Fury as pub dominoes team banned from league after cheating claims

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Members of a former champion dominoes team have been thrown out of their pub league amid claims of underhand tactics.

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Anna Blyth

Players from the Wig and Pen bar in Paisley, Renfrewshire, were kicked out of the Paisley and District Dominoes League after rivals accused a player of hiding, or "palming", dominoes.

The team, who claim to have "won every cup going" last season and were league champions the year before, said the claims of palming were never proven.

When some of the Wig and Pen's punters, not involved in the spat, tried to reform as a new team, they were turned away from entering the league.Veteran team member Jim O'Donnell, 65, said: "I've been playing the game for almost 30 years and this is the most shocking decision I've ever heard."It all started during a game last season when an opposition player accused one of our players of palming a domino. "We have always denied that happened and it was one player's word against the other's, but the league committee took the decision to boot us out."There wasn't a lot we could do about it so the players who were banned, including guys who weren't even at the game when the alleged cheating took place, stepped aside to allow a new team to be formed because we'd been told it was the players who were banned, not the pub."However, when a couple of members of staff went along to a meeting to register for a new season, they were told the league was full and there would be no place for the Wig and Pen."Landlady Marie Convery fears for the future of her "dominoes pub" given the committee's decision and yesterday demanded answers.Mrs Convery said the player accused of palming was playing his last match and is not on the team any more.She said the bar's reputation as a Celtic pub is the real reason why the league had shunned them. She said: "The Wig and Pen is a Celtic supporters' pub and we have buses that go up to the games from here."Anyone's welcome here but it is known as a Celtic pub and the Celtic/Rangers thing is definitely an issue with the dominoes decision. Certain people have openly said this is the reason we're out of the league."At the recent meeting, I pleaded with them that this is my livelihood and their decision would really affect my business."But, they weren't interested and claimed they already had 16 teams for the league."Last year, we won every cup going and the year before we won the league. We have a great bunch of players who were being punished unfairly and now the pub is being punished too. I'd like to know the reason why, it's a disgrace."Player Thomas Tutty, 50, added: "It was sickening to be told that we couldn't play dominoes in the first place, but now to be told the pub has been removed from the league is shocking."Jimmy Johnstone, secretary of the Paisley and District Domino League, said: "The Wig and Pen were put out of the league because they were cheating. We never mentioned religion, but they did."Dominoes is supposed to be played with sportsmanship, it's in the rules."

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Fury as pub dominoes team banned from league after cheating claims

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