Match Analysis- EQT 2019 Semi-Final: London QC vs Velociraptors QC

In the semi-final of January's European Qualifier Tournament (EQT), Three-time Northern Cup champions Velociraptors QC faced off against newly formed community team London QC, runners up at this season's Southern Cup. A new addition to the QUK calendar, EQT 2019 was a 12 team tournament comprising of 5 teams from the QUK North Region and 7 from the QUK South Region who battled it out for the 6 UK spots in the European Quidditch Cup (EQC) Division 1 tournament and 2 UK spots in the European Quidditch Cup Division 2 tournament which are to be held in May and April respectively. Having already secured their spots in EQC Division 1, London QC (LQC) and Velociraptors QC (Raptors) had their second encounter of the season following LQC's shock out of range win at Battle Royale III in October with the winner gaining a guaranteed first seed for EQC and a spot in the final to play Werewolves of London. Despite trailing by a 50 point margin at one point, Raptors leveled the season series by pulling themselves back into overtime range before two rapid fire catches from Callum Lake in Regulation then First Overtime allowed them to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. I'd like to focus this article on two aspects. Firstly, the overall trends of the first 18 minutes of play that allow LQC to come out on top and secondly, the tactical adjustments Raptors make to bring them back into contention and ultimately win the game.

Game footage can be found here courtesy of the QuidditchUK Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RxvHG01Epw

Stats mentioned are created by yours truly based on the footage available. There may be an element of human error involved.

Brooms Up in the EQT Semi-Final- London QC vs Velociraptors QC. Photo Credit- Sam Birkitt

Final Score- LQC 100°°- 120** Raptors

                   LQC                               Raptors
Goals:  Seb Waters x5                      James Thanangadan x3
            Theo Baldwin-Evans x3       Callum Lake
            Tom Stevens                         Chris Lawrence
            Luke Trevett                         Steve Withers

Assists: Ben Malpass x2                   Jay Holmes x2
              Bex Lowe                           James Thanangadan
              Seb Waters

Snitch Catch(es): 0-2 Callum Lake x2

Cards- 2 (Both Yellow)            -       0 Cards

Turnovers caused by bludger:

            4 (Jacopo Sartori x3, Lewis Boast) - 1 (Lucy Quidditch)

Offensive Efficiency:

41.66% (10 goals from 24 offences) - 25% (6 goals from 24 offences)

The Importance of Intensity and Time

Throughout their history, Velociraptors have lived by the mantra of 'Early offence is easy offence'. Blessed with a deep roster of beater talent and a quaffle player line up filled with prolific tacklers and powerful drivers, Raptors more than back themselves to soak up opposition attacks before forcing turnovers (either by astute beating or forcefulness in the quaffle game) and instantly breaking against minimal defensive coverage. For the vast majority of the game, Raptors manage to stick to this blueprint as their beaters maintain bludger control for extended periods, out-play their LQC counterparts and create multiple no-bludger openings while the quaffle players consistently take the option to counterattack in a series of short possessions. In most cases, you'd imagine Raptors playing Raptorball would guarantee the two-time reigning British champions a comfortable win or at least a SWIM* game however, this is LQC we're talking about so things aren't that straight forward. Built around a Warwick core that shutout the Raptors for the entire seeker floor of the BQC 2018 Final and already has one out of range win against them this season, it's safe to say LQC are very wary of the threat Raptors pose and have found a way to thrive against such tough opposition.

*= Snitch When It Matters. A common acronym used to describe a match scenario in which either team can catch the snitch to claim victory.


The LQC gameplan is designed around trying to contain Raptors and create as much time as possible rather than to completely shut them down. With the Raptors having such dominant beaters in the likes of Lucy Quidditch (Number 4), Dan Trick (3) and Bill Orridge (12) they know that trying to gain and maintain bludger control from them is going to be an uphill battle and, in a way, a lost cause. Instead, the LQC beaters focus on simply occupying their counterparts for as long as possible, viewing the acquisition of bludger control as more of a bonus objective, while creating small windows of opportunity for LQC's superior quaffle lineup to capitalise on weaknesses and lapses of concentration in the defence. LQC rapidly cycle through their male beaters to allow them to play at an intensity capable of matching the Raptors beaters (who in contrast rarely sub) and to force them back towards their hoops before making a beat attempt which allows LQC to patiently set up their quaffle offence. A great example of this occurs at 6:33 when LQC beater André Govett (8) misses a beat on Dan Trick but then immediately reacts to stop Trick pressing with Lucy Q. The LQC quaffle players quickly identify the beater press and shift the quaffle into open space. By this point, Matt Batemen (57) has regained LQC's sole bludger, beats out the new Raptor point chaser before he and Govett force Trick and Q back towards their hoops, giving keeper Seb Waters (10) enough time to pick out the mid-range shot that he wants. Neither LQC beater manages a successful beat on their Raptors' counterparts but their intensity and reaction speeds make up for this and Waters shows great patience and timing on his offensive move, one of his best qualities.

