Halifax Bruising Bandits v Hallam Hellcats Roller Derby - Report

Photo courtesy of Mike Gatiss

Halifax Bruising Banditas 138 - 147 Hallam Hellcats Roller Derby

What a nail biter of a game! The last bout of the year for the Bandits in 2016 came down to the wire as the visitors snatched a 9 point victory.

Hallam Hellcats are past a current British Champs Tier 3 competitors. Having finished 3rd in their table this year Hallam were a good test for the Banditas. Not only would the game prove that we have come incredibly far in 12 months, it also proved that we can be a real challenge in Tier 3 in 2017. Not only that but the Banditas were able to field a full roster for the first time in over a year!

Hallam started strong and caused the Banditas to fall into disarray for the first 10 minutes of the game. The nimble jammers and solid walls gelled quickly to give Hallam a 45 point leading up to half way through the first period. Fortunately the Banditas calmed down and fell back on their training, effectively working together to catch and contain the Hallam jammers while probing and exploiting the flaws in the Hallam walls.

The change in the Bandita gameplay coincided with a spate of penalties for Hallam which the Halifax team took full advantage of. One of our aims for the bout has been to lower our penalty count and with the majority of our players staying on track we had the numbers and skill to bring the score back to within 20 points of Hallam as we hit half time.

With the second half we found ourselves able to take the front line jam starts. Working from the front yielded great results as we eased into the rhythm of the game. Wishing 10 minutes of the second period we found we had taken the lead!

Hallam kicked it up a notch and began to take a firm grasp on the game. They got their penalties under control and seemed to find some composure after a well-timed team timeout. The lead flipped back and forth between the two teams for the rest of the game.

Unfortunately for us, Hallam pulled ahead in the last jam and secured a hard-fought 9 point victory. What a thriller of a game!

With the crowd cheering both teams on with equal ferocity there was an electric atmosphere in the college hall. It was an absolute thrill to play in an environment like that and we want to send a huge THANK YOU!! to all of the fans, both Halifax and Hallam, that made the trip to watch this fantastic bout.

While 2016 ended with a different result to 2015 we are so proud of what we have accomplished this year. We set out to spend 2016 rebuilding till we reached a point where we could come back to Tier 3 as a force to be reckoned with. If the results of this year have proved anything it is that we achieved this goal.

We can't wait to crack into 2017 and take on the challenges that the Tier 3 will present to us. As always, we hope you can join us on our new year adventure!

Look out for future articles for a full 2016 round up and 2017 preview including our fixtures for next year and news of our new skater start date!

BANDITAS!

AVE IT!!!

Awards

Halifax Bruising Banditas

Best Jammer - Sonic Ruth

Best Blocker - Trauma Call

MVP - Bob 'n' Weave

Banditas Spirit Award - Trauma Call

Hallam Hellcats Roller Derby

Best Jammer - Hallow Queen

Best Blocker - Jenuine Article