STORMING THE CASTLE: WILL THE ROCKERS REIGN IN THE HOUSE OF WINDSOR?

Last weekend’s Brighton Rockers away trip (to face Kent Roller Derby in Herne Bay) saw one of the rarest outcomes in this sport: a one point game. With derby scorelines often featuring a gap of several hundred, Saturday’s 141-140 win for Kent had every spectator on the edge of their seats. Unfortunately some Rockers fans (including several BRATS types) couldn’t catch this epic clash due to rail strike issues. We don’t have long to feel disheartened about missing out though.

Just as one point is a rarely seen difference in derby scores, so one week between games is almost unheard of… yet that’s what Rockers fans have been gifted here in the run up to Christmas. Brighton are back in action tomorrow (Saturday 3rd December) as they venture to one of the most famous venues in British derby, Windsor Leisure Centre, to take on Royal Windsor Roller Derby (RWRD) in a game prediction sites suggest could be just as close as the Kent clash. There’s no rail strike tomorrow so we have no excuse not to be there and neither do you. Check out our full preview below…

TRAVEL GUIDE AND INFO

Doors at Windsor Leisure Centre are at 3pm with first whistle at 3.30. Admission is a great value £7 on the door or £5 in advance (see the FB event page in the links below for details). Whilst the Rockers haven’t played an open door game in Windsor before, here at BRATS we’ve watched several Sur5al tournaments (RWRD’s own manic twist on the sport) and other derby events there. Located close to the river, the leisure centre is a mere ten minute stroll west from the town centre and train stations.

Stations plural? Yes, for some complicated reason Windsor has two (Central and Riverside) each acting as the terminus for a different branch line. They’re only two hundred yards apart with similar journey times from Brighton (a little over two hours) although Riverside is the less faffy option since you can change at Clapham Junction for it. Car users should point their Sat Navs at SL4 5JB. There’s plenty of parking at the leisure centre with the two or three hours you’ll need to cover the event costing less than a fiver.

Pub wise, for anyone who doesn’t boycott them, the King & Castle opposite said castle is one of the better examples of a Wetherspoons with a labyrinth of rooms/floors and a riverside terrace. There’s a decent cluster of pubs (eg the Carpenters Arms for aleheads, Queen Charlotte for ginfolk) just south of Castle Hill and more around Riverside station. Fans of pale ales (but not dark beer) should visit the Windsor & Eton Brewery tap room which is super close to the leisure centre. Despite its historic prominence, Windsor is a very compact town and everywhere should be easily walkable for most people.

PRE-MATCH EXPECTATIONS

We’re sticking with our policy of not giving detailed score predictions from Flattrackstats until next year, ie once most teams have got a few post-Covid games under their belts. Suffice to say they expect this one to be close (ten points or less) so we could be in for another Kent style nailbiter. Speaking of which, both sides have played away in Herne Bay this year. Could those respective results provide a clue for Saturday? Probably not given that Windsor’s loss to Kent (104-101) was virtually as wafer thin as Brighton’s (141-140). Eek!

In terms of past meetings, the first officially recorded scoreline (179-39) in Rockers history was a closed door home win over Windsor’s B-team in April 2011. Their only public meeting with the Windsor A-team meanwhile was on the grandest stage of all: British Champs. Brighton only took part in the tournament (since renamed Five Nations Roller Derby) for its 2015 incarnation. RWRD would sweep them aside 348-196 (the game played in Bristol) on their way to winning Division 2 South. Both teams are very different in 2022 so we won’t learn much from these past results. What do the two sides themselves expect though?

CAKE OR DEATH (BRIGHTON ROCKERS)

Did you learn anything from last weekend’s narrow loss in Kent that you’ll be using against Windsor? Ooh yes, we learnt loads. On and off the track. We’ve looked at how to delay with very strong blockers, different starts and smarter offense, as well as how to work our bench to the best effect. Kent were an awesome team and so lovely too. We can’t wait to bring our new found skills to Windsor.

You last met Windsor in 2015 British Champs. Any thoughts based on that? Both sides have very different players and different teams especially since Covid. I’m just excited to see what the current Royal Windsor side brings to the table

All three Rockers games since derby resumed have been away. Should we expect a home game soon? Yes indeed, there’s a home game in March! Roller discos have largely taken over Haywards Heath Dolphin but we’re booked in now so expect all of the fun of a Rockers game. 100% it will be excellent.

