I grabbed my dabber pen and prepared myself for...bingo!
As I queued to pay for my books, I was surprised at the number of young people sitting getting ready to play.
I found my seat, making sure I wasn't sitting on anyone else's, and prepared myself for my first bingo experience.
As I sat, people around me were franticaly pushing money into slots on their tables and sliding little windows on boards opened and closed. On the screens around me numbers of various colours flashed up and a girl at the front of the room read out what was on screen. Was this bingo?
I asked my friend, who goes along regularly with her grandmother, and she explained that the ladies were playing pongo. She said that the bingo would come next...relief..I knew I'd never have kept up with the speed that that the girl was calling out the numbers.
Then the big moment came...I had my dabber pen ready, my eyes were down and I was set to play for a line.
Then there was silence.....everyone waited on the first number.....all the sevens 77...frantically I searched up and down my lines to find the first number. The silence continued and the only noise I could hear was a very faint scratching as people scribbled out their numbers.
As the numbers were called I began to get nervous, I needed 33 to complete my line...my heart began to beat faster....then someone checked. Sighs and tuts echoed out from around me as people told their friends how many numbers they were waiting on to complete the line.
Next we played on the same book for a double line, then for a full house. Sadly I had no luck!
The second game was a 'link up', a game where bingo clubs from around the Province play in one big game, the winnings are high. The winner of a full house could scoop up to £500.
This was an even stranger experience..a voice with a Armagh accent began to call the numbers...then someone in Londonderry checked for a line, and the attendant with a very strong Londonderry accent announced: "Check in the Strand."
The game continued for double line, then for a full house.
I had a few sweats as the games continued, but there was no beginner's luck for me. I have to say, I enjoyed the night.
I never thought that bingo clubs attracted such a wide range of people. Young and old sat side by side scoring out numbers on sheets of various colours. I really had my eyes opened and I have to say I am thinking about going back!

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