Pimp my ride, go on pimp it, actually as my ride to Santa Cruz was a Titsa public bus it’s probably advisable not to give it a wild makeover. Thankfully others had been more daring and part of my days quest was to track down some of the 10 cars parked up and perked up by the power of paint.

These brush or spray strokes were to highlight the musical art festival of Keroxen and their Friday night concerts at El Tanque, the former petrol tank is itself no shrinking violet when it comes to free expression. The car project was overseen by Sabotaje El Montaje, the movement that transformed the bus shelters on the motorway run in to Santa Cruz. As always some of my planned calls for the day were fruitless but there are always plenty of other discoveries to change my plans.

Parque Garcia Sanabria is always a pleasant diversion and this time the long abandoned Visitors Centre was open and promoting the virtues of the many sculptures around the city. Two exhibitions of “Sculptures In The Streets” took place in 1973 and 1994 and I have added most of them to my files over the years but with little knowledge of their background. The Visitors Centre has them all mapped out and a handy fold up guide in Spanish and English can turn your day into a tick off tour of Santa Cruz.

Further down in Plaza del Principe a series of notices linked great writers to Tenerife. Agatha Christie’s short story based on a stay in Puerto de la Cruz has been widely recognized but I was surprised to learn that Leslie Charteris wrote a short novel in 1937 about The Saint chasing diamond smugglers around the north of the island. After further digging I found that “Thieves’ Picnic” was used as the basis for a Roger Moore TV episode in 1965 – that really raised my eyebrow.

There were three giant cruise ships in port, an increased police presence in the shopping zones showed how much the start of this busy season is appreciated by local traders. I had a wander in the direction of the old port and marina, there are always interesting visitors. A triple mast German training ship, Thor Heyerdahl was stocking up, a crew member told me most of the others had gone to visit Teide but would return to help prepare for a 6 month voyage to Panama. I might have been tempted to sign on but Coldplay was blaring out, half a year of that and I would have been swimming back to Tenerife.

Smaller but equally eye catching was a neat looking vessel with Music Fund on the side. Hailing a crew member I discovered it was a charity boat using music to inspire youth in poor and needy countries, Haiti was the next destination. Under the name of Florestan Around The World they carried a full load of assorted instruments. The Belgium chap I spoke to was himself an organ player and repairer and was in awe of the famous organ in the nearby Auditorium, he had even arranged to pop in and tinkle the keyboard. As the clouds rolled in I headed off for my tour of the Cepsa refinery having already made several strikes in the sea of knowledge, and I didn’t even mention Christmas – oh damn that’s blown it.

It was daylight robbery under floodlights, Marino’s Aridani struck a goal bound injury time shot and a visiting defender stopped it with his hand. A bumper Saturday night crowd screamed for the penalty but the ref wasn’t having it and blew the whistle on a tight 0-0 game.

That was the big talking point but Marino were guilty of poor finishing during the game and that combined with resolute defending from Tenerife put the brakes on their runaway leadership of their Tercera section. It was a cagey opening half hour, Tenerife have quietly moved up into third place and are a strong side, the pitch was greasy from pre match rain and neither side wanted to make any slip ups. Home keeper Sergio Aragoneses was rarely tested against his old club but raced out of his goal after 13 minutes to clear danger with a header that any forward would be proud of.

Jorge is knocking on the senior door for Tenerife and the central defender had a strong game apart from a slightly hesitant back pass that gave goalie Dani a wake up call. Pibe and Amado both had speculative shots but they teams took the break on level terms.

Cristo Gonzalez replaced Carballo for Tenerife to start the second half, he looked lively and made some inroads into the Marino defence but the end product was lacking. Captain Jordan got through plenty of work as he marshaled the midfield and helped to break up the Marino raids as they searched for a breakthrough.

Nestor replaced Sesma up front for the blues and was aggressive and determined but still the goal wouldn’t come. Airam blasted a good chance high and a free kick stung Dani’s hands as he turned the ball aside with a full length dive. Marchena tried to unlock Tenerife down the flank but Federico stuck close to him to cut out the service. At the other end Sergio spilled a rare Tenerife shot but recovered to gather the ball at the second attempt. It was heading for a draw that would be more valuable to the visitors, one last surge produced the penalty appeal, as the players trudged off the ref received plenty of personal advice from the crowd and blue players but shrugged it all off.