Do you have any words for Rockers fans and other readers as we head into 2023? We are so so grateful for fans who have continued to support us after Covid. It means the world to us and keeps our amazing sport going. We are so proud to be ambassadors of a sport that is so inclusive, so empowering and so beautiful. We’re always thankful that our fans help to make it happen.

VARIOUS FOLKS (ROYAL WINDSOR RD)

How did Windsor deal with the big gap in competitive derby over the pandemic? Where possible we skated together outdoors in the sunshine. We also did a lot of online team workouts, quizzes and a murder mystery event.

How many games have you played since derby resumed? We have played a total of four games excluding tomorrow’s Brighton match. Only one of these four was an open door event (against Kent). We also played a Sevens tournament in Eastbourne in which we came second.

Presumably a lot has changed since your last open door game against Brighton back in 2015? Yes! Almost all of the team are different now but we still have the Windsor spirit and we’re looking forward to taking on the Rockers again.

Is there anything Brighton fans heading up to the game should know about the event? There will be a cakes and a merch stand and a stand for Brighton’s merch if they would like to bring some. Windsor Leisure Centre also has a standard leisure centre cafe and a pool if people fancy a dip after the game!

LINKS

FB EVENT PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/864261984580091/

ROYAL WINDSOR RD: https://www.facebook.com/royalwindsorrollerderby/

BRIGHTON ROCKERS: https://www.brightonrockers.com/

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BOASTING OR COASTING | IT’S BRIGHTON VS KENT IN THE ONLY SPORT THAT MATTERS

Two months ago the Brighton Rockers took to the track for the first time in 2.5 years. That was in London’s Tottenham Green Leisure Centre (the Wembley of roller derby) and Brighton absolutely smashed it. Yeah, they lost… yeah, they lost by 68 points… but this is roller derby and (facing London’s B-team Brawl Saints, one of Europe’s leading sides) with an expected loss margin of 250-300 points they skated home like total giants crushing everything from Seven Sisters to Pimlico in their wake.

Most predictions/stats are not worth a toffee Santa these days as teams have still played so few games post-Covid. If the Rockers (after just one game back) had any sense they’d sit back in their Hove mansions [I assume they all have Hove mansions and if not can someone please buy them some?] to bask in that ‘victorious defeat’ and the high ranking derby life status that it surely bequeaths them…

…but no, these feisty Brighton skating legends don’t play that way, so instead they’re now putting that ranking on the line with *TWO* away games A WEEK APART against teams they last rubbed shoulders and skates with a lifetime (8-10 derby years, 100+ human years) ago. Like everything Rockers related it’s so bolshie it’s beautiful. On December 3rd there will be a trip to Royal Windsor, but right now it’s off to Herne Bay to battle the mighty Kent Roller Derby…

TRAVEL INFO AND PREDICTIONS

Brighton face Kent at Herne Bay’s Bay Sports Arena on Saturday 26th November with a 12.30pm start. You can pay on the door and it’s a decently cheap (for derby) £7 entry fee. Travel wise, the train strike doesn’t affect Southern services but the closest you can realistically get from Sussex is Ashford International (which isn’t as close in bus or walking terms as it might look on a map). Car types can point their Sat Navs towards CT6 7NS. Herne Bay is one of the few derby venues in the South East that BRATS have never been to, so we asked our mate in Canterbury for pub advice and he just said “go to the pub”. Initially this seemed rude but ‘The Pub’ is the name of Herne Bay’s best pub, apparently.

In a world where no one has really played each other properly (teams vs teams vs teams) for more than two years, proper stats go out of the window prediction-wise. Flattrackstats is our go-to and all we can say is they expect it to be close (within a jam’s worth of points) but anything can realistically happen.  A 200-60 win for either side genuinely wouldn’t surprise us as that is the magic of post-pandemic (rather than the maybe more predictable pre-pandemic) roller derby. The best way to know the score of course is to be at the game. Here are some words from both teams about all of that and more…

CAKE OR DEATH (SKATER) | BRIGHTON ROCKERS

The Rockers played in front of a crowd for the first time in 2.5 years against London’s Brawl Saints in Tottenham two months ago. How was that as an experience? It was so amazing to return to the track, but more than a little terrifying playing the Brawl Saints for our first game! We decided that it would be an ace opportunity to practice everything we had learnt recently. In some ways, going into that game knowing we weren’t remotely expected to win helped. We were much calmer and felt able to practice cool stuff without the pressure.

