OPHIR R.F.C.

This is a landmark year for Ophir Rugby Football Club, as it sees it’s 90th anniversary. We should rightly celebrate this magnificent achievement. Ophir is one of the oldest rugby clubs still in existence within the Ulster branch. Over the many years it has kept going, surviving many ups and downs along the way. The accumulation of the club’s efforts to date has been, of course, the opening of our new clubhouse at Mallusk. Many thanks is due to all those members who worked tirelessly to make this happen.

The fates have once again conspired against the club. The abnormally wet weather over this playing season has seen our grounds turned into a unplayable quagmire. The club is therefore looking to secure funding of around £50,000. This will pay for essential ground maintenance, that will finally rid us of the continual need to rearrange fixtures, the loss of home advantage and the nomadic existence that is all to familiar to the Ophir membership.

This brings me to what is the biggest night on the Ophir calendar, namely the proposed 90th Anniversary Annul Diner Dance to be held on:

Saturday, 16th June at Barnaby’s Restaurant, Ballyrobert.

The evening format will comprise of the dinner, presentations, prizes and dancing, to live music. We are depending on this occasion to raise the much needed money required for the Ground Maintenance Fund. Accordingly I would urge you all to help make this a special evening for Ophir RFC and invite as many friends, family and colleagues as possible to ensure that the night is a successful, rewarding and a memorable experience.

The club is aware of the affordability factor associated with running a dinner dance. As such we have sought to keep the ticket price to a minimum. Given the cost of the menu and the provision of live entertainment the tickets remain at £30 per person for the third consecutive year.

To ascertain final numbers attending the dinner tickets must be purchased in advance.

Please get your orders in now and contact myself, Bert Nelson (07877975524 / 028933406510), Mark Tumilty, Davy Hagan, Will Lucas or Trevor Harris a.s.a.p.

Ophir really needs each of you to “pull out all the stops” on this special occasion. So please turn out, support your club and hopefully have a great night’s craic in the process.

Up the Ophs.
Bert Nelson