotted the streamers of fiery sparks in the heavens over the Midlands on Saturday night. The sky is not falling.
In fact, the only things that came crashing to earth were the first-team dreams of a number of Puddlemere United's young hopefuls.
United manager Glenn Watson chose an inexperienced line-up of potential reserves for his side's exhibition match against the Moose Jaw Meteorites and they proved no match for the Canadian champions. When the 150-minute onslaught finally came to an end, Moose Jaw players filled the sky with their usual celebratory light show after a 320-230 victory that would have been much worse had it not been for a superb capture by Puddlemere's substitute Seeker Ekaterina Petrova.
"That," said a disappointed Watson, "was a drubbing. (The Meteorites) were in top form and we weren't. We got what we deserved tonight. Thank goodness this match doesn't count in the tables."
For the second straight preseason game, Watson elected to leave his most heralded young player, Harry Potter, on the bench to the chagrin of a packed house at Nimbus Arena. Fans could be heard calling for the famous defeater of Dark wizards throughout the match, and despite Petrova's success, the manager was booed as he left the pitch after the match.
That displeasure was not shared by the Boy Who Lived.
"Glenn's strategy tonight was pretty clear to all of us and it makes sense," said the Seeker, who according to team sources, has continued to impress in United's closed practices. "He gave a chance to a number of players who have a shot at making the team. I certainly don't blame him for not making me part of that."
When asked if his absence from Saturday's side means he is likely either to miss or make the United squad, Potter was more evasive.
"I can't really answer that," the 20-year-old said. "You'll have to ask the coach."
Watson declined to comment on Potter's situation, saying, "I haven't made up my mind about the side yet." However, he did admit to sending up a number of fliers whose chances of earning a place with Puddlemere were in doubt and that the match would factor into his decisions.
"This was a chance for certain players to show me something against a very strong opponent," he said. "Some of them did, some of them didn't. I'd be lying if I said I won't be taking that into account as I try to pick the final 20."
Three Seekers are expected to be on Puddle U's roster when the season begins in September and Potter's lack of match time leaves his place with the team, originally thought to be a lock, somewhat undecided. Of the three others fighting for a place (two-year starter Samuel Diop seems to be a shoe-in after a strong performance in United's first preseason game), one stood out and another flopped.
United's top reserve a year ago, Gregg Knapp, started but spent most of the first hour struggling to keep up with Moose Jaw counterpart Lori Fraser in an unimpressive defensive stance. Knapp, the only Puddlemere player with first-team experience to play in the match, had a chance to snatch an improbable victory for United when he spotted the Golden Snitch in the 66th minute but he couldn't break free from the tight marking of the Meteorites' superb Beaters, Bryan Mackenzie and Jean-Francois Richelieu.
Petrova came on in the 97th minute and her deft manoeuvring proved a much greater challenge for the Canadians. She quickly forced Fraser into a less aggressive stance, and as the match neared the 2½-hour mark, provided a bit of consolation for the home side.
The Seekers saw the Snitch at about the same time near the United goals and chased it into the congested middle of the pitch with Fraser slightly in front. But while the Canadian was forced to slow and avoid other players, the slight Russian teen brilliantly rolled between two Chasers without losing pace. Mackenzie and Richelieu's last-gasp Dobblebeater Defence narrowly missed the mark and Petrova grabbed the 150 points to bring the only real cheer from a crowd that had hoped to see a similar display from Potter.
"It was a great catch," the Boy Who Lived said. "One of the best I've ever seen."
"You'll rarely see a Seeker make a better move," Watson added. "She did brilliantly just to get clear from that position."
But Petrova's capture aside, the match belonged to Moose Jaw. Just three weeks removed from the end of a triumphant domestic campaign in which they lost only twice, the Meteorites displayed championship form throughout the match, especially with their coordinated Beater and Chaser attacks. Moose Jaw scored the game's first eight goals and all but sealed the victory by taking a 180-20 lead in the 71st minute.
"We controlled the tempo of the game," said manager Harvey Anderson, who fielded his top players for most of the match in preparation for next month's Nordic Cup in Sweden. "If you do that, more often than not you're going to win."
Moose Jaw possessed the Quaffle deep in the Puddlemere end for long stretches and physical point man Charlie Laird was usually the beneficiary. The imposing 6-foot-4 Chaser finished with 18 goals, most of them on easy finishes from close range as United's defenders couldn't keep him away from the front of the hoops.
"That wasn't Puddlemere's strongest side we were up against but you have to be happy any time you dominate a match that much. Besides, we got to light up the place Moose Jaw-style when it was over and that's what really matters," Laird said in reference to the Meteorites' celebrated tradition of etching trails of brilliant sparks in the night sky with their brooms after victories.
On the Puddlemere side, Watson rotated in 11 non-Seekers and few were able to do more than burn themselves out trying unsuccessfully to wrestle the Quaffle away from the better-organized Canadians. Only Beater Erik Hansen and Japanese Chaser Madori Sato seemed able to cause Moose Jaw consistent difficulty. Hanson did yeoman defensive work on the left side under nearly constant pressure while Sato used her blistering speed on the right flank to create most of Puddle U's scoring chances. She finished with five goals.
"It wasn't that there weren't any bright spots," Watson said. "Madori had some nice goals on the counter, our Beaters worked really hard and (Keeper) Tom (Shelby) made three or four brilliant saves. But as a team, we really struggled so I can hardly blame the fans for booing. Hopefully, they won't have to see us give up 30 goals in match again this year."