We hold regular social events, always with eating and drinking and various forms of competition. The most fearsome is indoor skittles – sometimes referred to as ‘flying cheeses’ – where the missiles have their own ballistic qualities. Resetting the skittles is not a job for the faint-hearted so these functions are allocated on a strict rota, to all competitors in turn. It’s known as ‘being in the woodyard’ and tests courage when avoiding ricochets.
So strong is the competition that there are trophies for the winners, the Will Hooper Trophy for the men and the Pat Finney Trophy for the ladies. That’s the might sound like sex discrimination, but the rules of play apply equally to everyone .
The year when President Paddy Weldon, who had introduced us to the game, was proud to win the Trophy.
Some of our members spent their careers building rockets. Here they are able to recapture their youth.