September 13, 2011 10.13 am This story is over 150 months old

Bomber Girls prepare for final big match

Roll up: A roller derby team for Lincolnshire explain the sport and talk to The Lincolnite about their final upcoming match.

A local roller derby team will take on players from Glasgow at an event at Newark Showground on September 24.

The event, 28 Wheels Later, will see the Lincolnshire Bombers hoping to roll to victory against the Glasgow Roller Girls in their last open bout of 2011.

Roller derby is a full contact sport, played primarily by women on quad skates, and involves a combination of speed skating and formation skating.

Bomber Anna-Marie Thomas explained: “Simply put, each team has 4 blockers and a jammer.

“The blockers of both teams skate together in a pack, and the jammers score points by skating through the pack without incurring penalties.

“There are lots of complicated rules, but it is fun to watch even for people who don’t know them.”

Despite Roller Derby’s famed roughness, Thomas stressed it isn’t as bad as the hype. “It can be really rough on track and it is physically demanding, but no more than other sports such as rugby or hockey.

“I personally have only suffered one injury in the 2 and half years I have skated with the Bombers. I hurt my knee but it was only a pulled muscle.”

Final bout

Thomas explained that the team have not played Glasgow before but are quite excited to be up against them.

“Their team includes members from Team Scotland, the Scottish entrant to the Roller Derby World Cup in December, so we expect it to be a tough match.”

The girls are keen to encourage families to come along, with free entry for children under 12 and half time games for the audience to get involved with.

There will also be stalls set up selling clothes, merchandise, jewellery and roller-girl-made cupcakes.

The Lincolnshire Bombers were founded in March 2008 by their captain, She’za Payne.

The team recently became an apprentice to the WFTDA — the international governing body for female roller derby.

As an apprentice league, they will be mentored by an experienced team, and so can easily gain expertise in such areas as coaching and training.

“After a period as an apprentice league we will have the opportunity to become full members, and that will allow us to be involved in the WFTDA run tournaments it currently holds annually in America,” Thomas explained.

The match against Glasgow will start at 2pm. To buy tickets or find out more about the Bombers, visit their website.