GCRG made the 11-hour trip down from Scotland on the weekend of November 5th to play the return bout . The second leg of the contest may have taken over a year to happen, but as any Guinness drinker knows, good things come to those who wait…
As always, the packed crowd at Parklands was treated to a double header bout, with a mixed B-team game between Team Grandmaster Bash and the Public Frenemies to kick proceedings off. DRR’s B Team, The Raggy Dollz had several players lined up for both teams, and they had every reason to be confident after the Dollz’ comfortable win against the Birmingham Blitz Dames B-team in October.
The game also marked a return to competitive action for DRR jammer Lil’ Crash after a few months out of the game, and she didn’t disappoint as she picked up 12 points on the very first jam of the bout to put Frenemies in the driving seat. Frenemies continued to run the game early on, with only a 10 point jam for Grandmaster Bash’s Achilles Kill making a major dent in their lead.
DRR skaters Cyanide Lollipop and Red Hot Poke’Her both put in good shifts for Frenemies to take the score to 47-14 with 7 minutes left in the first, but a big power jam by Tranquiliser Tart helped Bash keep a check on their lead and left the half time score at 55-32
Photo courtesy of Mohawk Visuals
Bash came out strong in the second, with Afronaut dishing out some strong defence to keep the Frenemies jammers out and take the score to 55-41, but a huge 19 point jam for Frenemies effectively killed off their resistance. Despite lively play from Smacka Khan and Lolly Go Sprightly, the gap was too big for Bash to close and Frenemies were able to wind the clock down with confident jamming from Cyanide Lollipop.
Both teams did well, and although it’s becoming a cliché to talk about how much the standard of B-team games in UK roller derby has improved recently the quality of play was of an exceptionally high standard in this game. In the end, the combination of Lollipop and Crash gave Frenemies too much firepower for Bash to handle, and they were worthy winners.
FINAL SCORE: PUBLIC FRENEMIES 104 – GRANDMASTER BASH 86
Photo courtesy of Mohawk Visuals
The DRR A-team were looking to extend their winning streak to four games at Beats International, naming an unchanged lineup from the team that won at the Blitz Dames. Both teams were clearly desperate for the win, especially with such a strong friendly rivalry between the two leagues, and GCRG made a statement of intent early on as their pack poleaxed Rogue Runner on the first jam.
Neither team could eke out a lead in the first few minutes, with big hits flying and Gobbo trading points with GCRG’s Ruby Riot. DRR threw GCRG a curveball by adding Holly Sheet to their jam rotation after her outstanding jamming performance against Birmingham, but GCRG were equal to the challenge and took a one point lead via their speedy Scotland international Fight Cub, leading 25-24 after 18 minutes.
Both teams needed to find another gear to break the stalemate, and it was DRR who managed it through Rogue Runner. Quiet for the first 20 minutes or so after the huge hit she received in the first jam, she recovered well to score 14 unanswered points with around 10 minutes to go.
The lead seemed to galvanise DRR, and good jamming from Gob and Holly gave DRR a healthy 56-32 lead after 26 minutes. GCRG needed to claw some of the deficit back before half time, but made life difficult for themselves by conceding a power jam just before the half. The DRR power jam unit smelled blood, and some textbook play from the DRR pack allowed Rogue in to score 25 points on the resulting jam. There was still time for Gob and Holly to add 5 each before half time, leaving the score standing at 89-32 as the teams went in for the break.
Photo courtesy of Mohawk Visuals
GCRG looked a little shellshocked at the beginning of the second period, and Gob capitalised mercilessly, scoring 14 points and pushing DRR over the 100 point barrier for the fourth game in a row. Truckin Elle was next up, landing a textbook jammer-on-jammer hit to pick up four points from nothing and send the crowd wild!
DRR were playing well, sticking to their tactics and keeping the GCRG jammers out, with Total Freyhem and the ever-reliable Hexecutioner shoring up the pack expertly. The day almost turned sour, however, as GCRG skater Injury Annie went down heavily and sustained a spinal injury. Play was interrupted for the best part of an hour while the paramedics (including DRR’s very own Yeah Man) did their work, but fortunately Annie had sustained no permanent damage and the game was able to continue.
DRR saw out the closing 13 minutes thanks to consistent point scoring from Onya, Gob and Holly, all of whom were able to evade GCRG’s big hitting blockers and pick up points. The Dollies were able to stick to their gameplan and use their firepower behind the jam line to good effect, picking up their fourth straight win. Huge thanks go to the Granite City Roller Girls, who were not only tough and tenacious on the track but excellent fun to boot!
FINAL SCORE: DOLLY ROCKIT ROLLERS 163 – GRANITE CITY ROLLER GIRLS 58
Photo courtesy of Mohawk Visuals
DRR Best Blocker: Gabbath Bloody Gabbath
DRR Best Jammer: Gob Stop’Her
DRR MVP: Rogue Runner
DRR Lineup:
63 - Onya Case (C)
74 – Hexecutioner (VC)
3+ – Calpol
5 – Total Freyhem
22 – Rogue Runner
28 – Gabbath Bloody Gabbath
44 – Nitro Noush
Spirit Of 76 – Kaztration
UK82 – Violet Disorder
88 – Gob Stop’Her
505 – Ray Fears
619 – Holly Sheet
777 – Slamabama
8008s – Truckin Elle
