Well done Welly

First off, I need to share how funny it was opening the note on my blackberry where I wrote down my thoughts during the ball. I’m lucky that I can make out what I meant to write: “OiioiogGwgw GsHorrid bus line” and “gonna be honest I’m American didn’t kjnow what the FUcKk the apple sauce is for” are some examples.

Upon arrival at the pick-up point on South street, I was pretty shocked to see the daunting line for the buses. I ended up opting for a taxi, and maybe they should have had a better system, assigning people specific buses and times would have been wise. When we arrived at Kinkell, we were served warm spiced cider which was AMAZING! I Have never tried that one before, but am definitely a fan. However, I was less ecstatic as soon as I got past the coatroom, where I was completely overwhelmed by the bottlenecking and overcrowding.

Soon enough, I got over how packed Kinkell was and I started to take in my surroundings a bit more. The shooting club did a good job of decorating the space; it almost felt like Christmas, with pretty lighting throughout. I also enjoyed the band that played for the cocktail hour and dinner, the lead singer had a lot of soul and I liked the band’s bluesy-Motown style. It created a great atmosphere.

When I sat down at my table, I was a bit disappointed when I saw that we had a place setting for only one course, but all my worries quickly dissipated when a waitress came and brought SIX bottles of wine for eight people! I realized the shooting club placed much more emphasis on the booze than on the food; a philosophy I wholeheartedly support. The pork and roasted vegetables we were served were decent enough, but if I wanted a good meal I’d have gone to a restaurant. I came to Welly Ball to get inebriated.

Looking around the room, I noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces, and I was informed that the majority of those at the dinner weren’t St Andrews’ students but students from other university polo and shooting clubs.  Another little fun fact is that some rivalries between the different universities were so strong, they would only attend on the promise they would be sat on opposite ends of the venue! At this juncture I made it a point to jot down “visiting shooting teams = nice eye candy”.

As you’ve probably already guessed, six bottles of wine and many more dead brain cells later, things were getting a bit rowdy and it was clearly time to get our groove on. By this point the notes on my phone have digressed to “not gonna lie pretty fucked but music is SICK”. I like to think I have a pretty sophisticated vocabulary. Dan Matthews (who I saw before he got onstage, and was on pretty similar levels of smashed as me, so kudos to him for being able to DJ) played a great set. I was really delighted to hear an excellent selection of fresh beats and Dan really brought a lot of oomph to the room. Anyone else shazam the fedde le grand remix of paradise?!

The night was, to say the least, eventful. I hit a couple of speed bumps, for example when I poured water down one boy’s trousers I later faced karmic retribution when I decided to pee in the field and squatted right in a bush of nettles. Lesson learned. But overall, I had a great time! My advice would be if you want to eat good food then eat at home and skip the Welly Ball dinner; if you want to get wasted, pure and simple, the dinner is a must. Great music. Great atmosphere. Definitely one of my go-to events for next year.