Hereford Roller Girls’ A Team the Horror Bulls were given a harsh welcome to the British Roller Derby Championships, losing 314-62 to Swansea City Roller Derby in an action packed bout at Hereford Academy.

It was the opening game of the 2015 British Championships and the first time that the Horror Bulls had competed at such a high level following a successful season in the Heartland Series last year that saw the relative novices go undefeated all the way to the final.

“We’re not used to heavy defeats, but we knew it would be hard after being promoted last year, said Horror Bulls bench-coach Tristan Shout.

The higher-ranked Slayers dominated proceedings from the off and raced to a substantial lead thanks to top jammer, The Mortician, who cut through the Hereford blockers with ease.

The Horror Bulls tried to rally but were dealt a blow when vice-captain ‘Treble Maker’ was escorted from the bout following a serious breach of the rules.

Their task was made even tougher when captain Eve L. Hart became the second Horror Bulls player of the bout to receive her marching orders, this time being eliminated for chalking up seven penalties against her name.

The Slayers continued to rack up points as their fitness and stamina levels told, but Horror Bulls captain and head-coach Zoe Butler refused to be downbeat.

"The other teams are a lot more experienced than us, but we’re all keen to learn and improve," she said.