Wary of Raptors' threat on the counter, LQC realise they can't allow themselves to get turned over in the middle of the pitch where the Raptors are strong in one-on-one chaser tackling and their beaters are very good at locking down any space for driving lanes. As a result, they generally play to their traditional technical strengths of passing and shooting. Pretty much every shot or pass attempt LQC makes on the Raptors' hoops is delivered flat and at great speed with every attack reaching its natural conclusion either through a Raptors' hoop or at the back of the pitch. This means that every Raptors drive on the counter attack has to start from their hoops or further back which gives the LQC chasers enough time to transition to defence as a unit and contest the Raptors' attack, even when they have no bludgers to assist them. Even though Raptors break at such speed, the LQC quaffle transition defence is ready for them time and time again, causing them to rush offences such as at 2:31 when Raptors keeper Elliot Fisher (11) is faced with 3 LQC quaffle players in front of him and is forced to choose a difficult pass to a marked Steve Withers (78) which doesn't hit the mark.

The LQC defence lock down an attack from Velociraptors chaser Jeniva Chambers. Photo Credit- Sam Birkitt

Another feature of the LQC defence is that their contact and defensive commitment proves to be solid throughout, which is somewhat surprising considering LQC are more renowned for their offensive capabilities. When defending against a counter attack, there is little room for error but LQC force Raptors to truly earn every goal they get passed them. Following the opening goal of the game at 4:30, Fisher breaks and finds Chris Scholes-Lawrence (2) in a prime scoring position by LQC's small hoop. Waters knows that attempting to tackle Scholes-Lawrence isn't going to prevent the goal so instead he wraps up the arm Scholes-Lawrence is using to hold the quaffle, locking down the ball in the process, before Ben Malpass (20) comes steaming in to make one of many tackles and the rest of the LQC defence proceeds to snuff out the attack. A truly tenacious defensive play. Speaking of tenacity, Bex Lowe (13) encapsulates the spirit of the LQC defence by doing her best impression of a Rugby Union openside flanker- scrapping for loose balls either to secure possession for her team (such as 8:55) or to simply slow down the opposition attack (such as 1:36) and making multiple wraps and tackles (e.g. 23:30).

The net result of this defensive effort is that it takes Raptors 9 possessions to score their first goal of the game having failed to score on 3 no-bludger drives. Credit to Raptors though, when they do manage to break through to score, on a couple of occasions they do so by subverting expectations, subtly slowing down the speed of their offence and shifting the point of attack either for a quick catch and release goal or a short range drive into the hoops. My favourite example of this is at 14:15 when LQC's Lewis Boast (27) beats out Bill Orridge leaving LQC bludgerless. Raptors ball handler James Thanangadan (17) sees this and starts the offence however instead of going for a straight drive to the hoops that most would anticipate in this scenario, he reads the running line of Scholes-Lawrence who loses marker Lizzie Keegan (26), makes the pass to him who then rumbles his way in for the score. Meanwhile, Boast reclaims a bludger and aims it for Thanangadan who no longer is in possession of the quaffle.



Inner City Pressure with the game on the High Line

Having celebrated London QC's pre-snitch performance, let's take a look at the excellent Snitch on pitch (SOP) play of the Velociraptors which is, once again, a major facet of their victory. Come the end of the seeker floor, Raptors find themselves in the undesirable (and unfamiliar) position of being behind and out of snitch range yet by switching up their approach to defence, they manage to come back to take the W.  In this situation, it's generally accepted that you have a choice between two options- 1. Withdraw your beaters from the snitch game in order to focus entirely on quaffle play and increase your chances of getting the goals that will bring you back into a position to catch for overtime or win the game outright, all the while trusting your seeker and the snitch to defend themselves from a catch. Or 2. Split your beaters between the snitch and the quaffle game in an attempt to control both aspects of play. In recent years, we've seen more of a move towards the former option with teams reverting to their default pre-SOP set ups, especially on defence. At the start of seeker play (29:19), LQC are firmly in the driver's seat, holding both bludger control, quaffle possession and a decisive 40 point lead to boot. Curiously, Bill Orridge and Lucy Q make a play to reclaim bludger control on the near side of the pitch instead of trying to defend against a quaffle attack happening on the far side. Although Raptors end up conceding a goal on this play, Bill and Lucy can see the bigger picture as they proceed to lay the foundations for their snitch on pitch gameplan. Now with bludger control, the Raptors beaters set a higher defensive line than earlier in the match, positioning themselves roughly around the halfway line. With the snitch generally being located in this area of the pitch, as is good practice for any snitch runner, the Raptors beaters now have the best of both worlds. They're obviously in closer proximity to protect against LQC's seekers Jonathan Purvis and Tom Stevens, limiting them to a combined time of less than 30 seconds one-on-one time with the snitch, and thus prolonging the match but crucially, they're also closer to LQC's hoops and therefore all their potential targets (whether seeker, beater or quaffle player) become more or less within a short or medium distance allowing them to dominate the centre of the pitch both defensively and offensively across all aspects of the game. Additionally, the Raptors beaters are also immediately in a good position to set up their protective 'bubble' around the snitch if/when they get back into snitch range.

