Roller Derby – tough but glamorous roller skating for women – has zipped into the city thanks to Leeds Roller Dolls, who formed in November.

By day the team-mates are hard-working nurses, doctors, designers and technicians.

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By night they emerge ready to compete as their athletic alter egos such as Rushin' Doll, Nuclear Miss-ile, Miss-treats, Rikkter Scale and Rose Whip.

And now they want your support as the team has pledged to down skates and run the 5k Cancer Research UK Race For Life at Temple Newsam in Leeds on May 18.

Co-captain Rachel Carleton (AKA Dolly Minxture) said: "With Race For Life being a female only charity event and roller derby a female-only sport, we thought it made perfect sense for us to support it.

"The girls in the team have been working hard to collect sponsorship and have set up a training club specifically for the big race."

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Roller Derby is played around an oval flat track – about the size of four badminton courts.

A 'jammer' from each team is tasked to push through a pack of 'blockers' to score points.

The sport is growing in popularity in the UK. Leeds Roller Dolls now has an 18-strong squad after forming in October. Compulsory kit for team-mates taking part in the full contact sport includes a protective helmet and shin pads, as well as the sassy fishnet stockings, hot pants and pleated mini skirts.

Dressing up was definitely part of the attraction for co-captain Rachel Carleton, aka Dolly Minxture, of Morley, who signed up in November.

The 28-year-old, who has already broken her arm in competitive skating, said: "It's a really big sport in America, quite popular in Australia and starting to take root in the UK.

"It's a full contact sport so people have to be prepared to get a little battered. It's partly about the dressing up and partly being part of an all- female sport. We have such a close-knit team and have become great friends while getting fit."

She added: "I guess it's not surprising that most of our supporters on Facebook and MySpace are male friends."

In the Seventies, Roller Derby gained a reputation for being nothing more than a gratifying spectacle for men, where women were encouraged to entertain, some even engineering fake fights.

Roller Dolls team-mate Hannah Marshall, 27, said this was not the case with modern day Roller Derby in the UK.

"There are now a lot of new leagues and new members who want to take it seriously," she said.

For more information about Leeds Roller Dolls, go to www.leedsrollerdolls.co.uk