Oil is a dirty word in the Canary Islands these days as protestors hoist their banners against permission for exploratory drilling around the western islands. The industry is nothing new to the islands, the Cepsa refinery has been part of the landscape on the approach to Santa Cruz since 1930 so with a few days of free guided tours on offer I thought it was about time I got to see how it all worked.

Massive, that’s the only way to describe the 500,000 square metre complex, the outside view did little to prepare me for the sheer scale of the pipelines, storage tanks, and towers. Two coach loads of us were picked up from outside the capital’s bus station, it’s currently overshadowed by three oil rigs in port for repairs, another clue to the timing of the open doors charm offensive. Driving into the complex the first thing I noticed was the big self contained bomberos station with some pretty heavy duty fire fighting power parked outside. It’s not all hard nosed science and technology, they’re a nostalgic lot, the original iron gates of the refinery and a scattering of early equipment had their own proud corner.

First stop was a presentation in the exhibition hall, a whizz through the company history and some off their background. Cepsa has a presence in four continents and 15 countries including depots in the Tees and West Thurrock, Sussex areas of the UK. CEPSA (Compania Española de Petroleo SA) is these days owned by Abu Dhabi based IPIC (International Petrol Investment Company) and employs 11,000 people, 400 in Santa Cruz. The distillation process provides gas, electricity, and asphalt as well as the more obvious petrol, crude oil, and specialist fuel for planes and boats. I was eager to see the nuts and bolts of the refinery, back on the coach we took a slow drive through the interconnecting streets, they are all named like in a small city.

Dusk was falling and the towers and tanks towered over us, it was noticeable that hardly any people were around on foot and warning signs marked the different levels of restricted access. A scrap metal dealer would have been licking his lips at this point, I was mesmerized by the assortment of valves and controls, there were also emergency warning alarms at various points and fixed metal hoses trained on some of the key areas. There’s even a small ravine, Barranco del Hierro, that runs down through the plant. Arriving at the top end of the site we were able to walk around the viewing platform that looks over the motorway to the small port where petrol tankers can dock.

Next stop was the nerve centre, the control hall where everything is constantly monitored. The pipeline plans on the computer screens were like a complicated train network and everything from temperature to pressure is watched over. I was surprised at the relaxed atmosphere; I would have been constantly on edge if I had so much responsibility at my fingertips. The system allows any section of pipe work to be closed down instantly in the event of an emergency. Cepsa do a lot of sponsorship in the Canarian community, I was pleased to see a signed and framed CD Tenerife shirt holding pride of place in one of the inner management offices.

Our last stop was outside the reception area where children were encouraged to clamber inside a large fire truck while we enjoyed a buffet and drinks. The three hour tour was very slick and informative, there has been much media discussion about possible closure of the plant and plans produced for a leisure development on the site but I would imagine it would take years and a pretty impressive socket set to dismantle this giant.

If this had been a Subutteo game goalie Roberto of CD Tenerife would have been the one on a clumsy old metal stick while Manu of Deportivo Alaves would have been the hi tech flexi plastic version we all wanted. If your scratching your head to work out where the batteries would have gone, I will put it more bluntly, Roberto had another mare and Manu was an inspired, frustrating barrier in the 1-1 home draw.

There were a few other factors to blame for not making it three straight wins, a slow start with Suso struggling to find his groove, and a tendency to overcook the build up before taking a pop at the target. Carlos Ruiz could have kick started the party after eight minutes, he latched onto a Moyano cross and was unlucky to see his cracking shot ping away off the post. Suso tried the left side of the pitch and got a free shot but Manu took it cleanly.

The Alaves opener was partially due to poor defending as Raul Camara backed off from Ion Velez but it should have been a bread and butter save for Roberto , sadly it was more like a dogs dinner as he completely missed the ball. It just didn’t click for Tenerife in the first half, the visitors were happy to sit back on their lead so it was all left for the second half. There was a surprise when Hugo Alvarez didn’t come out after the break, Vitolo dropped back alongside Ruiz and Aridane came on to play a more interchangeable forward role with Ifran.

