IN PICTURES and VIDEO: British Quidditch Cup pays flying visit to Cannock Chase

First of all for anyone that has read JK Rowling's books and knows all about the all-action game then they will be immediately disappointed to learn that there are no flying broomsticks. But brooms, or at least sticks, are a still part of the game and believe it or not serve an important purpose. But more on that later.

Rugeley Leisure Centre, based at Burnthill Lane, is the venue for the third annual event which will be the biggest one yet in the UK. Involved will be 32 teams, from 'Horntails' to 'Hippogriffs', with more than 400 players from around the country set to take part today and tomorrow. It is free to watch so there is no excuse not to find out what it's all about.

Two teams of seven players face off against each other, and apart from the lack of high-flying action, Quidditch is as faithful recreation of the wizarding game as possible – even down to the terminology.

The object of the game is to throw the Quaffle – semi-deflated volleyball – through one of three hoops at their opponent's end of the field to score points – each score is worth ten points. Think handball only with three hollow lolly pop shaped hoops at each end rather than goals.

Now it gets tricky. Out of the seven players three will be 'chasers' whose job it is to run with the Quaffle or pass it to each other and try and score.

Each team also has a 'keeper' to try and defend the three hoops but they can also join in attacks – effectively becoming a fourth chaser.

Next are the two 'beaters' on each side. Their job is to throw Bludgers – dodgeballs – at the opposite team. A player hit by a Bludger must return to their own hoops giving temporary advantages of space and numerical players to the other team. Still with me?

That leaves one player left who is the 'seeker'. After around 20 minutes a neutral player comes onto the field who has a yellow tag called the Snitch attached to their shorts – in the books it was a flying Gold ball with wings. Each team's seeker must try and catch the Snitch which earns their team 30 points and ends the game. This itself can often resort to a separate game of attack and defend between the seekers depending on whether their team is winning or losing by 30 points or more at the time. Who would be a referee?

The other thing to mention is that teams are made up of males and females although there can be no more than four members of the same gender on each team. Also it is full contact and those carrying the Quaffle are entitled to be 'rugby' tackled to the ground if necessary but only using one arm. And what of the brooms you ask? Well Loughborough Longshots captain, Charli Davies, 19, told the Express & Star exactly why they are still a key part of the game.

She said: "If we didn't have brooms it wouldn't be Quidditch but they also serve as a sort of handicap.

"It means players can't simply rely on strength to brawl their way through. There is a lot of skill involved to catch and handle a ball with one hand."

Quidditch UK, the governing body, was launched in 2011 after the game took off in America and around the world on the back of the smash-hit Harry Potter series. It has recently been accepted by the Sports and Recreation Alliance and the long-term goal is to get it recognised as a legitimate sport. It is hoped it could fall under the Sport England banner by 2020 which would open up a whole wizarding world of opportunity in terms of funding.

Mel Piper, Quidditch UK president said: ""This year's British Quidditch Cup will be the biggest yet. This year, the competition is tighter than ever before, so expect some surprises. The sport is one of the fastest growing in the UK right now and this tournament will reflect that."

Longshots' Charli added: "It is definitely competitive. People come to win.

"Our team has been going for over two years and it has definitely become more organised and popular since.

"It started out as mostly Harry Potter fans but this year we have managed to recruit a lot of people who just want to play the sport.

"It has probably changed my life.

"I never played sport before. I was an indoor cat who liked reading books. Now I come here and play Quidditch. I think that's true for a lot of people.

Raza Khan, aged 19 and from Bradford, is a keeper for the Leeds University Griffins.

He said: "For me I was a fan of the books but I came along because I needed something to keep me active.

"I thought it would be quite nerdy but it is the most brutal thing I have ever done. That is the rugby side of it. If you get tackled you can get hurt. Everyone wants to win but afterwards everyone is really friendly. And this is like a community everyone knows each other.

"I think it started as a social thing but this is the third tournament now and it is now really competitive."