The high flying sport of quidditch created in the wizarding world of Harry Potter has taken off at ANU.
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Enthusiastic Slytherin and Ravenclaw players flocked with their broomsticks to the Fellows Oval on Saturday to battle for the 2014 Quidditch Cup.
Slytherin captain Katie Filippello has played the sport for four years and said this year was her team's time to take the title.
"We have been in the final every year but we have just never had the numbers to win," she said. "I think we have a good chance."
Matches are played between two teams of seven players with broomsticks between their legs, using four balls called the quaffle, two bludgers, and the golden snitch.
A golden clothed snitch player is free to run anywhere as each team's seeker tries to pin them down and take their tag, worth 30 points.
The chasers can score 10 point goals by putting the quaffle ball through any of the three hoops at each end of the field.
All the while beaters throw bludgers, a bit like dodgeball, to knock players out of the game momentarily.
Ravenclaw's Holly Mansfield has finished her studies in nursing but still devotes her weekends to the unique sport.
"I'm now a nurse at Canberra Hospital," she said. "Quidditch is just a one-of-a-kind sport and it gives less sporty types a go at team sports."
Matthew Armstrong was first asked to play quidditch by his sister Rebecca, who was part of the group which founded the ANU Harry Potter Club.
"I always liked Harry Potter but she was the big nerd," he said. "When I first started I thought playing quidditch would be easy but it requires a lot more fitness than I thought."
But seasoned Slytherin player Alex Jackson said quidditch had become such a culture unto its own at the university club.
"It's kind of broken away a bit," he said. "Initially we were all pretending to be our favourite characters on the field but it must be close to a year since I have heard Harry Potter get mentioned."
JK Rowling served up a Halloween treat for die-hard fans posting a new short story about loathed teacher Dolores Umbridge on Pottermore.com.