We were treated to the rare sight of Aridane sending in a good cross from the right for Ifran to meet, a defensive header cleared the danger but it was encouraging. Cristo Martin had an eye for goal, he saw his net bound strike skew off a defender to safety. Alaves tried to help our cause, Medina, already booked for one clumsy challenge made an even cruder one on Cristo and was red carded with 30 minutes to play. Kike Rivero replaced Ricardo to tweak the home midfield but Manu tightened his gloves and his resolve and set about defying Tenerife. The ball broke to Aridane from a corner, he turned and fired just wide, Cristo shaped up for a far post shot only to see Manu get down to turn the ball aside.
The leveler was well worked, Suso took the ball to the byline on the right and slipped it through a crowd of defenders to Ifran who finished with style. The striker turned supplier with a tempting ball to Aridane who was a bit too slow for the goalie who smothered the ball. Ifran tried a repeat of his wonder goal at Zaragoza, forced wide by Manu he tried to screw the ball in at the post but a defender had raced back in time to add a clearing touch. A double block was Manu’s star turn, punching a certain goal out and then saving from Ruiz.

The four minutes of added time offered some late hope, Suso was upended by Elberon, it looked a clear spot kick but in the refs eyes it was a booking for Suso. Sub Uli Davila could have proved his claim for more game time, Ifran opened the door for him but he hit the post. An in form goalie and some bad luck maybe but we should have beaten 10 men. A booking for Vitolo will sideline him for next Sunday’s game at bottom placed Llagostera, overall form is much better and there is a feeling that our Dorada is half full rather than half empty

The years passed and the miles traveled focused the memories at the British Legion remembrance service at Westhaven Bay, Costa del Silencio. Uniforms, medals, and flags reflected conflicts around the globe involving British servicemen, it’s 100 years since the outbreak of World War One but the determination to remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice is as strong as ever.

The work of the British Legion is always relevant with many of the armed forces still active in current conflicts. The Tenerife branch are very active, the Noel Rogers trophy at the alter is a testimony to their position as the biggest fund raiser among the legion’s overseas groups. In between the hymns and prayers the several hundred gathered for the service dug deep to fill the collecting boxes.

The holiday complex setting around the pool made an informal but easily accessible venue and the views out across the sweeping bay added a glorious reminder of foreign shores that will live on in the memory. Although the act of remembrance is a solemn service there were many smiles among the tears as old comrades were remembered and newer friendships were made. The lessons of war are still being learned by a new generation so it was good to see a multi national group of under 16 rugby players from the Nandu club from Adeje in attendance, their welsh coach Jamie Whelan is himself a former serviceman. The act of commitment was read out in English and in Spanish.

The Lords Prayer, Abide With Me, and The National Anthem were all observed immaculately, as was the laying of the wreaths at the alter. The bugle call of The Last Post by Jo Cassidy hung in the air and paved the way for the two minutes silence, a time for reflection, pride, and sadness. The only sound was the gentle lap of the tide in the bay. Former marine Rick Sweeney then led a small group down to the rocks for a wreath to be placed in the water. It was a very moving service and a fitting tribute to those who fought for their country.

They drew the curtains at the nearby Green Clinic half way through this game, the patients had enough to cope with without this yawn fest of a 1-0 home win for CD Marino over Arucas. Goalmouth action was very limited as the game descended into a dull midfield chess match but it does keep Marino top of their group.

Former Marino coach Jose Almeida was back on familiar ground and based his game plan on a tight knit defence that pushed up high and passed back at the slightest hint of pressure. It didn’t make for the most cheery of Sunday mornings but they played the system well with captain and centre back Cigala dominating.

Looking for breaks where possible, their winger Borja looked to be through on the right after 12minutes but Eslava hooked the ball back out of his path expertly. It took Marino 20 minutes to muster a proper shot, the ball came into Sesma just in front of goal and although he leapt well his header went over the bar. That encouraged the home team to try for more, Pibe wasn’t getting much of the ball up front, Balduino had a hurried snatch of a shot but goalie Raul wasn’t worried by it.

Sesma was making good ground on the left and a defensive slip let him in to unleash a fierce shot, it agonizingly clipped the post and bounced slowly back into the penalty area where it was ushered away. A clumsy foul produced a Marino penalty on the half hour, Raul delayed the kick as he fiddled with his gloves, maybe it had an effect on Pibe, his weak kick was parried and gathered at the second attempt. Sergio Aragoneses in the home goal could have called for a deck chair, he was rarely troubled by the visitors and their lack of ambition.

There was a flurry of Marino activity before the break, Pibe had an effort smothered by Raul, and Marchena was also frustrated by the keeper after hitting a firm drive. Maybe Raul would be the hero for Arucas or maybe he was just thinking that when he missed an easy intercept and had to be bailed out by a defender. Marino had shown the most desire of the two teams and were rewarded with a tap in by Eslava from a corner to send them in 1-0 ahead.

