York Minxters vs North Wales ZomBs Bout

Two tired post-bout teams. Photo courtesy of Alex Williams.

An exciting occasion for the Minxters this weekend, as the very first all-Minxters roster geared up for a bout against former rivals, North Wales ZomBs. Having faced off with the ZomBs once and walked away victorious, the away team came ready to settle the score, whilst the brand-new Minxters skaters prepared to show off the skills they've been working hard on for the last year.
As the bout started, the Minxters soon learned that ZomB's like it rough. Playing offensively from the offset, North Wales went in with an aggressive strategy that was hard to best. With a little fancy footwork on the inside line from jammers Redfern (#19) and Fox (#4), the Minxters almost closed the gap, with a nail-biting 27-30 score in favour of Wales close to the halfway point. Unfortunately for the home team, the ZomB's take-no-prisoners strategy prevailed, and at half time they led with 80 points to the Minxters' 49.

After a pep talk and time to re-group, the Minxters came back strong, with great team spirit in the face of adversity. Showing greater cohesion as a team in the second half, the Minxters raised their game in some respects to the level of their opponents. Capitalising on aggressive hits resulted in some memorable moments, including a daring block by Motherclucker (#17), who used her backside to fearlessly knock an opposing skater off track. Sadly, a good show of enthusiasm was not enough to win the day, and the Minxters eventually succumbed to a closing score of 97-245 in favour of the ZomBs. A valiant effort was made by all, and despite their loss, the Minxters enjoyed a challenging taste of first blood as a team.

After all was said and done, we caught up with our two team captains to see what they had to say.

North Wales ZomBs Captain, Angel with Diamonds (#64)

Q: Congratulations are in order! What do you think your team's strengths were today?
A: Taking it back to basics with our tactics. We practised, and we did what we practised. I'm really proud of my girls.


Q: Your tactics paid off. Is there anything you would have done differently?
A: We always take back things we can improve on for our next game, but I don't think I would change what we did today. We always do our best, we always make sure we learn, and for this one, I wouldn't change a thing.


Q: Finally, what was your favourite moment?
A: Not a favourite moment exactly, but mainly when our jammers and our blockers were on-point with their assists, and the assists – they looked effortless, but they're not effortless. Five people on one track, all doing what they're meant to be doing, at the right moment – I'm very proud of that.


Minxters Captain, Gem O' Cide (#84)


A: A bittersweet day for the Minxters! What do you think your team's strengths were today?
Q: As always, our communication was very good. I think it was difficult for us; I remember the first time we played Wales … we're not used to playing offensive at all. I think we held the jammer back, and with so many new skaters, I think we did ourselves proud. We'll learn a lot from it.


Q: A nice positive outlook. Is there anything you would have done differently?
A: No! This was the first time we played as an all-Minxters team, and that's all I wanted.


Q: D'aww, that's sweet Cap! And finally, what was your favourite moment?
A: My favourite moment was when Henn [Motherclucker, #17] did her bum thing. I loved the bum thing. I asked her afterwards if she's going to practice bumming now.


Thanks to all our skaters, refs, NSOs and audience for supporting us, and thanks again to North Wales Roller Derby for coming to play.


Photos coming soon!


Awards


Minxters Best Blocker – Gem O' Cide (#84)
Minxters Best Jammer – Fox (#4)
Minxters MVP – Redfern (#19)


North Wales Best Blocker – Sudden Beth (#2)
North Wales Best Jammer – Merrillstreak (#162)
North Wales MVP – Sazitron (#333)