Brighton lost that game but by a super narrow margin with the Rockers doing around four times better than derby statisticians expected. What do you put that success down to? I think we did well for exactly four reasons. Firstly, there was less pressure (since we were expected to lose quite heavily anyway) so were totes chill. Secondly, we were able to practice lots of different starts, offences, defences etc (that we’d been working on in training) in a game day situation which can really screw with the opposition. Thirdly and fourthly, we had worked hard on combating our weaknesses plus being back on track we were simply having the best of times!

Derby games are on average almost two months apart, but you’re about to play two away games (against Kent and Royal Windsor) within a week. Is that intentional? These games just came in like that and after such a long gap we welcomed them. I think it’ll really help us playing one game after the other as we can really hone our skills across the week. Our squad will be mainly the same across both games.

Brighton played Kent once before in an open door game. That was 3,472 days ago at the 2013 London Tattoo Festival. Does that game provide any clues as to how this one will go? We are such different teams now. Probably only me and Hairy Fairy played for Brighton in that game. I’ve been investigating Kent’s players though and word on the street is Charlie, Chip and Annie RU OK are fast nimble jammers which from my perspective (as a blocker) means eek! We will see…

BRUTE (COACH) | KENT ROLLER DERBY

How did Kent deal with the big gap in competitive derby over the pandemic? It was tough. We did our very best to keep the league together as much as possible. Like a lot of leagues we lost some great players to retirement and finding other hobbies, but we kept a core of people on board who helped us come out of it intact. Since then, we’ve tried to keep it fun and light-hearted as the pandemic showed that there are a lot of priorities other than derby. Returning to play, we picked up some awesome new skaters who migrated out of London during those times as well as some really good new intakes, so the league is currently in a really healthy position.

How many games have you played since derby resumed? This will be our fourth competitive game back on track. We had a very close victory over Windsor in April, a narrow loss to Norfolk in September and most recently we had a great away day win down in Portsmouth.

You haven’t played Brighton (open door) since 2013. What are your expectations for this game? We’re really excited. Brighton is a team that pre-pandemic we probably wouldn’t have had the chance to play so we’re super psyched we get to now! It’s likely that there will be two KRD skaters who played in that 2013 game involved (Whizz Skid & Demi Lition) as well as a couple who have faced Brighton more recently for other teams. Otherwise we’re a great mix of newer skaters and veterans and we’re still forging our identity, so this game is going to be a great test!

Finally, for any Brighton fans heading up to watch the game, is there anything we should know about your venue and the local area? We are truly blessed regarding our venue. It’s a purpose designed roller rink and one of England Roller Hockey’s key national venues. Unlike a lot of other derby halls we have a wooden floor which we love. Herne Bay is a quiet little coastal town so if you fancy fish and chips you can find them, but you may want to try Canterbury (15 minutes away) if you require a little more nightlife!

LINKS

FB EVENT PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/1132357870696067/

KENT ROLLER DERBY: https://www.facebook.com/KentRollerDerby/

BRIGHTON ROCKERS: https://www.brightonrockers.com/

[Photos by John Hesse and Kent Roller Derby]

BACK ON TRACK | The Rockers Return With Sights Set On London | Sat 24th Sept

London Roller Derby’s Hippy Hippy Skate back in their Brighton days.

930 days 23 hours 12 minutes 37 seconds. Or (using a possibly simpler timeframe) 2.5 years plus about 2.5 weeks. That’s how long it will have been since the Brighton Rockers A-team left track against Team Dragon at Haywards Heath Dolphin on 7th March 2020 until their next appearance in front of a crowd on the warning tape bordered oval of doom that is a roller derby track. Oh how we’ve missed them!

This return to track, a long Covid gap (which saw a huge boom in outdoor roller skating) in the making, is taking place tomorrow, Saturday 24th September, at London’s Tottenham Green Leisure Centre. The mighty Brighton Rockers stars will be skating out at 4.30pm (doors at 4pm) to face the B-team Brawl Saints of derby legends London Roller Derby.

