With only two bouts remaining in the 2005 season, the crowds braved a raging summer Texas thunderstorm to fill up Playland for yet another edition of the Texas Rollergirls. Only a few knew, but the finals had already been decided after the previous bout resulted in a scenario where -- due to their records -- the Hustlers or the Hell Marys ould only fight it out for third... with the Hotrod Honeys and the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers in the battle for the Championship.But on this night, who would triumph?

BOUT 1: HOTROD HONEYS (3-2) V. HUSTLERS (1-4)
With Dinah-Mite their premier player back in the line-up, the Hustlers were looking to get back in the win column. She was fired up and looking as fit as ever... but the Hotrod Honeys were all business and had their game fine-tuned for the Hustlers.

The first jam started as fast as ever, but what was unique for a first jam was the use of the clock early in the game. Rarely do you see a jam go over about thirty seconds in the beginning. Pixie was back in the line-up for the Hotrod Honeys and making her presence felt as she put a shot on Cheap Trixie. Former Hustler Eight Track had her eye on knocking a few of her former teammates around a bit and soon became the focus of the Hustlers aggression. Not a bad strategy, but not exactly the most pain-free either. Smash Hit stayed true to her name with a smash hit on Kitty Kitty Bang Bang. Cat Tastrophe was flying around the track as usual, attempting to score maximum points when she crashed hard into the hitting machine known as Sedonya Face.

Puzzling was that relatively few points had been scored -- almost seven minutes into the 14-minute half, the score hadn’t even broken double digits. That soon changed as Dinah-Mite scored points for the Hustlers, which were met by Cat Catastrophe getting them back for the Hotrod Honeys. It became a real back-and-forth period. In one jam, late in the half, Cat Catastrophe and Pussy Velour were real tight -- while the other Hustlers took shots at Eight Track. As time ran out on the period, the score was tied at 26. Would this be a sign of things to come?

Truth be told, the refs were not the same refs we’ve had all year, so there was bound to be some questionable calls, but this night would be remembered for some gaffs. The second half was a lot like the first: the two teams traded points, punches, and pushes in their quest for victory. Ellis Dee showed that she is a versatile skater, coming in to jam and putting on some mind-altering moves to score. The highlight of the second period was the fight between Curvette and Hydra -- maybe it was because it was right in front of your intrepid reporter (i love Curvette's name, and I like the fights up close and personal). Melicious and Barbarella got wrapped up in a bundle while Lucille Brawl jockeyed for scoring position. As it stood, the match ended in a draw, which obviously is not the final. Now here is where the controversy began.

As stated in the program:
“Tie games are a no-no. If the score is tied at the end of the 2nd period of a game, the game will go into five minute overtime periods until a point is scored.”

Now that last line must mean something…it’s basically 5-minute sudden death OT. But that did not happen. In fact three jams took place. I’m going to reserve judgment on the outcome of this match because it is highly debatable; each team has a legitimate claim to victory. However, there were penalties and mistakes abounding throughout the OT. The refs were clearly unprepared for the OT period -- but with the Texas Rollergirls, we've all come to expect and enjoy the unexpected. Can't wait to see what happens in the finals!

FINAL SCORE: HUSTLERS 56, HOTROD HONEYS 54

BOUT 2: HONKY TONK HEARTBREAKERS (5-0) V. HELL MARYS (1-4)
After getting into the win column for the first time this season at Match Day 5, the Hell Marys approached this bout with a little more swagger. But are Honky Tonk Heartbreakers the best team with whom to get cocky? They've repeatedly proven that you will have to bring your "A" game to knock them off their undefeated horse.

Bloody Mary got off to a good start, but in an attempt to fire up her fans she stood a bit too tall, and Buckshot Betsy came in and knocked her to the floor. Sparkle Plenty started her jam by taking out her opponent jammer Bunny Rabid by hip checking her into the crowd. That’ll get rid of your competition!

The Honky Tonk Heartbreakers were playing rough from the outset, and the Hell Marys could not afford to let down their guard. Meanwhile, Trouble did her usual, speeding right through the pack to gain points for her team. Hissy Fit decided to get physical with Crazy Duke, but was penalized instead, allowing the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers to score more points. Bloody Mary held her ground against an attack from Sparkle Plenty, but Dagger Deb was slicing through the mob, sticking fools. Muffin Tumble made a valiant attempt to thwart Trouble from getting by, but Trouble was just too fast. The Honky Tonk Heartbreakers doubled up the Hell Marys in the first half and took a commanding lead.

To start the second half, the Hell Marys got took a page from the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers play book and increased their physicality. Good plan, questionable execution -- the refs penalized the Hell Marys, costing them previous points... and this one was getting out of hand pretty quickly. Misty Meaner was focused on scoring, but Slim Kickins was intent on keeping Misty Meaner on the ground. Muffin Tumble came through with a big shot. But Loosetooth Lulu put in some fine work for the Honky Tonk Heartbreakers and her tenacity paid off: she shook off mulitple hits and kept moving on her way toward more points. Belle Star and Bea Attitude got it on... good fight! And Crazy Duke did some nice work in the jammer position, helped by a strong whip from Trouble. The clock was becoming the enemy to the Hell Marys, and the point gap grew larger with each jam. At that magic point in the half, the lead became insurmountable, and it was all over but the crying.

The Honky Tonk Heartbreakers were obviously well prepared for this bout and deserve the chance to repeat as champions. Question is, will they be able to repeat?

FINAL SCORE: HONKY TONK HEARTBREAKERS 50, HELL MARYS 25

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Don't miss the Championship on August 7! (Git yer tickets now!)

Honky Tonk Heartbreakers (6-0) v. Hotrod Honeys (4-2)

Hustlers (2-4) v. Hell Marys (1-5)