Bout Report: GRG Irn-Bruisers vs Rainy City Roller Girls 29 October 2011

As I mentioned in the previous report, last Saturday's Hallowe'en themed roller derby at Glasgow was a  double header. Having covered the international bout first on the agenda, this report covers the second: the traditional yearly matchup between Glasgow's 'A'-team, the Irn-Bruisers, and Manchester's Rainy City Roller Girls. The previous two years had been wins for the hosting team - Glasgow in 2009, and Rainy City in 2010 - so the onus was on the away team to break the pattern this time!

First, of course, the skateout!

Period 1

The first five jams of the bout were somewhat inconclusive, neither team managing to get a cohesive advantage over the other (see, for example, jam 4 (VIDEO) ). As with the previous bout, it was to be a power-jam that finally broke that deadlock.

Randi Razorlegs and Marshall Lawless contest for lead jammer.

Coming into jam 6, it looked like Randi Razorlegs (L11) had successfully slipped around the inside-line to take lead-jammer, but the eagle eyes of referee Karl Lager-Filled detected track-cutting, for which the Rainy City jammer was sent off to the sin-bin. Slowing the pack, pivot Viper (27) and the rest of the Bruisers blockers made it easy for jammer Marshall Lawless (42) to rack up the points: 22 of them before the power-jam ended!

As with so many bouts, a single jam was enough to shake the scoreboard up, the scores now:

30 GRG : 13 RCRG

With their lead established, the home team continued to press their advantage, jams 7 (VIDEO) and 8 seeing great defensive work in the pack to give jammers Marla Mayhem (13) and Megan Hyndman (4) strong leads over Rainy City's Missy Rascal (6) and Elle Loco (K-133), enough to score single passes each.
Clearly, the Rainy City skaters needed to think outside the box to break through the home team's impressive blocking. In the ninth jam, they finally got a chance to do so: with the pack formed up against the jam line (GRG taking a knee to exploit a numerical advantage), RCRG's Missy Rascal immediately performed a star pass, reaching over the entire pack to hand her jammer panty to pivot, Dee-Mise (18), at the front. While this didn't grant them lead-jammer status (Dee-Mise not actually having passed any of the opposing team in the pack), it did seem to confuse the Irn-Bruisers sufficiently to break their grip on events, Hardcore Prawn (88) battling her way past Missy Rascal (apparently attempting a Gotham-style face-to-face block) but without lead-jammer status. With neither jammer in a position to call the jam, it went to time, both teams picking up multiple passes, to bring the score to:

Dee-Mise and Missy Rascal's star pass gambit in process.

45 GRG : 24 RCRG

This is the kind of trick that only works once, however, and the away team might have played it too early, the next 4 jams proving as inconclusive as the first five had, despite yet another power jam in jam 10 for the away team. With a fast pack limiting Belle-istic's ability to score, she called the jam; the rest of the power-jam much better exploited by Rainy City captain Missy Rascal, accounting for most of their points here. With Rainy City taking a knee into the next jam (VIDEO), it was Marla Mayhem who took lead, setting the theme for the next few short jams.

Hardcore Prawn had to fight for every point here.

Just as in the previous case, the run was ended by another dramatic power-jam, in the 14th jam. With Rainy City taking a knee into the jam, to exploit a numerical advantage, both Hardcore Prawn and Elle Loco faced a strongly defensive pack, the Rainy City jammer faced with a strong forward wall from Lily Lethal (5), Chemikill Hazard (LD50) and Slain Austen (823.7), and Hardcore Prawn the blocking expertise of Dee-Mise, Sookie Sock'em and Mama Firefly (667). After a last-second block from Dee-Mise put paid to the Bruiser's break for freedom, it was Elle Loco who took lead jammer, only to be sent to the sin-bin during her first scoring pass. Adapting quickly to the change in circumstances, Hardcore Prawn fought her way repeatedly through a slow moving pack to take 10 points in the power-jam, and setting the score at:

59 GRG : 35 RCRG

With the dying seconds of the power-jam extending into the next jam (VIDEO), Marshall Lawless was a little too hasty getting through the pack, failing to do so cleanly enough to take lead jammer. Her haste did her no favours in her scoring pass, either, some track cutting on the outside line sending her to the sin-bin just as Elle Loco was coming back on track. The excitement wasn't over, however, the Rainy City jammer managing to get herself sent off again on her second scoring pass for a back block major, returning Marshall Lawless to the track just as two of GRG's blockers left it for the sin-bin themselves. With the pack balanced against her, the Bruisers' jammer fought hard to complete her scoring pass, barely managing to do so as the whistle blew.

