A team of servicemen were no match for a group of rugby players when they went head-to-head for charity.

The Comet: Help for Heroes credit: Cathy Benucci PhotographyHelp for Heroes credit: Cathy Benucci Photography (Image: Archant)

The best players from Hitchin, Letchworth, Datchworth and Welwyn rugby clubs beat a military team 76 – 16 at Hitchin Rugby Club on Saturday.

The event also included a sausage eating contest, bench press competition and tombola which helped raise more than £4,000 for Help for Heroes – a charity supporting injured military personnel and their families.

Hitchin rugby player Joe Benucci, who organised the fundraiser, said: “The whole day went really well. We had more than 1,000 people attend and everyone had a great time. Added to that we raised more than £4,000 for a charity that is very close to lots of people in the area’s heart.

“And of course we also managed to cream the Combined Services Team – which was a plus!”

The Comet: Help for Heroes credit: Cathy Benucci PhotographyHelp for Heroes credit: Cathy Benucci Photography (Image: Archant)

The bench press competition, run by Peak Physique Gym, challenged men to lift 60kg as many times as possible in one minute while women had the same challenge but with 30kg. Herts Barbarians prop Barry Mellor came out on top for the men after managing 50 repetitions, while Amy Haughton was crowned the female champion with 34.

The metre-long sausage eating competition, run by It’s Grilled, was won by Hitchin Rugby Club chairman Richard Lucus who softened the bread with beer.

A slave auction, where members of the club gave up two hours of their time, raised £550.

Auctioneer Sarah Scott Foster said: “It is always nerve racking running a live auction but the people who attended really got in the spirit of the event and dug deep to support the charity. Raising more than £1,500 from the auction alone was fantastic and I am very proud to have been involved in such a wonderful and worthy event.”