Dominoes is more than just a game for the members of the Young Classics Domino Club in Mitchell’s Plain, it’s a way of life, says club chairman Yusuf Adams.
The club was formed in 2015, but after a few dormant seasons, it is back to make an impact on the domino world.
“We are actually a group of brothers that formed into a team,” says Mr Adams, of Bridgetown.
The members of the club can trace their love of the game back to when they were children of 8 and 9 following their fathers and uncles to domino matches, says Mr Adams.
“We used to travel around Cape Town in a van, every Sunday afternoon and from 3pm, we were either supporting our seniors or we were busy playing each other in a corner somewhere.
“Anywhere the dominoes were, we were there, and it grew part of us and we just wanted to be like our seniors.”
One of the seniors Mr Adams looks up to is one of the club’s oldest members, Abdullah Bardien, 47, of Mitchell’s Plain, who has played the game for more than 40 years, and whose two sons, Shakoor and Faghrie, are also part of the club.
“The game has always been a part of me, and I used to spend a lot of time on the road as a youngster, but I settled down with this game, and that is when I joined my first team,” says Mr Bardien.
“I love seeing the youngsters, who are now men with grown children, taking over and we are joining with them. It’s what this game has been about all the time, keeping people together.”
Mansoor Kamaar uses the garage of his Mitchell’s Plain home as the headquarters of the Young Classics.
“Every Friday night, we have people here and over the weekend. It’s always just dominoes, and the club was a way for the guys to be all together,” says Mr Kamaar.
“The Young Classics is our home because the guys in this club are the guys that have grown up together for more than 30 years. It’s only now that we are making it a formal club and playing in a formal league.”
The Young Classics plans to join the newly formed Cape Metropole Domino League formed in November last year at the Rocklands Recreational Centre.
“Most of the teams we grew up watching and the players as well that we learnt many of our tricks from play in this league, and we are really looking forward to the challenge,” says Mr Adams.
