Quidditch, the Harry Potter game, finds fans in Regina

Regina fans of the Harry Potter stories are playing quidditch, a game devised for wizards and witches but adapted for muggles.

The competition, a creation of author J.K. Rowling, puts players on flying broomsticks and involves various balls and hoops with a goal of capturing a key item, called a snitch.

The version played for fun tries to remain true to the spirit of the fictional game.

"It's kind of like a mixture between basketball and soccer and dodgeball and a couple of other sports," Jenna Shiels, a Regina player, explained Wednesday as people gathered for a match.

The modified muggle quidditch has players move about with broomsticks tucked between their legs and the snitch, to be captured, is a person.

"I got this sock tucked in my belt loop on the back there and the seakers have to try and grab that," Aidan Wotherspoon, Wednesday night's snitch, explained. "Because I'm not on either team, there are basically little to no rules for what I can do to avoid being caught."

The mid-week game was only the second time players gathered for a quidditch match in Regina.

Clubs and informal competitions have been popping up across Canada, and around the world.

"Not all of us know the rules so we're just learning as we go," playerAshlyn Higgssaid.

As more and more people participate, and the game catches on, there has been talk of formal tournaments and national competitions.