They're not really quite this different in size in real life!

While Marshall Lawless and Hardcore Prawn had already managed high-scoring power-jams, Marla Mayhem was about to demonstrate it was quite possible to do the same thing with your opposing skater on the track. With only Viper and Chemikill Hazard on the track for the Irn-Bruisers, it took some help from their jammer to hold back Elle-Loco (starting from off track) as the jam began; as soon as her services were no longer needed, with Lucky Hateball (8) emerging from the penalty area, Marla Mayhem surged ahead to take lead-jammer. With the Rainy City jammer held securely behind a forward wall, the home team picked up a safe pair of scoring passes before calling it as she emerged.
Despite high scoring on both sides, the points differential had barely moved, the scores now standing at:

73 GRG : 43 RCRG

While Rainy City had a chance to recoup their losses in jam 17 (VIDEO), a messy start seeing the Bruisers' Megan Hyndman sent to the sin-bin on her initial pass, while Belle-istic took lead jammer. Not many points in this power-jam, however, the Rainy City jammer calling it immediately after being blocked off the track by pivot Wild Oates. This did mean that the majority of the power-jam extended into the next jam (VIDEO); however, with Randi Razorlegs struggling to pass a strongly defensive GRG forward wall, Megan Hyndman was back on track before Rainy City had picked up any points. To add insult to injury, the Rainy City jammer was sent off almost immediately for blocking to the back, handing the power-jam across. With the home team lined up stationary at the outside of the track, it seemed that Megan Hyndman would have no trouble picking up points; ironically, a back-block major on her second scoring pass put paid to that, sending her back to the sin-bin as the jam whistle blew!
Jam 19 (VIDEO), then, started with both jammers in the penalty box, even if Rainy City's Randi Razorlegs was standing ready to reenter the jam. Once again, an exceedingly strong defence from the home team, Wild Oates and Lucky Hateball in particular, minimised the losses, until the jam was called early due to injury.
When play resumed, there was only time for a single jam before half-time, (VIDEO), Rainy City's Belle-istic taking lead jammer over Marshall Lawless thanks to some exceptional blocking from the away team. The Rainy City jammer found her scoring pass curtailed by another one of those impassible GRG walls, however, and left it slightly too late to call the jam, both teams picking up points and leaving the score at half time:

82 GRG : 55 RCRG

-

After half-time, play resumed in period 2, which started a little late as the scores had apparently been accidentally reset for both teams!

Period 2

The second period started as closely contested as the first had, both teams slowly edging their scores higher, with perhaps a slight advantage to the away team (for example, see the first jam (VIDEO) ). The first big score of the period had to wait until jam 5. With GRG's Viper in the sin-bin, Rainy City took a knee into the jam, but it was the Irn-Bruisers' Marshall Lawless who fought her way through their forward wall first, to take lead jammer, Rainy City's Randi Razorlegs ending up in the sin-bin instead. She didn't spend long there, however, an incident during the GRG jammer's scoring pass sending her straight to the sin-bin herself, and releasing her opposite number in turn.
Continuing their power-jam into the sixth jam, captain Missy Rascal effortlessly took lead jammer (with a little help from pivot Dee-Mise), picking up another 9 points before calling it to prevent a returning Marshall Lawless from scoring.
With that good fortune, the Rainy City Roller Girls looked like they might be able to pull things back in the second period, the score now a considerably closer:

99 GRG : 89 RCRG

With that confusion over, the next two were almost sedate, Marla Mayhem picking up a single pass' worth of points in jam 7 (VIDEO), and then Missy Rascal managing a partial redress, with 2 points in the next.

