Saturday saw our first ever double header at GRD's newest bouting venue south of the river, Bellahouston Sports Centre. The Berlin Bombshells of Bear City Roller Derby travelled all the way from Germany to play the Irn Bruisers on this sunny weekend in April, but before they tested the track boundaries the crowd was warmed up by a mixed game of newly bout ready skaters from all across Scotland.
Photo courtesy of Dave McAleavy, boutday.com
The Teacakes vs Snowballs game featured skaters from GRD, local friends Mean City and Ayrshire, our neighbours in Auld Reekie and a few even made the trip from as far afield as Dundee and Granite City (Aberdeen) to take part! With Teacakes in black and Snowballs in white all the skaters put on a great show and kept the game competitive right through the first half, trading points and lead position throughout. With the Snowballs ahead 84-61 at the break the pressure was on the Teacakes to close the gap in the second period. Despite their best defensive efforts the Snowballs' strong jamming and teamwork meant the points, well, snowballed, and their head start turned into an avalanche.
Final score: Snowballs 151 - 112 Teacakes
After a short intermission old rivals the Bruisers and the Bombshells were ready to go head to head for the first time in just over a year. The last time these teams met was when GRD travelled to Berlin in April 2015; on that occasion the victory went to Bear City 151 - 116, but could Glasgow return the favour on their home turf?
Photo courtesy of Dave McAleavy, boutday.com
BCRD got off to a strong start scoring twelve points to GRD's nil in the first five jams, making clever calls to shut the Bruisers' jammers down early on. It didn't take long for Glasgow to pull it back though as by Jam 12 it was GRD 33 - 32 BCRD. A few powerjams fell in Bear City's favour shortly after and they started to pull away, ending the half GRD 58 - 97 BCRD. After a well-earned break both teams came back to the track fierce and ready for battle in the second period. Once again Bear City started well by raising their score to 113 in the first jam. Glasgow struggled to get over their 58 point hurdle but then hit their stride around Jam 8 very quickly going from 61 to 77 to 92 points in the space of just a few minutes. Unfortunately for the Bruisers Bear City were also steadily racking up the points and although Jam 19 saw GRD break the century, the period clock ran out shortly afterwards and the game was called. A strong performance was put on by both sides; Glasgow didn't take the win this time but there was a great atmosphere of triumph and of a tough game played well from both benches. The Berlin Bombshells are a formidable team and played an excellent game, well done BCRD!
Final score: GRD 105 - 214 BCRD
We'd like to thank all the skaters for taking part this weekend - especially those who travelled to be here - and also the officials and events staff without whom we wouldn't be able to hold such successful events. Our EMTs, announcers, venue staff and stallholders help everything run smoothly and we are very grateful for their hard work. Excellent photographer Dave McAleavy captured the pace of the game beautifully; you can relive the whole game via his Facebook page. Thank you Dave! Finally we would like to thank the audience for all the support you give us both in person and online. We had a fabulous day and we hope you enjoyed it too!
If this has inspired you to come along to see the excitement for yourself keep your eyes peeled for tickets to our next game. The Maiden Grrders will take on Blackpool Roller Derby on the 21st of May, it's going to be a great one to watch! You can find out more from our Facebook page or by signing up to our mailing list at the right of this post which will send all our latest news and event information directly to your inbox.