From the Daily Prophet of 13 August, 2000
Diop has his day
Veteran seeker snags snitch early in exhibition
By Mike Thalia
PUDDLEMERE, England -- For at least one day, Samuel Diop kept Harry Potter right where he wants him -- on the bench.
The Boy Who Lived put on the blue and gold match robes of Puddlemere United for the first time Saturday afternoon but the aspiring Seeker never left the ground. Diop saw to that, capturing the Golden Snitch just 24 minutes into the club's first exhibition tune-up for the upcoming season, a 190-10 trampling of the Lourdes Miracle at Nimbus Arena.
A sell-out crowd of 8,071 witches and wizards was on hand, hoping to catch Potter's professional debut. Instead, they saw a quick and potent outburst by United's veterans, highlighted by Diop's seemingly effortless catch that brought the match to an end before the French visitors ever found form.
"It was an impressive display," Potter said after congratulating his team-mates on the pitch. "The team worked together well and Sam was really sharp to pick up on the Snitch so quickly. You can't play much better than that."
Puddlemere manager Glenn Watson agreed in spite of the disruptive effect the quick victory had on his plans. The United boss admitted in interviews after the match that he intended to bring Potter on amid numerous substitutions around the hour mark.
"Yes, I had hoped to give Harry a chance to play today," Watson said. "The same is true for several of our other young players who we want to see in an actual match. But I'm certainly not going to complain about a fast catch from my Seeker."
When asked if he was disappointed at missing out on his opportunity to play, Potter said, "Not at all. I think I'll get my chance before September, but even if I don't, it's a blast just being here. Everyone with the club works so hard and is committed to the same thing -- winning. It's fun just being a part of that."
Puddlemere did not make the highly touted newcomer available at the post-game news conference, so his reaction to Watson's initial substitution strategy is unclear. However, Puddle U's fans made their opinion known.
Diop's introduction was met with a mix of stunned silence and disappointed boos, and chants of "We Want Potter" echoed from much of Nimbus Arena from the pre-game handshake until several minutes into the match. The crowd eventually warmed to the action as the game progressed, applauding Puddlemere's goals and cheering lustily as Diop nabbed the Snitch.
The capture was as perfectly executed as it was fast. Diop dove from high above his own goal hoops well ahead of Lourdes counterpart Robert Houle and only needed to dodge one marginally threatening Bludger before grabbing the golden ball uncontested near the south boundary line. But Puddlemere's incumbent Seeker saw it as little cause for celebration.
"It's nice to get the Snitch so fast and easy but this game means nothing," said the Senegalese international, who is widely believed to be Potter's only competition for a place in the first seven. "I will celebrate when I get the Snitch after the season starts and the matches begin to count."
Watson was more impressed.
"Sam knew their Beaters weren't defending him specifically and he knew just how to take advantage when he saw the Snitch," the manager said. "Once he got the jump on their Seeker the match was as good as over. …
"That's exactly the kind of performance we'll all be hoping for come September."
The same could be said of most of the rest of Puddlemere's experienced first seven Saturday, all of whom saw significant time during last winter's third-place campaign.
It was clear almost from the opening toss that Lourdes lacked the wherewithal to contend with the balance of speed and power from Puddle U's Chasers. Peruvian rocket Hernando Chavez slashed up and down the left flank to create several good scoring opportunities and skipper Siobhan Moran played smartly and solidly in the middle, shutting off several Miracle counterattacks before they could begin.
Lourdes did own a slight advantage in Beater play that, coupled with Keeper Guillaume Boisvert's strong showing, prevented the game from becoming more of a runaway. But with United dominating possession, the steady pressure caused enough defensive breakdowns for Puddlemere's front three to take advantage.
Corinne Kiely opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Chavez circled behind the Lourdes goals and found her with a centring pass for an easy finish into the left hoop. Chavez doubled the lead three minutes later, deftly stealing the Quaffle and racing in to beat Boisvert on the break. Kiely scored again in the 16th minute off Moran's neatly timed pass on a 2-on-1 and Moran netted the game's final score with a 15-yard rocket into the right hoop shortly before Diop ended the match.
"We played together well today," Moran said. "Corinne finished off her chances, Hernando was a right terror with the Quaffle and we all controlled our marks on defence. For our first match of the season, I thought we did very well."
"I was happy with our performance all around," Watson added.
Lourdes manager Richard Moreau -- whose team scored its only goal 19 minutes in on Xavier Martin's shot -- had a very different opinion.
"We were not prepared," he said. "Puddlemere is a good side but their chasers should not have been able to control the match so much. We must work harder before the season begins."
Diop also has more hard work planned.
"I do not want that to happen," the star of the match said when asked of the possibility of losing his job to the Boy Who Lived. "He is very good so I must become better. I will try."
If Diop becomes any better than he was Saturday, Potter's place with Puddlemere could be on the sidelines.
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Mike Thalia covers Puddlemere United for the Daily Prophet. Owl him at thedpreporting(at)yahoo(dot)com.
A/N: Hey, 17 chapters in and we actually have Quidditch in a Quidditch story! There's plenty more of it to come as well.
My humble thanks to all of you who reviewed my last article. I really appreciate the huge response, especially considering it was not exactly what a lot of you were expecting. Special recognition goes to Pooca, without whom I wouldn't have figured out Erato Steele is an anagram for taste eel roe.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't thank my betas, R.G., Nancy and Chi, for their ongoing efforts at keeping me on track.