The Rockers and Brawl Saints have quite the history. Indeed it was at the feet of the Londoners that Brighton recorded the first official loss of their existence. As one of those rare closed door events to go on the record books (with both teams’ agreement) this 180-177 London victory in October 2012 may have ended the Rockers’ run of nine inaugural wins but was in itself something of a shock. The Saints were at the time rated the sixth strongest team in Europe and for Brighton to push them so close (to the final jam, in fact) surprised much of the UK derby scene.

The teams would meet again the following May at the Rockers’ first tournament appearance. Taking place at Alexandra Palace’s London Tattoo Festival, Brighton matched the Londoners well for the first half before the Brawl Saints’ athleticism saw them stretch out to a 223-101 win. Whilst the Rockers have met London’s third team Batter C Power since then, this reunion with LRD’s B-team should prove an interesting tussle.

The event will also see London’s A-team Brawling take on continental powerhouse Lomme Roller Girls (from Lille, France) at 6.30pm. Whilst online advance tickets have been taken off sale, we expect there to be some available on the door at £18-ish a pop. Do check with LRD via social media to make sure though if you’re planning to travel up without a ticket.

Alternatively the games are being streamed live (at £7.50 for both) should a Sussex based watch party be more to your liking. See the links at the bottom of this page for more information. Meanwhile, here are some travel tips, predictions and wise words from five Rockers stars in the lead-up to the event…

Former Rockers captain Swann rocking helmet hair on a London bench.

HOW TO GET THERE

As the home venue for both of Greater London’s WFTDA leagues, Tottenham Green Leisure Centre is in many ways the Wembley/Twickenham/Whatever of UK derby. This iconic status doesn’t distract from the fact that it’s about as far away from the Sussex coast as you can get in the capital. Usually we’d recommend public transport types to travel via Victoria but helpfully no trains are going there this weekend.

The best option therefore is taking a Cambridge facing Thameslink (12 or 42 past from Brighton) and changing at Finsbury Park for a single stop tube journey to Seven Sisters. From there it’s a ten minute walk straight up the A10 (or jump one of the many passing buses) to the venue. The journey should take a smidgeon under two hours each way from Brighton and one day travelcards are pretty cheap at the weekend. Also don’t forget the first class bit at the BACK of all Thameslink trains isn’t first class at all, so try and get a seat there if you fancy a plug socket and non-ironing board seat.

Petrolheads should point their vehicles at N15 4JA. There’s a fair bit of parking (paid hourly but not extortionate) at the leisure centre itself. Despite being a busy commercial area with a Tesco and plenty of cafes/takeaways, pubs are surprisingly thin on the ground here. The one we found on previous visits is a good ‘un though. Located three or four minutes north of the leisure centre, the High Cross is a converted public toilets so it’s fairly small but has a nice range of craft beers, vegan balti pies and more.

As you’d expect from a derby league that had images of its players on several cans of craft ale last year (now sadly sold out) LRD will be running a bar counter at this event. Popcorn is also a thing here apparently. Enough with the logistics, on to the predictions (or not)…

The Rockers A-team prepare for first whistle in pre-pandemic times.

PREDICTIONS AND THAT

Usually we’d tell you what the Flattrackstats website expects to happen in the games. Whilst FTS does offer a prediction for the Rockers match, the lack of games in recent years makes it difficult to put too much faith in it. Brighton last played in March 2020 and Brawl Saints have only played once since 2019, so we’re going to swerve FTS predictions until the Rockers have two post-pandemic games under their belt. Let’s just say the website sees the Londoners as pretty strong favourites here.

The London Brawling vs Lomme match is a different matter with the teams having already played four and six games respectively in 2022. Here London are given 97% chance of victory with an expected points differential of 49:18 working out at something like a 196-72 home win. Enough with the maths, let’s hear from the Rockers re their thoughts ahead of the event. (NB We did approach Brawl Saints with questions too, but sadly didn’t give them enough notice as they are busy preparing for the event.)

March 2020: The last time Brighton’s skating superstars faced a crowd.

