Our girl The Reevenger gives us the low-down on our first victory of 2013 and how best to spend a Sunday morning hungover…
Whoever decided that roller derby bouts should be on a Sunday probably didn’t drink (or is far better on a hangover than I). However, when it’s your team playing a bout – even if that bout is in Hereford (a mere 100 miles away) well, who could say no to getting on a bus at 8.45 on a Sunday morning?
Last Sunday’s bout saw Nottingham Roller Girls given the honour of playing against Hereford Roller Girls, placed 148th in Europe to our 120th position. For the uninitiated that might seem like a mighty and cavernous difference but in a game where stats can go up or down by double digits each week, we were pretty evenly matched.
The skate out was much fun, as usual. After Nottingham’s recent ‘Harlem Shake’ YouTube hit, there was only one song that we could have chosen and we did it hard; yet it didn’t quite hit the right chords and a brilliantly strong kick off from Hereford saw them earn 17 points to NRG’s zero within minutes of the bout’s starting whistle.
Our Roller Girls rallied however; largely thanks to what were widely agreed to be the team’s best ever walling tactics, which proved so tight that breaking through the pack took more or less half of the jam – and our Atkins Riot was really packing a punch to boot. By the end of the first half we were up 135 points to
Hereford’s 87.
In the second period Hereford returned with a renewed vigour. NRG’s walls continued to be a mighty barrier, yet the Horror Bulls successfully got the back line time and time again with their jammers utilising well placed blockers to smash through NRG’s defence. Special mention must be given to Hereford’s Harm’her Sutra, and also The Plauhaus who, as the name suggests, was a force to be reckoned with.
During some jams, in fact, I’m pretty sure the assembled audience were shown the answer to that age old question ‘What happens when an immovable object collides with an unstoppable force.’ The answer, of course, is awesome roller derby.
In the end though, Hereford seemed to tire, while NRG kept pummelling away, increasing the gap in the score. A tense bout until the end; Hereford found a final burst of energy as the clock ran down, but alas by that point, the game was NRG’s. At the final whistle the score stood 187-283 to Nottingham.
Following the bout and a hearty round of congratulations certificates were awarded:
Hereford:
MVP – The Plauhaus
Best Jammer – Harm’her Sutra
Best Blocker – Gore Jess
NRG:
MVP – The Ruth Hurts
Best Jammer – Hell’n’Back
Best Blocker – Doodlebug
All very well deserved. Thanks as usual went to the fabulous refs and NSOs, without which, there would be no bouts.
After a long day, we all jumped back on the bus, with victory making the trip home much more fun than a Sunday afternoon coach journey should be; cue wine, piggybacks and pant loss. Would you expect anything less from rollergirls?
Photos courtesy of Scott Jones