Ludi Novi Romani/MMDCCLXIV/Munera QualifyingRound

A Summary of the Qualification Round

Munera Gladiatoria for Ludi Novi Romani MMDCCLXIV

Salvete omnes! This is Marcus Pompeius Caninus with the latest results from the Flavian Amphitheatre for the Munera Gladiatoria qualification round matches of the Ludi Novi Romani for 2764!

The sun has been shining with hardly a cloud in the sky all afternoon. The amphitheater has been warm near the sand but a chilly breeze has made the upper seats somewhat uncomfortable. The spectator turn out for the matches today has been rather light but the vendors have been very busy and, it seems, quite profitable for them.

The first match of the day was between Aello the Amazon, a Retiarius, and Verus, a Secutor. The amazon was one of two female retiarii fighting today! And in a rather unique turn of events both of these women faced male pursuers. From the beginning it was obvious Aello had her opponent outclassed. She was quicker and more agile than Verus and her training proved to be superior. At just two minutes thirty-six seconds into the match, Aello was able to snag Verus and keep him in her net long enough to land a strong thrust on her opponent but the secutor twisted at the last moment and nearly escaped. Nearly. Aello's trident tore into Verus's right thigh, impaling him. He was unable to get free. Aello took the victory and was declared the winner while Verus was rushed off to the hospital. We received word a few minutes ago from his publicist that Verus was in good condition following surgery. We wish him the best of luck and look forward to seeing him compete in the next tournament.

The last match of the day had our second female competitor, Suffocatrix, a Retiarius, pitted against Attalus the Briton, a Secutor. The match started off fast with Attalus charging Suffocatrix and knocking her to the ground. Stunned by the impact and a bit slow to get back up, she was knocked out cold when Attalus launched a second charge that threw Suffocatrix against the side of the arena. The last and quickest match of day was over in less the one minute! The amphitheater was filled with sound as many citizens who had gambled on the Suffocatrix took in the spectacle of the second charge and realized they lost their wagers.

In other matches: Sura defeated Lucanus; Bjarni took out Secundus; Llacheu, a Welsh Dimachaerus, of all things, won against Primo, a hoplomachus; Tinashe defeated Flamma; Drest won a lopsided victory against Hierocles; and, Pricus gained the favor of many citizens in the crowd when he beat Timomachus Panthera. Both Lucanus and Secundus were taken to the hospital for treatment of wounds they received in the arena today but both gladiators are in good condition and are expected to return to training a couple of weeks.

At the end of the round, Albatus had three wins, Municius, a new independent school, had one win, Praesinus had one win, Russatus had no wins, and Venetus had three wins. It was, indeed, a sad day for the Reds who were only able to enter two rookies in the fights, both of whom were easily defeated by their opponents. But even the Blues with three wins today need to improve their standings. I sense there will be some intense training in all of the schools over the next few months.

Well, that does it for our coverage of the qualification round. This is Marcus Pompeius Caninus bidding you a good day from the Flavian Amphitheatre and we will see you here again tomorrow for the Munera Gladiatoria Quarterfinals round for Ludi Novi Romani 2764!

Di vos incolumes custodiant!