VARIOUS BRIGHTON ROCKERS PREVIEW THE GAME

How does it feel for the Rockers to finally have a game after a 2.5+ year gap? Slaughter Melon: It’s great being back on track! It’s exciting, exhilarating but sometimes nerve wracking. We’ve been training hard so it will be great to get out there as a team working together

How did the players deal with that big pause in derby and how have you prepared for this Brawl Saints game? Go Go Gozer: It was a long break! But then lots of derby teams have previously taken a whole season/year off, so I’m not sure we haven’t come back stronger because of it. We started back as soon as restrictions allowed, first off skates and gradually working back up to full contact. I remember the first session back on skates. Hearing the sound of wheels stamping on the sports hall floor made me cry with joy! A lot of the team were in contact throughout the pandemic. A fair few got into park skating, so hopefully we kept our skate skills fresh.

Has the Brighton A-team changed much since your last outing in March 2020? Hairy Fairy: We have been incredibly lucky in that from our original A-team most of our skaters have returned to skating. There will be lots of familiar faces and names, but we’ve also had a few name changes and some newer skaters who were in the B-team are now solid members of the A-team. Apex Twin, G-force and Skates Of Wrath are all making their A-team debuts. We also have our last game with Dixon who was actually too young to play with us before Covid! She’s leaving for Uni but we have so enjoyed skating with her for the last year.

What are your expectations against the London Brawl Saints? Care to predict the score? Slap Dash: We’re really excited to play the Brawl Saints. We know LRD are an amazing league so we’re excited to see how they’ll play. Our bench crew have watched their recent games which has been really helpful when it comes to planning our approach and thinking about tactics. (There’s also a certain Hippy skater on their roster who we know quite well.) We know it will be challenging but we’re hoping to learn a lot and try out our new tactics. As for score predictions, I’m not that brave. I’ll be happy if we’ve played our best and tried out the things we’ve been working on… oh, and not fouling out would be nice!

Finally, what are the Rockers plans going forward? Any messages for your opponents, fans or potential new members? Block Horror: We’ve been training hard since our return to skating and are definitely keen to get out there and play more games. We’re looking to host a home game early next year and have a few more away games in the pipeline so keep your eyes peeled for announcements! Opponents: look forward to seeing you on track. Fans: thanks so much for supporting us, seeing our supporters at games is always a massive boost. Potential new members: if you’re thinking of giving derby a go, do it, you won’t regret it – and even if contact isn’t for you, we’re always looking for refs and NSOs.

LINKS

FB EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/1262063324331560

STREAM: https://www.watch-live.co.uk/24-Sep-LRD-Lomme-Brighton/

BRIGHTON ROCKERS: https://www.brightonrockers.com/

LONDON ROLLER DERBY: https://www.londonrollerderby.com/

LOMME ROLLER GIRLS: https://www.lommerollergirls.com/

[Photographs by John Hesse]

Brighton Rockers 10th Anniversary Souvenir Magazine Now Online

Click the image above to visit the online version of the special souvenir magazine we put together for the Brighton Rockers’ 10th anniversary in 2020. Featuring interviews with Rockers stars past, present and future, this magazine looks back over the Brighton league’s Decade Of Derby. Physical copies will continue to be given out post lockdown at Rockers home events while stocks last. Huge thanks to all of our lovely interviewees, fab photographers and awesome advertisers including the Lion & Lobster, Brighton Bierhaus, Pure Nuff Stuff, Downlands Brewery and more. GO ROCKERS!

Turn Left Issue 28 Now Online

Click the image above to visit the online version of our latest Brighton Rockers fanzine. This issue was published on the 7th March 2020 for a triple header at the Dolphin in Haywards Heath. The Rockers A and B-teams took on challenge side Team Unicorn, whilst third team C-Side had a 30 minute exhibition game against some skaters from Eastbourne Roller Derby. Check out the magazine for an interview with BRATS Player Of The Year Cake Or Death, four C-team debutants and more. Huge thanks to all of our lovely interviewees, photographers and advertisers.

2019 BRATS AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

**ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE BRATS AWARDS 2019**
Your votes have been counted, the certificates have been printed and the badges have arrived. Due to a clerical error the manufacturers actually made two of each badge, so our lucky winners will be able to wear one at all times, whilst supergluing the other to their fridge or pet. There were so many awesome performances last year, but we can only give out a handful of awards, so who done winned? Find out below… (PS winners please get in touch so we can arrange to get the shiny things to you. Cheerses.)