This became something of a habit during the bout...

The ninth jam started a little messily, both jammers having to fight through strong walls after a Rainy City knee released them into the pack. While Marla Mayhem fought her way through the wall at the front, Randi Razorlegs was less fortunate at the rear, ending up sent to the sin-bin instead. This time, however, the away team proved themselves in defence, the GRG jammer failing to pass their wall on her third scoring pass (knocking Sookie Sock'em over in the process), instead herself heading off to the sin-bin! With Randi Razorlegs back on the track, the Rainy City blockers slowed the pack down; two more Irn-Bruisers getting themselves sent off in the process! With Marla Mayhem being sent off so late in the jam, the situation continued into the next jam, (VIDEO) team captain Missy Rascal taking full advantage of the reduced GRG presence on track to pick up 8 points before the Bruiser's jammer returned to the track.

After that excitement, the home team needed to show they handn't lost heart. Megan Hyndman was the one to do it, taking lead jammer she took no issue in knocking down Elle Loco to make herself more space on her second scoring pass, taking the score to:

124 GRG : 103 RCRG

that 20 point lead looking pretty constant.

This wasn't much of a respite. History repeated in jams 12 and 13: once again handed a power jam, Marla Mayhem proceeded to lap a stationary pack repeatedly, fighting her way through the Rainy City wall each time.  Inevitably, the penalties accrued eventually sent the GRG jammer to the sin-bin, allowing a last minute scoring push by Missy Rascal. As before, this Rainy City power-jam extended into the next jam, where (VIDEO) Belle-istic (13) fought her way past a two-wall of Slain Austen (823.7) and Lucky Hateball (8) to continue the scoring run. Once again, however, the home teams excellent blocking limited the damage done, the scoreline sitting at:

139 GRG : 111 RCRG

With Missy Rascal stuck behind the Bruisers' wall once more in the next jam, Megan Hyndman had no problems picking up 8 points to increase the home team's lead again, although her call was too late to stop Rainy City picking up some points of their own. The 15th jam was a little more clear cut (VIDEO), Marshall Lawless managing a clean 4 point pass before calling; the very next jam (VIDEO), Missy Rascal repeating the same for the away team. With Megan Hyndman returning to repeat the process for the Irn-Bruisers in the 17th jam, the score, with only about 3 minutes left on the clock, was:

155 GRG : 119 RCRG

The penultimate jam of the bout started slowly (VIDEO), Hateball and Wild Oates (3) keeping the rest of the pack pressed up against the jam line while they waited for their fellow blockers to serve their time in the sin-bin. When the action finally started, with RCRG taking a knee to destroy the pack, it was only for their jammer Missy Rascal to immediately get herself sent off for a back-block to Wild Oates. A sedately skating Irn-Bruisers pack kept things slow for Marshall Lawless to capitalise on the power jam, which she did, despite some heavy blocking from Oona Bomber (75) and Sookie Sock'em. Fifteen points later, and all hope for a last-jam resurgence by the away team had evaporated, the score sitting at:

170 GRG : 119 RCRG

And, indeed, the final jam (VIDEO) only cemented that; with Missy Rascal sent off again, Marla Mayhem didn't have to do much in her new power-jam, which was lucky, as the Rainy City blockers weren't about to let her pass. Considering the scores, Marla was content to just wait behind the stationary pack until Slain Austen and Sykes (360°) made her a path, calling the jam well before a returning Missy Rascal got to pick up any points.

With that, then the final score of the bout sat at:

175 GRG : 119 RCRG

Conclusions and Awards.

This was a spectacular bout, if for some of the wrong reasons. While Rainy City's star pass was a great piece of tactics, and the Irn Bruisers' blocking was impressively solid and coordinated, this was perhaps overshadowed by the huge number of power-jams (and multiple power-jams in one jam) that occurred.
It also continues the trend of each team tending to win on their home ground; we'll have to wait until 2012 to see if the Irn Bruisers can be the first to break it when they play in Manchester.

