New domino league looking to grow

The new Domino Board of the Western Cape Metropole (DBWCM) in Rocklands, Mitchell's Plain, is looking to expand.

The board was established in January 2024 and is based at the Weltevreden Recreational Centre in Rocklands.

The nine-team league started from humble beginnings with only four teams, but it has slowly grown over time.

Ismail Rajah, the league's new president and current captain of IZRA Domino Club, said after a rocky start, the league was underway and teams were busy enjoying the game of dominoes.

Mr Rajah said the purpose of the league was to create a platform for domino players, both professionals and beginners, who all share the love for the game.

"The game of dominoes on a professional level is also commonly seen as an unruly or rowdy game especially from some videos one can see on social media and depending on which board or union, this is probably true and because of this, the DBWCM was formed and established based on very strong and strict disciplines mostly respect and love shown towards your fellow players, even greater respect for the elders, just to mention a few and all of which are recorded in our constitution and which everyone needs to abide by," Mr Rajah said.

The new league was formed after a few teams decided to break away from a league based in Schaapkraal, and after only a few weeks of planning, they had a full fixture list after securing 10 teams to start the new league.

Games are played at 2pm every Sunday at the Weltervreden Recreational Centre in Rocklands.

IZRA was joined by Young Classics Domino Club, Hybrids, Young Stars, Reds, Graveyard, Tulips, United DC, and Rebels, mainly from the Hanover Park and Mitchell’s Plain areas, but are now calling on more teams to join.

Roeshdien Smith captains the Tulips Domino Club, based in Mitchell's Plain, and has been playing competitive dominoes for nearly 20 years.

“Dominoes is a sport that creates unity and a bond among brothers and friends. One of the main reasons we joined this new league is to maintain the level of respect between brothers and friends,” Mr Smith said.

Shakoor Bardien, captain of Young Classics Domino Club, has the game of dominoes running in the bloodline, with his father and late grandfather, uncles, cousins, and brothers all sharing the love for the game. 

"It has also kept a group of friends together for nearly 30 years, and that is the beauty of the game of us. Yes, dominoes are fun, but it's much more fun when you do it with people who also want to have fun," he said.

There are currently around 4 domino organisations in and around Cape Town, with the game being one of the most commonly played sports in Cape Town.

"It's now to the point where about 8 out of every 10 homes have a set of dominoes. So there are many, many more domino players out there that we are not even aware of. If you are one of them and you think you have what it takes, if you have the skills and you think your heart is strong enough to enter a more serious level of dominoes, come and join the DBWCM," Mr Rajah said.

"We are open to accepting both individual players as well as fully formed clubs."

For serious players/clubs, contact Yaseen May on 083 262 2845 or the match and registration officer Ziyaad Jagger on 081 386 6092.