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: CAKE OR DEATH
Remarkably this is Rockers mainstay Cake’s first BRATS Award – well, apart from the ‘Most Voted For’ consolation prize in 2017. It was a landslide as she picked up around 90% of the vote, leaving everyone else trailing after a barnstorming year on track.

JAMMER OF THE YEAR: KAPOW!
Last year’s Player of the Year has to make do with the Jammer gong this time out. The likes of Skate Bush, Go Go Gozer and Deathblade picked up a fair few votes here, but Kapow finished in front of the chasing pack.

BLOCKER OF THE YEAR: FELLEN E ASSAULT
One of the most keenly contested categories with eight different skaters picking up votes. There were strong showings from Hairy Fairy, Gozer and others, but last year’s winner Fellen edged ahead to retain the title.

B-TEAMER OF THE YEAR: GOLDIBLOCKS
A very close contest for our Rockerbillies award for 2019 saw Goldiblocks finishing a single vote ahead of tied second place Pina Collider and Skates Of Wrath.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: JOADICEA
As with Cake’s victory for the Player award, this one was almost unanimous with Joadicea comprehensively triumphing in the BRATS ‘Class of 2019’ rookie contest.

ICON OF THE YEAR: FINN McCRUEL
In last year’s Icon poll, Finn lost out by just half a vote to Hairy Fairy. This year saw the same two duking it out, but this was Finn’s turn to triumph (by a marginally more emphatic whole vote)!

OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR: SEZ WHO?
It was an NSO versus ref tussle in this category, which swiftly became a straight fight between last year’s winner Hissing Hellcat and 2019’s eventual victor Sez Who?

OTHER OF THE YEAR: JOHN HESSE
Announcers, photographers, bench crew and more battled it out in this category. Remarkably it’s the first time picture king John Hesse has won the gong. In the interests of family harmony we won’t mention that Kira came second.

MOST VOTED FOR: HAIRY FAIRY
With several people picking up votes in multiple categories, this special prize goes to the person who picked up the most votes in total without actually winning anything (except this). This year it’s Hairy.

FRIEND OF BRATS: MR SÉAMUS
We’ve finally got round to awarding our annual ‘services to BRATS’ award to Mr Séamus, who has paid for adverts in all 27 issues of our fanzine despite having nothing to advertise. Cheers millionsly Sir.

Capital Gains? Will BRIGHTON ROCKERS Have LONDON Rockin’ Rollers REELING This Saturday?

The people of Tottenham might not be fans of Brighton-based sports teams at present (some 3-0 football thing a few days ago, apparently) but the mighty Rockers are heading to that very enclave of North London this Saturday to take on their chums the London Rockin’ Rollers. This event, which also features the LRR B-team vs Dorset B, is taking place at Tottenham Green Pools & Fitness. Doors are at 2pm with tickets available online (£12 adults, £6 kids) from the link down below.

The Rockers game will be the first one up at around 2.30. So is this sporting event going to finish 3-0 to Brighton too? Er, no. That’s a modest score for a single jam (of which there are usually about 43.6 in a derby game) rather than a whole contest. There are likely to be HUNDREDS of goals (points) in this one, so come along and see which side gets the mostest. It really could go either way. Eek!

We at BRATS have been to this venue for LRG games and even (for some reason) LRR training, but never an actual LRR home game, so we can’t speak for the facilities, stalls, food, drink etc in the hall. We can say it’s an easy enough few minutes walk (or a minute or so on one of the many regular buses) north from Seven Sisters tube, which is a short hop from Victoria on the Victoria line, so there’s no reason at all for everyone in Sussex not to turn up. You can even do some Extinction Rebellioning on your way home, yeah?

SCORE PREDICTIONS
[SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU DON’T WANNA KNOW]
The world of educated guesses (but still guesses) that is flattrackstats.com has the Rockers placed 294th in WFTDA and LRR at 345th. Despite being the visitors, Brighton are given 68% chance of victory here, although the 11:9 differential suggests a pretty close (165-145, say) away win. The day’s other game sees visitors Dorset B (199th in Europe) given 76% chance of seeing off LRR B (290th) with the predicted differential of 37:26 suggesting a 185-130 Dorset win. NB Predictions are as often wrong as right. The only way to know for sure is to come and watch the games!

