Welcome to the new edition of your Club Newsletter. On behalf of the Management, Committee and Staff may I wish all our members and visitors a Happy and prosperous New Year.
January has started off strongly weather-wise, and I would ask all members to wipe their feet coming in, close doors behind them and keep warm!
The Ladies National Finals: i.e. the IWIBA finals, start here at 1.30pm on Friday 12th January and continue on Saturday and Sunday. They would welcome support.
Table Quiz: In the same vein our own Irish ladies are having their yearly Table Quiz on Friday 2nd of February. This is always a popular event, and it really helps our own internationals to help fund their journey to the Internationals in Scotland this year.
The full Irish Ladies team has been announced and I am delighted to report that BIBC provides 17 caps out of 24 - which is pretty astounding!
The Irish men selectors are in the middle of trials and the team will be announced shortly.
The Commonwealth Games Teams have just been announced:
Men: Gary Kelly, Andrew Kyle, Simon Martin, Ian McClure, Martin McHugh.
Ladies: Sandra Bailie, Catherine Beattie, Sally McAuley, Donna McCloy, Erin Smith.
Congratulations to them all.
Postponed games: PLEASE try to play these games and not CANCEL. Rink fees let me remind you are the Club’s main source of income.
The Beginners League for 2018 starts on Monday January 8th at 7.15pm.
I am pleased to say the Physiotherapy Clinic, The Arches have put up an advertising board, and representatives from the clinic will also be physically present in the Club on Tuesday January 9th from 10.30 until 12.30 to offer advice to any of our members. There will also be further dates announced.
Talking of boards, I am sure you will have noticed new Honours Boards in the Restaurant area. I am pleased to announce that the 4 new boards have been sponsored generously by Club members.
Short Mat: 6 mats are going down this Saturday 6th January – on the top green.
Dress Code: Sorry gentlemen, but this is beginning to deteriorate somewhat. Let me remind you that tops are supposed to be mainly white. We have allowed Club jerseys for a few years now but NO football jerseys. Similarly, NO jeans of any colour are allowed.
Note also the dress code applies to back matches and any Club or National matches brought forward.
E-Mail Addresses: If you would like to receive your summer pack by email, please complete a form at the reception. Similarly, if you have recently changed your email address, please inform reception so we can update your details.
Membership fees: Membership fees for new members, for the remainder of the season are now £30 plus £5 joining fee.
Dates for your Diary: A couple of dates for your diary – our Club Finals weekend is scheduled for 24th & 25th February. And the Club Dinner will be making a welcome return this year and is scheduled for Friday 6th April. Make sure you keep those dates free!!
Editor
Ken Armstrong