We tried Quidditch and it was like rugby on acid

You’re a wizard Durham


Let’s face it, we all waited for our Hogwarts acceptance letter when we were 11, and the owl never came. We may not be able to get a train from platform 9¾ or drive a flying car, but we can get pretty close with quidditch.

I’ll be the first to admit I had some preconceptions about what quidditch would be like, but there is something strangely appealing about running around with a stick between your legs in a hilarious mix of rugby and dodgeball in the field behind Mary’s.

The rules are somewhat complicated and it was absolute carnage, probably because I had no idea what I was doing, but the chaos is part of the fun. If you want to try quidditch, I recommend you re-watch the films first as the whole experience would undoubtedly have been far less confusing had I known which of the balls the “quaffle” and “bludger” were.

In muggle speak, to quote The Internship (the film that made quidditch look cool), you “peg them with the kickball before they throw the volleyball through the hoop”. Just add the Golden Snitch, a man dressed entirely in gold or yellow complete with a tennis ball filled sock, and you have yourselves a game.

The DUQC president Zack Hodari told The Tab: “The sport itself is complex and high intensity, from the full-contact nature of the game to the bludger play where, as a beater, I throw dodgeballs at the opposition in order to handicap them.”

But, as Zack says: “Where quidditch stands out to me is the community. Quidditch is such a welcoming community, it would be uncommon not to grab a drink with the team we just won/lost against in a fixture and have a chat about how they played, tactics or anything else!”

So, anyone looking for a new challenge, (friendly) competition and a little bit of weirdness: Brooms up!