THE manager of a Clydebank pub admits her rags-to-riches team of dominoes players was as surprised as anyone to be crowned champions – especially as they finished in last place last year.
Angelena McNamara only introduced the tile-based game to Alexanders Bar five years ago because business was slow, finally caving to repeated requests by elderly punters to start a regular group.
From there, the pub joined the Clydebank and District Dominoes League and last week was crowned champions of the set-up for the first time.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for the Alexander Street boozer after two rock-bottom finishes in their first four attempts and, speaking to the Clydebank Post, Angelena explained she only got involved because the original team didn’t have enough players to enter the league.
She said: “It was just to see if we could pick business up and it’s been absolutely fantastic for business.
“Eventually I said, right okay, let’s give it a wee go.
“And I signed up to play with them, just to make up the numbers at first, and I absolutely loved it, so I stayed.”
The regional dominoes competition takes place every Wednesday night and sees seven pubs from the area fight it out for local bragging rights between September and May.
Each team has a minimum of 10 players who compete in five doubles and 10 singles matches on each matchday of the season.
And Angelena admits her bunch of dominoes enthusiasts really struggled to begin with.
“We were absolutely rubbish,” the manager continued with a smile.
“We were stonewall last. And then the next year we were second last.
“The third year we did a lot better, we were up at second but then Covid hit.”
That was followed by another last-placed finish in May 2022 which meant the group didn’t go into this season with endless amounts of hope.
Angelena added: “And then this year, I don’t know what happened, but we just came in and we just started winning, winning, winning, winning.
“It ended up really really close at the end. The Albion were only two points behind us, so it went right to the last game.
“To say it was nerve-racking is a massive understatement.”
Alexanders and rivals the Albion Social Club went into the final night of the campaign separated by just a couple of points, with the Clydebank bar knowing a win would secure the championship.
If they lost and the Albion won, it would be a tie at the top.
Hearts were in mouths when Alexander’s suffered a nervy 8-7 defeat by the Mackintosh Bar team, and it then became a waiting game to find out how the Albion got on against Jarvie’s.
In an astonishing twist, Jarvie’s won 12-3 to hand Alexanders their fairytale ending.
Angelena said: “We were all absolutely hysterical.
“Screaming, jumping about and too many vodkas.
“The atmosphere was electric, we had customers in watching, staff members were in, husbands, wives, everybody was down, the place was absolutely jumping.”
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