Arucas needed to come out flying if they were to make a contest of it, they didn’t and the game deteriated. Sergio was again underused in goal but at least the home attack made a few chances, Balduino slid into a shot and sent the ball over the bar and Marchena made a couple of good runs that Arucas broke up before hoofing the ball up field. Lamine came on for Javi Jerez and tried to add some drive from the middle of the park, it should have brought a second goal as Raul was put under siege with 15 minutes left but the keeper made some strong close saves.

Nestor and Airam replaced Marchena and Sesma as the game wound to a close. Even if they had looked willing to chase a draw, Arucas didn’t have the players to trouble Marino and the final whistle was a relief all round, especially for the fans. Winning without being at your best is a good habit to have and Marino still have a game in hand on all their rivals.

Every time I meet the British Consulate team for Tenerife I learn something new and helpful. I could have sworn it was a classy version of Girls Aloud or Pussycat Dolls as they took their places at the top table in the Los Cristianos Cultural Centre but their advice was music to all our ears.

Kicking off the new season of the Europeans Citizens Group, the consulate staff were introduced by Carol Salisbury, the new President of the former Ciudadanos Europeos. From left to right meet Consular Officers Monica, British Vice Consul Helen Keating, Penny Gomez, and Mary Suarez. For their purposes Tenerife refers to the province, that includes La Palma, El Hierro, and La Gomera so there’s a lot of ground to cover with two million visitors a year and 30,000 registered settled ex pats. That brings us to one of the hot topics for the consulate and the European Citizens – the padron. Registering as a resident of your municipality (Arona, Adeje etc) helps the councils to assess community needs. It gives you the right to vote in the council elections (coming up May 2015) and the big carrot is the 50 % travel discount between the Canary Islands and to mainland Spain, you even get discounts on theme parks and events.

Passports can be a cause for worry, resident renewals now all go through the UK and there are ways to avoid feeling stranded. A bit of flexibility is helping to untangle the backlog that built up over the summer, you can apply for a free temporary one year passport extension but only if your passport expired in the last six months or will expire in the next three months, you have not already applied to the UK, and you have at least three clear pages in the old passport. The consulate can also issue an Emergency Travel Document if your passport is missing, this will cost 95 pounds or 125 euros.

Helping the vulnerable is another key area for these dedicated people, especially if it involves minors, the hospitalized, crime victims, and those with disabilities. The consulate staff can liase with the main agencies such as police and medical to help repatriate or contact family back home via trained specialists. We can all take measures to make sure we are covered for the unexpected, residents need to register with the health system, the EHIC card is only valid for visitors but even with these safeguards travel insurance is still a cheap way to avoid expensive shocks.

There was so much good information coming across at the meeting my pen was sizzling, the growth of social media means you can browse all these subjects and more at your leisure so save the contact points below that are aimed at Brits who are resident in Spain. The European Citizens group is itself an excellent network and all for just 20 euros a year per household – and they have a better social life than I have ever had! They regularly have interesting guest speakers, this time Ros Jeffrey of the South Tenerife Christian Fellowship gave a talk on behalf of She Europe, an organization that offers help and support to women in distress. The Fellowship have recently taken over The Living Room, a drop in centre in the nightclub heart of Playa de Las Americas, they have always done great work and can now continue to do so. Isn’t it good to know there are so many safety nets and generous people out there in Tenerife ready to catch you if you fall.

CONTACT POINTS
BRITISH CONSULATE www.gov.uk/world/spain
Facebook www.facebook.com/BritsLivingInSpain
Twitter www.twitter.com/Britslivespain
Tel 902109356

HEALTHCARE IN SPAIN
www.healthcareinspain.eu

EUROPEAN CITIZENS GROUP
europeancitizens23@yahoo.com

SHE WOMEN
Helpline 690964145

There are some big, bold projects on the starting grid for Tenerife, none more so than the motor racing circuit at Atogo, San Isidro in Granadilla de Abona. My early morning destination was Adeje for a press conference update on the long proposed project and the Fleetwood Mac Grand Prix music was steering around in my brain.