Awards

Best Blocker

Glasgow Roller Girls

Lily Lethal

Rainy City Roller Girls

Belle-istic

Best Jammer

Glasgow Roller Girls

Betty Gogo*

Rainy City Roller Girls

Missy Rascal

MVP

Glasgow Roller Girls

Marshall Lawless

Rainy City Roller Girls

Dee-Mise

*(who didn't jam - perhaps the Rainy City girls were thinking of Mistress Malicious, who skates as 99 to Betty's 999?)

Acknowledgements and notes.

Thanks to the Glasgow Roller Girls and Rainy City Roller Girls for an excellent game. 

Thanks also to the creator of the bout programme, and to announcers Helliverance and Handsome Joe Hanson. 

The video and photographs used in this report are all taken by me on a Sony A580 with a second-hand 24-105mm Minolta AF lens, and no flash. 

A playlist of video and album of photos from which they are drawn are at: 

YouTube Playlist 

Picasa Web Album: https://picasaweb.google.com/102032801144714237554/GRGIrnBruisersVsRainyCityRollerGirls29October2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink

 (Also shared on Google+, and a copy on Facebook) 

 Professional photography for GRG is handled by the excellent Dave McAleavy, who has a website for his bout photos. 

 This bout report, and all media therein are licensed CC-BY (Creative Commons : Attribution), which means that they are completely free to reuse and remix as long as I am given a credit as the author. 

You don't have to ask permission first as long as you do that. 

 As always, this report, and any inaccuracies within it, are purely my own. All corrections and comments are gratefully received.

Bout Report: Auld Reekie Roller Girls vs Rainy City Roller Girls "Gore-onation Street" (16th April 2011)

The unseasonably sunny (if windy) Edinburgh afternoon that graced the Auld Reekie Roller Girls Twisted Thistles (home) bout against Rainy City Roller Girls (away, Manchester) couldn't have been a worse omen for the away team. Despite this poor sign from the heavens, the Rainy City girls kept the game creditably close, bringing the final score to 92:109 to the home team.

Skateout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TRfzvKHno8

First period
From the first seven jams of the bout, no-one would have predicted the final score would have been so tight. Whilst the first jam was a cautious no-score, both teams taking each other's measure, the second saw ARRG Captain and jammer Zillah (555) take lead jammer, and score 3 full passes whilst the ARRG blockers kept Rainy City's Ice-berg (66) penned in. Despite an attempted fight back in the very next jam from Rainy City captain Missy Rascal (6), capable pack work from the ARRG blockers (especially Velosidy (16), Minnie Riot (7) and Juicy Lucy (666) ) prevented her from taking more than 4 points. The rest of the early jams were back to the standard of the second, with ARRG Jammers Zillah and Juicy Lucy piling on the points, and the ARRG blockers walling the RCRG's Missy Rascal and Ice-berg out.




The seventh jam looked like it was going the same way, with ARRG's Blazin' Phoenix (28) taking lead jammer and set to score points. However, ARRG's blocking was more sorely tested than before, and RCRG's Missy Rascal impressively evaded and leapt out of the pack, ARRG's Crazylegs (11) being sin-binned as a result.

At the end of the seventh jam, though, things looked bleak for the Manchester team, with the score standing at 41 points to ARRG and only 4 to RCRG.
Understandably in need of a tactical rethink, and some morale top-up, the Rainy City coach called a Time-Out.




Whatever wisdom Vital Sadistic passed on to her charges seemed to have an almost magical effect. With ARRG already one blocker down, RCRG's Ice-Berg effortlessly took lead jammer; to make matters worse for the Edinburgh team, Zillah's attempt at piling through RCRG blockers in pursuit resulted in her visiting the Sin-bin instead, handing her opponent a Power Jam. Facing a severely depleted ARRG pack in the next jam, Missy Rascal happily took advantage of her good fortune, achieving 3 scoring passes before the 2 minutes were up, for a 13 point gain.

Buoyed up by their resurgence, the Rainy City Roller Girls seemed to up their game for the rest of the period, with Lead Jammer alternating between the two teams jam by jam. If anything, the advantage was still somewhat to the home team, with Zillah's speed enabling her to quickly catch up to her opponents even when she didn't get out of the pack first.

