Players At The Pumps is a partnership between Young’s Pubs and Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby. It takes the form of a three course meal and the chance to hang out with some of the big names in rugby. By ‘hanging out’ I mean they’ll pull you a pint and also play host to an up-close-and-personal Q&A where you can ask them all sorts of stuff (oh exploitable!). As for who exactly, think Phil Vickery MBE, former England hooker Lee Mears, Andy Gomarsall MBE and Tim Stimpson (etc.). It’s £35 per person and will be taking place at various Youngs’ in the next few months.
Asides from ‘the rugby thing’ you also get a free pint of Youngs Bitter and some tea and coffee if so inclined. Plus a bucket of beers courtesy of Heineken. It is, essentially, a limitless supply of Heineken. The whole thing feels a bit like a toned down wedding or some kind of extended family social function in which a famous sportsperson has just shown up. I headed down to one of the first ones at the Alexander Pope in Strawberry Hill and took some photos for Wooden Spoon (since what they’re doing there is pretty cool and all!). I would describe it as a ‘rugby barbecue party’. As you can see, we hung out with Lee Mears, who is a pretty nice guy and seems to spend his time flying planes (though his website also has him listed as an executive coach).
As for the Alexander Pope itself, what a lovely place indeed. It feels halfway between a pub and a ‘proper’ hotel (which is I suppose what it is) – neither too fancy to be a pub nor too ‘salty’ to be a hotel. As for Youngs, the experience is consistent but I would like them to up their wine, spirits and cider game – the atmosphere is excellent but the choice is somewhat limited. Nevertheless it’s always a fun time and they’re doing a bloody good thing with Wooden Spoon indeed 🙂