FIT Canarias, the factory for tourist innovation was the very impressive host, the bright white office spaces are a relatively new tenant in the CDCTA tourism development complex at El Galeon. Eduardo Pintado Mascareno, the legal councilor of commerce for the Tenerife Cabildo (government) spoke at length and with some passion about the planned track and the benefits it would bring to Tenerife. Basically it’s taken a big push to get the idea to the stage where all the layout and technical designs are ready, the Cabildo has given its blessing to the project and just the difficult subject of finance has to be conquered.

Tendering is open for the 30 million euros investment needed and we were told there is strong interest. The Cabildo has always said it would chip in with the supporting infrastructure links, the south airport is just 2.5 kms away and the TF 1 motorway passes nearby . Of course the question of Formula One racing was raised again, the councilor said that would be the dream aim but realistically they were looking at top European racing at several levels on four and two wheels. You can take an in depth ponder at the special website, it’s a long term project that will take at least two years to build once the first digging starts but with a lot of faith and imagination you can almost smell the engine oil.

Back out in Adeje I was shocked to see an old favourite missing from his post. The statue of the Guanche warrior was no longer perched on his plinth on the way into the old town. Instead it looked like one of the cages for the Christmas lottery, El Gordo, had been given a prime position. Closer inspection and the help of some information boards revealed it to be a sculpture called Sphere Solidarity by Juan Antonio Hernandez containing thousands of used plastic bottle tops. The promotion, Tapones Solidarios, aims to fill the container with the discarded poppers to help the charity Iraitza Association to recycle the tops and donate the proceeds to help people with physical or mental disabilities.

You can help Adeje to reach its target by dropping off collections of the bottle tops near the sphere. They need to have the recycling mark on them for number two or five, if Dorada bottles had such tops I’m sure I could have a go at filling it in double quick time. There was better news of the Guanche statue, he wasn’t guarding a fish pond in a councilors garden or being used as an advertising gimmick. Further down the hill I could see him partially obscured as he was being fixed into place on a large traffic roundabout. I’m sure he would approve of the cause.

Thankfully he is not as hairy as Russell Brand but the big sloppy hug from Suso after his 26th minute wonder goal was very welcome by under fire CD Tenerife coach Alvaro Cervera. The final 2-0 victory over Barcelona B was even more welcome, especially with a clean sheet and vastly improved performances all round.

Let’s rip the wrapping open and go straight to the cherry cream delight in this chocolate box of a win. Raul Camara picked up the ball on the halfway line and fed Suso on the left, yes the left. The captain danced inside luring two defenders to him, he feinted past one and made a mug of Patric who tried to tackle him, then picking the top corner of the goal he flighted the ball beautifully into the net for the first marker.

Maybe the coach is learning that his over loyalty to some players is not being repaid, the starting line up was a pleasing one with Ifran preferred to Aridane and Uli Davila not even on the bench. From the start the home play was more flexible, Ricardo unleashed a long shot that Ortola in the Barca goal did well to touch over. Suso spent more of the early part of the game on the opposite wing from his normal right and it worked wonders.

Barcelona B always have plenty of skills on offer, tucking in behind thee home defence they set up a good chance but Roberto made a commanding save. They followed up with an effort from deep but this one sailed high over the bar. Tenerife had another strong chance just before the break, a cross from the right came to Ifran but the goalie was awake and snuffed it out. Ortola was wandering far out of his goal at times and the invite was there for more goals – something to ponder in the half time break.

Aitor Sanz was back in control in midfield, Hugo Alvarez continues to improve at centre back, and Ifran looked the part up front, early after the restart he did well to beat three defenders but the shot wasn’t quite as clinical. The second goal arrived within a few minutes, a corner landed just nicely for Ifran to muscle in between the defence to turn and shoot in one movement. There was a hint of handball but we wont argue with that and neither did Ifran as he dispatched the ball into the net.

Juan Camara went close for Barca but Tenerife were still shining, even when some of the floodlights clicked off at our end of the ground. Thankfully the ref didn’t seem bothered, and this one had better sight than most of the blinkered officials we get. Aridane came on for Ifran who left to a generous round of applause, the out of favour number nine slotted in nicely and was even spotted helping out the defence at one point. Guarrotxena replaced Ricardo with little disruption to the flow as Suso continued to torment the visitors. Patric had a torrid time in defence and launched a scathing challenge on Guarrotxena that earned him a straight red. Barca managed a few late efforts, Gumbau had a pop from long range but it curled over the goal with Roberto ready to cover it.

