Sideline Sid Sports correspondant & historian www.sunlive.co.nz

It was Sideline Sid's bet in the Punters Club at the Judea Tavern last weekend which got him thinking about why he chances a small amount of hard earned dollars each week.

While the local tavern in Koromiko Street has been around under a number of names for a fair while – it was TAB initiative five years ago that saw the beginning of the punters club.

The TAB put up 50 grand in prize money in an off course punter of the year competition. Usually the punter of the year contests are held on course on race day, however the 2008 initiative gave the mug punters at the pubs and clubs throughout the country, a chance to get there name up in lights.

At the Koromiko Street TAB and bar, it was first in first served, for ten of us that put in fifty bucks each to stump up with the 500 dollars entry fee. We trucked along during the day for little return, before one of our punters hooked a $2666 trifecta at the Whangarei gallops. There were plenty of cheers when our name went up on the leader board shown on Trackside TV.

In spite of spending 800 bucks on the last race trying to blow the opposition away, we finished the day with a couple of hundred dollars each in our kick.

While we finished in fourth place the drama didn't finish there, as the Tavern TAB was advised that third place with five grand at stake, was being looked at for not investing on the compulsory ten races. It took a couple of weeks to sort out, but the official declaration was that we had finished in fourth place.

From there, a few of us decided to continue the excitement on a weekly basis, putting in $10 each week in the chase of a (mythical) pot of gold. So began the weekly ritual of the Judea Tavern Punters Club.

While some members come and go, as we go through a twice of year cycle of Punters clubs, there is a core group that have been there from day one. It is very much like belong to a sports team, with two joint captains keeping us on the straight and narrow.

The captain's roles are to put the team together for the twice yearly challenges, keep a ledger of the finances and performances of the individual punters and occasionally adjudicate if any disputes arise.

In reality it is not about winning money, but more about a band of racing fans having a bit of fun and humor each week. Noon on Saturday is the cutoff point for the weekly contributions, although a good number pay up in advance. The coming and going of punters to pay up on Saturday morning always produces some good natured banter. There is no shortage of advise to the punter of the day and some good natured ribbing of those who haven't done so well when in the hot seat.

What really draws me to the punters club is the wide diversity and background of the punters club members. There is a school teacher, truck drivers, business owners, hard working manual workers and a few retired folk who spend a little of their pension each week.

The bond created by the weekly gathering of the Judea Tavern punters is something special and often spills over into genuine friendships.

For the record, Sideline Sid found a bit of luck last Saturday and backed the Kiwi. It's a Dundeel along with a small percentage of a good sized trifecta to finish in front for the day.

Seeya at the Game