An illustration of Velociraptors' (Blue) general defensive set up during Snitch On Pitch play vs London QC (Red). As you can see, the high beater line puts all 3 of the Raptors' beating targets within  short/medium throwing range allowing them to have a very active presence in all aspects of the game. Diagram by Gabri Hall-Rapa.

The Raptors quaffle players compliment the switch in approach from their beaters by changing up their approach as well. Up till this point, they have mostly defended the quaffle carrier in a passive manner- consistently placing themselves a step or two away from the quaffle carrier to block their path to the hoops, only attempting to steal the ball or tackle/make contact with the ball carrier when they are moving in a way to get passed them. However, once the game enters the snitch on pitch period, the Raptors chasers take a more active, aggressive approach with their point chasing, following suit with their beaters by also setting a higher defensive line, with their chasers man-marking any passing options.

Lucy Quidditch and Mikey Orridge with bludger in hand. Photo Credit- Sam Birkitt

Looking at things from an LQC perspective, they are winning out of snitch range and just need the snitch catch to confirm the victory. In this scenario, the winning team has two options- 1. Your quaffle lineup has executed better for the majority of the game, keep backing yourself to continue your scoring streak and increase your lead. Or 2. Make the quaffle game as much of a non-event as possible (Commonly known as 'killing the game') so your beaters can focus solely on snitch play. Keep hold of quaffle possession for as long as you can without getting penalised for 'delay of game' and only attempt high percentage scoring opportunities.

This new Raptors approach is a major shock to the system for LQC quaffle players as they are no longer able to calmly set up their offence like they were prior to snitch on pitch, making 'killing the game' a less viable option. All of a sudden, the Raptors' defensive pressure forces them into rushed scoring attempts on the Raptors' hoops which, although are less well protected than earlier in the match, more often than not LQC panic and don't manage to score (32:30 and 35:05). Despite their best efforts, LQC's turnovers and rushed offences lead into panicked defence resulting in two yellow cards which is when Raptors manage to capitalise and score the goals they need to bring them back into snitch range before catching for Overtime.

Now, this is undeniably a high risk move from Raptors however due to their overall superiority in the beater play throughout the match, they back themselves to continue dominating their opposition beaters and it's a risk that ultimately pays off. Because of Raptors' high line, the LQC beaters get caught between two minds- either beat out the Raptors' defensive seeker and have their own simultaneously beat out and potentially losing their only bludger which they also need to help in the quaffle game or taking on the Raptors' beaters (an interaction they have been second best in for most of the game) before freeing up their seeker for some alone time with the snitch. This indecision plays into Raptors' hands and is ultimately what costs LQC for Callum Lake (64)'s winning catch in Overtime. At 39:10, LQC have bludger control but both Boast and Franky Kempster (22) are so fixated on an armed Lucy Q instead of seeker Lake that they both aim their bludgers at her, deflecting the first and catching the second, which gives Lake the opportunity he needs to make the vital grab. 

Raptors mob seeker Callum Lake as his catch in Overtime confirms their dramatic win over LQC. Photo Credit- Sam Birkitt

Conclusion

Along with their win over Werewolves of London in the final*, this was a big statement of intent for Velociraptors having lost to both London clubs back in October. While their rivals have strengthened, Velociraptors proved once again that no matter the scenario, they will find a way to win. London QC put in a stellar performance for the first 18 minutes however, just like in the Southern Cup final, they couldn't get the job done during snitch on pitch play. Velociraptors go into BQC this spring chasing down an historic third consecutive title and with such ruthless snitch on pitch play, it's going to take something special to knock them off their perch.

*= Seeing as I commentated on this match, I don't feel compelled to write an article about it as well. You may enjoy footage of it here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHm1pJjA-rc&t=1533s It includes play-by-play analysis by myself and Chris Thomas. I can't promise it's as well thought out as what I write in these articles but I hope you enjoy our live reactions to the game as it unfolded.


Live The Game.

FP.