The biggest cheer of the night from the 9,062 crowd was for Suso when he was subbed with a few minutes left, he richly deserved the ovation he got, a truly inspiring captain. His replacement, 16 year old striker Cristo Gonzalez won a couple of headers, it was nice to see him get some time, on the same day that our last home grown hot shot Ayoze grabbed his first Premier goal for Newcastle. Everyone was happy at the final whistle but we know it’s just a start, at least coach Cervera could get a sound nights sleep.

Lex Plode, Max Voltage, Lady Macdeath, Jackie The Ripper, and Sherry Bomb were whipping up a storm as they whizzed around the circuit with The Buzzcocks lending an edgy punk soundtrack. This was just the warm up of my first roller derby match and if those names weren’t intimidating enough there was always the seven officials including Bella Karlofa and Belle Anger. I had only recently discovered that this popular ladies sport wasn’t just confined to America and now I was seeing it first hand in Santa Cruz at the Pancho Camurria sports centre.

The visit of Batter C Power from London reeled me in and a few hours before the action I met Hannah Charles, AKA Baby Cheesus, near the London teams hotel by Plaza del Candelaria. The Welsh international explained some of the basics and the UK angle. “London Roller Girls is a big club with around 60 players and we play out of Crystal Palace but for this trip we’ve brought 11 players from the third team. Normally there are 14 on a side with five skating at a time, four blockers and a jammer that does the scoring by overtaking opposition players. “

My nearest points of reference to Roller Derby were following ice hockey, and the 1972 Raquel Welch film Kansas City Bomber but it was amore recent film that drew Hannah to the sport. “I saw Whip It three years ago and had to have a go, I was soon hooked. It’s great for all body types, I’m a jammer and that’s more about being nippy but the sport has a strong physical edge that I like. Broken legs and concussion can happen and there are always routine bruises.” Hannah showed off a shoulder bruise at this point but I was already enchanted long before that.

Tenerife was just one of many stop offs since Hannah took up the skates. “I went to Belgium last year with the Wales team, we finished fifth out of eight countries. London Roller Girls were the first non American entries in the World Club Championships last year in Nashville.”
I had also made contact with Tenerife Roller Derby and arriving at the Pancho Camurria for the warm up I had a chat with captain Mercedes (skating as Mercromina) who brought me up to speed on their history. “Esther Arrocha formed the team four years ago, she had played for Erasmus in Manchester and is now living and playing in London. Spain are playing in the World Championships in Dallas this December and there will be seven players from our club as well as Esther.”

There was a lot of preparation before the game started, the refs were marking out the oval track with tape, the teams were practicing their drills and slipping in their gum shields to go with the knee, elbow, and wrist pads. Mutual respect was high on the list too, the teams each skated a few laps to get the applause of the near 400 crowd and then swapped high fives as they filed past each other. Once the first 30 minute half started the niceties were at a minimum as the jammers (identified by a star on a helmet cover) tried to barge, dodge, and power their way past the blockers. Effectively there were two battles going on as the teams tried to shield their own jammer until they could break through and also keep out the opponents scorer.

The officials made sure safety was preserved with sin bin seats for offenders, and close attention to the furious action but there were medics with a trolley on the sidelines just in case. The Pancho Camurria also hosts boxing but it didn’t come to that and when skaters did crash there was an instant ring of refs around them as they recovered. It was quite technical, alert minds and bodies were definitely needed, my little pea brain was just about getting to grips with the scoring. Breaks in play for pack changes and new laps extend the game time to nearly two hours including a 15 minute halfway break.

Sadly my schedule meant I had to shoot across the city to meet the Armada Sur for the CD Tenerife game so I left at half time. It was long enough to get a taste of the dedication, skill, and passion of these players, there’s no big money for them, just late training around jobs and studying and paying for kit etc. The London ladies had to cover nearly all the cost of their trip over and undergo similar unsocial hours for training. Tenerife loves sport, with regular games the Pancho Camurria could be packed but it’s costly for other teams to come for friendlies. You can’t fault them for organization, they run their own drink and snack bar, produce a programme, and sell replica shirts and merchandise, they were even selling London shirts for their visitors, that’s a classy touch.

It was a close run contest, Batter C Power edged it by 153 points to 149 and the two sides enjoyed an after match party to cement the links between the clubs. Tenerife games are as and when they can arrange friendlies so if you want to catch the action or take up playing join them on Facebook at Tenerife Roller Derby. UK based readers can do the same via www.londonrollergirls.com