VARIOUS FOLKS FROM BRIGHTON ROCKERS SAY…

The Rockers know LRR quite well. How does that change your approach compared to playing against complete strangers?
In some ways we can relax because we know they’re a lovely league and always fun to play against. However, we know that rosters can vary a lot in a year, so we can’t know exactly what to expect in terms of gameplay. We just have to work hard during training to make sure that we all know our own strategies inside out, as well as always having a Plan B and a Plan C up our sleeves. We have heavy sleeves!

Any particular players or tactics to look out for?
From us Rockers, Lazy Jo. From LRR, we’re not looking out for anything as we’ll just concentrate on playing our own game.

Care to predict the result?
Our last game against LRR was super close [a 227-184 loss in a scores released closed door] so we’re expecting another nail-biter, but this time we will have some more points than they, oh yes.

You’re back on the road two weeks later for a big tournament in Hull. Any advantages or disadvantages to away trips in quick succession?
Luckily London is not that far, so travel wise all is good. It’s also great to be playing a tough game a couple of weeks before a multi-team tournament, so we can see what areas we need to focus on leading up to Hull.

Finally, any message for the Rockers fans in Tottenham this Saturday?
We love you!

AGENT COOPER FROM LONDON ROCKIN’ ROLLERS SAYS…

Hi LRR. Who the hell are you?
We’re a London-based roller derby league and one of the oldest leagues in Europe. We played in the UK’s very first interleague scrimmage and Europe’s first interleague bout. Yeah, we’re that old! We celebrated our tenth birthday last year with an event including a super fun old school rules game – pivot starts, remember them? We have two fantastic travel teams and a (W)Rec(k) league with their own travel team. We regularly run beginners rookie courses, so if you’re interested in starting to play roller derby in London, come and say hi!

You’ve had quite strong links with the Rockers over the years, being their WFTDA mentor league etc. Does that affect your approach to the game?
Our history with Brighton goes right back to the start with LRR legend The Mighty Mighty Bash helping to set up the Rockers and later transferring to skate there. We’ve not played against Brighton since June 2018 [the closed door sanctioned game mentioned above] and it’s been too long. Being their WFTDA mentor league doesn’t affect games at all. It was a pleasure to mentor them and it’s always a pleasure to play them too.

Any players or tactics the crowd should look out for? Care to predict the result?
With a fair few of our current A-team injured we’re bringing some exciting new talent into the mix; superstar jammer Slammer And Sickle is one you’ll want to keep an eye on, and new Allstar blocker Stings Like Abbie will make life difficult for the Brighton jammers. We predict it’ll be a corker.

Any thoughts on the day’s other game (LRR B vs Dorset B)?
We’re incredibly proud of our Badasses. They’ve been kicking butt and their attitude on the bench is always amazing. They’ve been working very hard and we’re so excited to see them take on Dorset.

Finally, what can Rockers fans expect from your venue, event and the day in general?
Expect a bloody nice game of roller derby.

[Photo by John Hesse]

LINKS
FB EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/732910307158765/
TICKETS: https://bpt.me/4405141
VENUE: https://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/centres/tottenham-green-pools-fitness/
ROCKERS: https://www.brightonrockers.com/
LRR: https://londonrockinrollers.co.uk/
DORSET: https://www.dorsetrollergirls.com/

Turn Left Issue 27 Now Online

Oops we did another one! Turn Left is a fanzine (now in trifold A3 brochure format) dedicated to the awesomes Brighton Rockers roller derby league. Click above to view Issue 27 online. This mag was published on the 21st September 2019 for an event at the Dolphin in Haywards Heath where the Brighton Rockers took on Limerick Roller Derby and the B-team Rockerbillies faced Bristol Bees. As well as previewing the games, this issue includes an interview with Slap Dash and Hippy Hippy Skate, celebrating their birthday and last game respectively (Hippy is moving to London Rockin’ Rollers). We also have recollections on the B-team’s recent tournament success at Eastbourne Extreme. If you’re after a physical copy of the mag there are a few on the flyer shelves in Brighton’s Evening Star and Bierhaus pubs. Huge thanks to all our lovely interviewees, photographers and advertisers.

Threats From The WEST | BRIGHTON Face Teams From LIMERICK And BRISTOL | Who’s BEST?

