Roller derby Birmingham boasts two female amateur roller derby leagues the Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames, formed in October 2006 by Bee Bentley who introduced the sport of roller derby to the West Midlands from America. Following this formation, the Central City Rollergirls formed from a split in November 2007. Roller derby is an aggressive quad skating sport where blockers try to stop jammers from scoring points by lapping the blockers. This fast & furious contact sport has already captured the imagination of West Midlands crowds during Birmingham's first public bout in October 2007. Skateboarding Skateboarding is popular in the city. Many small skate parks exist as well as the Epic Skate Park based in Moseley, the park opened in 2003 within a former bus and tram garage. The park is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and now hosts international skate competitions as well as music videos and film. The skate board wheel was pioneered in Birmingham during the 19th century. Miscellany Croquet was introduced in 1867; the first code of laws being published in October 1869. There is a croquet club at Edgbaston, which has been in existence since 1900. The club now play at Richmond Hill Road. A horse racing course was located at Bromford Bridge in Bromford, Erdington during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A smaller course was located on the former site of Four Oaks Hall in Sutton Coldfield, however its existence was short and it was removed before Sutton Coldfield became part of Birmingham in 1974. The 1972 World Snooker Championship was held in Selly Oak. It was won by Alex Higgins. 2022 Commonwealth Games Birmingham will host the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The city bid to host the event after Durban withdrew as the host city. Birmingham's bid was the only bid that was submitted to the Commonwealth Games Federation to replace Durban. It will be the first international multi-sport event to be held in Birmingham. References