It’s been a busy few months for Norfolk Roller Derby, and particularly for our WFTDA A-Team, the Norfolk Brawds, who face off against London Roller Derby’s Brawl Saints next week on 27th May! Let us update you on what the Brawds have been up to since last we spoke…
Early April saw them return to the UK jubilant after their match-up against Bear City Roller Derby’s Berlin Wallstars, in which Bear City took the win with a score of 286-100. In our previous blog post, we detailed how the rankings disparity between the Brawds (44th in Europe at the time) and Bear (7th) not only made the Brawds significant underdogs, but also meant they were predicted to lose with a points ratio of 6:1. Hopefully this knowledge sufficiently explains how a loss can feel so much like a win – the Brawds’ performance in their Berlin match-up was so strong that it catapulted them up eight places on Flat Track Stats, from 44th to 36th in Europe.
Flash forward to the 6th May; while most eyes were firmly fixed on London for the King’s coronation, the Brawds A and B-Teams were travelling west for a double-header against Bristol Roller Derby. Both games were of significance; it was the A-Team’s first sanctioned WFTDA game since becoming a WFTDA-accredited league in 2020, meanwhile, it was the B-Team’s first public game together, with many of its roster having discovered roller derby post-pandemic. The B-Team game ended 252-109 in favour of Bristol, but many tears of joy were shed when Brawds jammer, Bam Bam, was able to rocket their score into triple digits in the final jam of the game. The A-Team game also ended in a win for Bristol, after a nailbiter of an opener for the Brawds (the score was 70-67 in their favour at half-time!) eventually saw Bristol pull away in the second half to finish with 158-117.
However, much like their match against Bear City, the Brawds were able to outperform the predictions in their game against Bristol. As a result, they now sit at 34th in Europe, and entered Flat Track Stats’ WFTDA rankings in 50th place. This is important – and one of the reasons why the Brawds’ upcoming game against London’s Brawl Saints has the potential to be their most significant yet. They have gained ten ranks since the start of the year from facing teams that heavily outrank them; their game against the Brawl Saints determines whether they deserve to remain so highly ranked. Currently sitting at 31st in Europe, the Brawl Saints have won both of their public games in 2023 – against Marseille Roller Derby’s Bloody Skulls and Stockholm Roller Derby’s BSTRDs – and some of their skaters recently participated in London’s Anarchy 7 tournament on 29-30th April. It is not going to be easy for the Brawds, especially as they will be playing on London’s home turf, at the Tottenham Green Leisure Centre in London. The game will be bookended by a boot camp and an Intermediate level game, which will see London’s Batter-C Power face a mixed team. Be sure to wish them luck!
Whether they return to Norwich triumphant or not, there will still be plenty to celebrate, as the following week on 3rd June, Norfolk Roller Derby are hosting their Big Summer Blow Out intraleague games at Easton College to salute the start of the summer. Tickets are on sale now, for just £6 per person, or four for £20 if you want to buy in bulk! This is your only opportunity to support Norfolk Roller Derby at home in Norwich this summer – so get your tickets now! Here’s to a sunny season of love and shoves!
Photos by Michael Wittig and Matt de-B.