The mighty Brighton Rockers are back in action in Haywards Heath this Saturday (21st Sept) against teams from the West of both Ireland and England. The A-team take on Limerick Roller Derby then the B-team face their Bristol Roller Derby equivalents. True fact: if you draw a straight line on a map from the centre of Limerick to the centre of Brighton it passes right through the centre of Bristol. But we digress… Doors are at 2pm with the A-team game kicking off half an hour later, followed by the Bs just after 4.30pm. It’s Slap Dash’s birthday and Hippy Hippy Skate’s last game before transferring to the London Rockin’ Rollers, so expect a super special day. Tickets are £8 online from the link at the bottom of this piece or £9.50 on the door. Students and Compass Card holders pay £7 and under 12s go free.

THE VENUE
If you’ve never been to the Dolphin before it’s crazy easy to get to. Car users can point their Sat Nav at RH16 1LY. Train folks will find the leisure centre seven minutes walk from Haywards Heath station (turn left and follow the signs) and this weekend is free from engineering works yay! There’s a decent enough pub, the Burrell Arms, opposite the station and a large Sainsbury’s with ATMs halfway to the venue. There should be a bottle bar, cakes, merch, a raffle and more in the sports hall, with a cafe and vending machines in the foyer. The after party will be back in Brighton at the games packed World’s End.

PREDICTIONS [Skip this paragraph if you don’t want to know]
Flattrackstats’ own (non official) WFTDA rankings place A-team competitors Brighton 295th and Limerick 373rd. The hosts are given 92% chance of victory with a differential of 56:29. This means the Rockers will need to get almost double Limerick’s points total to improve their ranking, whilst anything substantially less will benefit the visitors. The B-team match is predicted to be closer with the Rockerbillies 261st in Europe and Bristol Bees 274th. Brighton B are given 62% chance of victory and are expected to score 15 points for every 13 from Bristol. This suggests a fairly narrow (20 points or so) overall victory margin, which is super close in derby. Bear in mind that the prediction computer gets it wrong as often as it gets it right. The only real way to know how the games are gonna play out it is to be there watching them.

“The A-team won 173-157 in Limerick in 2017. It will be interesting to see how things have changed for both teams over the past two years. I’m expecting a challenge, but I’ve also heard they’re a great league to play against, so I can’t wait. In the B-team game we’re expecting to face a strong Bristol side. From our perspective, three victories at Eastbourne Extreme has boosted everyone’s confidence and the Rockerbillies are hungry for more success.”
SLAP DASH, BRIGHTON ROCKERS

“The 2017 match was a challenging game at the time and a very close one at that. Brighton won by 16 points, so we’re definitely not going to underestimate the Rockers. All of the Limerick skaters are forces to be reckoned with, every player bringing their unique strengths and skills to the game, so we’re ready and prepared for this rematch.”
LIMERICK ROLLER DERBY

“Our Beehive is constantly changing with some Bees being promoted to the A-team and new bees coming from drop in, but as a good beehive we work as a team and always aim to look after each other and have fun. The only thing we can predict is a tough game from the Rockerbillies. We’ll be digging deep, getting low and most importantly having fun on track.”
BRISTOL ROLLER DERBY

[Photo by John Hesse]

LINKS
TICKETS: https://www.brightonrockers.com/shop-cttr
FB EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/403414430300795/
ROCKERS: https://www.brightonrockers.com/
LIMERICK: https://www.facebook.com/LimerickRollerDerby/
BRISTOL: http://www.bristolrollerderby.com/

Turn Left Issue 26 Now Online

And we’re back! We said we’d put out publications for special events and what could be more special than a Brighton Rockers Brighton Fringe double header? Turn Left is a fanzine dedicated to the awesomes Brighton Rockers roller derby league. Click above for the online edition. This issue sees us switch to a new format (A3 trifold leaflet) which doesn’t it lend itself so well to online posting. Just imagine it folded in three with these two pages being the front and back of an A3 sheet. This issue was published on the 1st June 2019 for an event at the Dolphin in Haywards Heath where the Brighton Rockers took on Glasgow Roller Derby in both A and B-team games. As well as previewing the games, this issue includes an interview with Go Go Gozer, a fantasy Fringe programme, recollections of the Rockers’ recent games in Holland, and much (a bit) more. Huge thanks to all our lovely interviewees, photographers and advertisers.