With less than 3 minutes left in the first period, the score stood at 34 RCRG, 67 ARRG.

And then, for the second time in the bout, the Team Captains faced off as Jammers… Missy Rascal took the lead, and Zillah ended up in the sin-bin for her troubles. This was starting to look like an unfortunate trend for the ARRG team captain, and it was catching, as at one point all but one blocker (Crazylegs, bucking the tradition for the bout) also ended up joining their Captain in sin during the proceeding jam. Obviously, faced with such a tempting target, Missy Rascal took no time in racking up the points for an impressive 19 point Power Jam… right before the half-time whistle called.

So, with this last-minute infusion, at half-time, the score stood at a close 53 RCRG, 67 ARRG.

Second Period

The second period continued much as the majority of the first period had, both teams achieving lead jammer and points, but the superlative speed of ARRG's ZIllah and Juicy Lucy often letting them rapidly close down on their opponents to deny them the jam. The Rainy City girls opted for more practiced cooperative play, with both Missy Rascal and Ice-berg benefitting from well executed whips and other assists from their team, and RC blocker De-mise (18) proving an especially effective blocker - both at providing whips to her jammers, and at knocking down the opposition. Despite their teamwork, however, by the start of the 11th jam of the period, Rainy City had failed to make a mark on the home team, with the score standing at 63-90.

Usually, being a referee is the safer choice, but Jam #11 of this period demonstrated that this isn't always the case as ARRG Jammer Referee Cherry Fury was knocked down by an impact across her midsection, resulting in an official Time Out being called. Luckily, despite being winded, she seemed relatively unharmed, although opting to take the less-strenuous role of Outside Ref for the remainder of the period.



After Cherry's unexpected experience of blocking, the falling bug seemed to be catching; the next series of jams showed a significantly higher rate of tumbles and pile-ups, but no particular changes in the score. Less than 5 minutes later, the seemingly inevitable happened, and a block between Blazin' Phoenix (jamming, ARRG) and Ice-berg (blocking, RCRG) ended up taking down multiple other skaters, and sending Blazin' to the sin bin.

As she'd demonstrated twice before in this bout, Missy Rascal knows how to manage a Power Jam, and she managed to better her previous performance this time, bringing in 20 points in the remainder of the jam.

Now, with less than 8 minutes remaining in the bout, the score was 88-92. Two jams later, Missy Rascal finished what she started, and brought the scores to level pegging, 92 each, with less than 6 minutes on the clock.

Unfortunately for the away team, Juicy Lucy wasn't taking this lying down, and neither were the ARRG blockers. Encouraged by roaring from the stands, Juicy managed to take Lead Jammer, despite the best efforts of Belle-Istic (13) and Dollface Diablo (16, Pivot) , whilst ARRG's Crazylegs, Mo B Quick (66) and Minnie Riot kept RC's Whoops C Daisy (1006) safely contained. After multiple scoring passes by Juicy, the score, now with only 3 and a bit minutes to go, was 92-105 to the home team.




After a hasty Time Out for the away team, it looked like the score might swing back the other way in the very next jam, with Missy Rascal effortlessly threading the pack to take Lead Jammer. Unfortunately, she couldn't match Zillah's speed, and called off the jam without scoring just as she was passed.

For the final two jams, despite another Rainy City Time Out, nothing much changed. First jam saw Juicy Lucy gaining LJ, and just letting the jam run to burn off time. Despite her relaxed approach, she still managed to pick up 4 more points (while Minnie Riot ended up in the sin bin). With the final jam an evenly matched no-score, the bout ended with the score

92 Rainy City Roller Girls : 109 Auld Reekie Roller Girls

Final Jam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Tsij57ngA

Acknowledgements should go to the excellent Bout Tweeting by the Auld Reekie Tweeter (@AuldReekieRG ), without which supplement to my own notes this bout report would be the poorer.

Photos taken on a Sony alpha A580 with the kit lens, showing you can get passable results without an expensive kit.