ROLLER DERBY: Come on ladies - get skating with the South West Angels of Terror!

THE women-only South West Angels of Terror roller derby team is looking for ladies from the Yeovil area to join its skating ranks.

The team – which plays home games at Wellsprings Leisure Centre in Taunton – is warming up for the new campaign which includes taking part in the first-ever nationwide roller derby tournament British Roller Derby Championships.

Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short match-ups – known as jams – in which both teams designate a scoring player, known as a jammer, who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team.

The teams attempt to hinder the opposing jammer while assisting their own jammer – in effect, playing both attack and defence simultaneously.

Team spokesman Nadine Carey said: “At the moment we train three times a week at Taunton, Cullompton and Exeter as the skaters come from Somerset and Devon. We have one skater who lives about 15 minutes from Yeovil, but we’re always looking for new skaters to join us.

“We have gone from strength to strength and for the first time the league is fielding both an A-team and a B-team in tournaments this year.”

The A-team is taking part in the inaugural British Championships facing teams from Cornwall, Plymouth, Dorset, Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire.

Nadine added: “This season, with the tournament taking a step up to be a nationwide competition, they will be fighting not only for victory, but for promotion into the next prestigious division.”

This year SWAT will field its B-team in the SW:UK League tournament and make its public debut against Plymouth City Roller Girls B on February 28 in Barnstaple, hosted by North Devon Roller Girls.

With the A-team the only winners of the SW:UK tournament so far the girls are confident they can retain the trophy for a third year running.

The A-team’s first Championship game of the season starts is on March 7 when they take on the Cornwall Roller Derby team in Bournemouth. The team’s first game at Wellsprings in Taunton is not until July 26 against Big Bucks High Rollers.

The girls last faced Cornwall Roller Derby in May 2014 where they had a tough battle but the girls have been training hard on and off the track to make sure they come out with a win.

For more information on SWAT's upcoming bouts visit www.facebook.com/SWATRollerDerby or www.southwestangelsofterror.com .

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Paul Delooze.

Tags:
Sport.