Fans flock to festival

FOUR locally-brewed ciders sold out and local ales proved popular at Bingham Rugby Club’s beer festival at the weekend, despite a power cut that reduced the drinking time.

Around 200 people attended the sixth annual festival at the clubhouse on Brendon Grove, Bingham, on Friday night and Saturday, raising around £700.

On Saturday, a power cut at 9.30pm meant the festival, which was due to close at 11pm, had to be cut short for health and safety reasons.

Mr Barry Stewart, the club’s social secretary, said that the four ciders — Farmers Tipple, Snake Catcher, Black Rat and Traditional Scrumpy — all sold out.

Five gallons of each cider was drunk at the festival.

There were also eight ales, the three most popular being East Street Cream, Mutiny and Admiral’s bitter.

The festival coincided with the conclusion of the Six Nations Rugby tournament on Saturday.

Among the visitors to the festival were a family from Wales who celebrated their national team winning the tournament with a victory over France.

Bingham Rugby Club’s first team were also celebrating on Saturday after beating Keyworth’s first team 40-3 in a quarter- final match in the Nottingham Vase tournament.

Mr Stewart said: “The atmosphere was great. People were quite loud and boisterous. It was like being in the stadium.

“It went very well. We had new people that had never been before who said how much they enjoyed it.

“The old timers who had been there before said it was first class again.”

Mr Stewart said that the club was doing very well because the first team were winning and more young people were joining.

He thanked the Horse and Plough pub, Bingham, who sponsored the festival, chose the cider and ales and had them delivered.

Money raised will be spent on a renovation on the exterior of the clubhouse.