Hungerford Rugby Club’s juniors section are no mugs – despite appearances to the contrary. The club’s move to go green by getting rid of one-use cups was halted by Covid restrictions earlier this year: reusable cups were banned for obvious reasons.

But as the new season begins and the thirsty players and parents roll in again to the town’s Triangle Field ground on Sunday mornings, the bid to banish plastic is back with a bang. This time round the club is returning to basics, with pottery replacing reusable semi-soft cups. And Marc Bloomfield, who runs the popular ‘Sin Bin’ with Jon Walker, is ready to serve hot drinks (alongside his impressive array of burgers, hot dogs and bacon rolls) after taking delivery of his mugs this week.

“We’re very focused on going green at Hungerford,” said Marc, who reckons he sells “a good few hundred hot drinks” every Sunday morning, when the club’s 11 Minis and Juniors age groups train and play matches. “It’s going to mean plenty of washing up but we’ve got a great team of volunteers who will literally be rolling their sleeves up and helping out.”

Tracy Cox, the Juniors Section chair, said: “The money we raise in the Sin Bin goes towards running the Juniors. It means we can offer kit at reduced prices and keep our subs down. We already charge less than any other club in the area and we’ve been able to hold our prices again. That makes us more accessible to boys and girls wanting to play rugby, which is what we at Hungerford are all about. In fact we have a ‘help’ scheme for any youngster who wants to play rugby but for whom registration fees might be an issue.

“We pride ourselves on our friendliness and our welcome – and the fact that every player gets a game. And we’ll drink to that continuing. In one of Marc’s mugs, of course.

New players are always welcome. To find out about having a go at rugby click here.