INVINCIBLES (50+)

Currently, badminton numbers are fairly small and consequently individuals often turn up and don’t find anyone else there. Rather than staying until another player turns up, the individual leaves – this process repeats, so few badminton games occur!

Badminton is one of the REACT Games sports where we compete annually with other 50+ clubs.

Organiser: Patrick Williams

The invincibles partake in exercise classes including Aerobics, Pilates, Qigong, Somatics, and Yoga.

Exercises classes and Line Dancing – can be booked using the Wellington Health & Fitness App.

Bowls (short mat) is played indoors on a green rink mat with full-size bowls. Invincibles usually have three rink mats laid out but sometimes use two or four rink mats depending on the numbers wanting to play.

Beginners are made very welcome and often partnered by an experienced and forgiving player. There are sets of bowls for those without their own.

Organiser: Richard Prime

Racketball games can be played with two, three or four players. In doubles, the two players in each team must play the ball alternately (unlike tennis, for example, where either player may play each stroke). Three-player games are 2-on-1 for the entire game, where each player takes turns playing as a ‘single’ against the other two, who play as a team against the single player.

Organiser: Len Goodman.

Table tennis, also called ping pong, is a sport that originated in the Victorian period in England. High-class people used to play table tennis after dinner.

This takes place in the “Rackets Court” (located off corridor behind 5’s cafe). Bats and balls are provided for those that require them.

Organiser: Len Graham.

This is our most popular sport and we have players from beginners up to the most competitive. We regularly have 30 or more playing. Everybody mixes-in well and encourages each other.

Short Tennis is one of the REACT Games sports where we compete annually with other 50+ clubs, and Wellington Invincibles regularly live up to the name.

Organiser: Barry Cuming.

Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis. Played on a badminton size

court with a slightly modified tennis net. Players use solid paddles to hit a perforated plastic ball, similar to a wiffle ball.

It can be played as singles or doubles and is a fun, social, low-impact sport accessible to all skill levels.

Members of the Invincibles of all handicaps are invited to enter competitions, at local venues and Wellington College Golf Course, periodically throughout the year. Please check the notice board and this website for details about these exciting events.

These competitions are primarily for, but not limited to, those members of the Invincibles wishing to participate, with priority given to Invincibles. On occasions to make up numbers, late withdrawals, sickness etc. other non-Invincibles golfers are invited to join the competitions as guests.

To enable competitions to take place at the Wellington College golf course it is necessary to invite members of staff to take part due to the restrictions placed by the College on who has access to the course. This being limited to Masters, Students and Staff all of whom must be authorised to use the course with each being limited to a maximum of three guests.

Organiser: Mike Woods.

This takes place throughout the year – outdoors on hard courts located near the car park and indoors in the Robin Dyer Centre.

Please bring your own tennis racket and balls as these are not supplied.

Coaching on Fridays provided by GDT coaching staff.

Organiser: Barry Cuming.

Invincibles walks are organised monthly and take place on on a Tuesday or Thursday. The walks can be short, medium or long and usually include a lunch stop, during or after the walk, at a pub, or a cafe, or a picnic. We are always on the look out for more leaders to ensure a full, varied and interesting programme of monthly walks.

The leader’s role is not onerous. In addition to leading on the day, she/he is responsible for publishing a notice two weeks or so beforehand, giving the length and broad nature of the walk, and the start time and place. Additional useful information might be a pub menu – but this is optional.

If you have any such walk(s) in mind but are hesitant to offer your services, there are experienced ‘troopers’ to hand who can give advice and, if necessary, help out on the day.

Our outings and day trips have been many and various and have included activities such as:

• Visits to historic houses

• Theatre trips locally and in the West End *

• Visits to places such as Kew Gardens + Buckingham Palace

* Invincibles Theatre Trips usually occur several times each year. Our theatre trips are group bookings where, although we may travel separately (no coach), we generally sit together and meet up. The shows we go to vary considerably so keep your eyes on the notice board and website to see what appeals.

Other Outings & Trips

These occur on an ad-hoc basis and are organised by various members of the Invincibles – please check our news section to be kept in the loop.

We regularly get together in 5’s cafe to celebrate those reaching milestone birthdays – for birthday cake and speeches!

Invincibles also gather together for the following annual events:

• Spring dinner
• Christmas lunch

Invincibles Holiday Trips usually occur several times each year.

Such trips are “active breaks” and usually involve fitness or sporty activities – such as walking holidays or stays at sports hotels.

Recent holidays have included trips to: Dorset, Devon, Scotland & Paris.

These occur on an ad-hoc basis and are organised by various members of the Invincibles – please see the notice on the notice board / this website for the name.