Sportsman's sports bear the pain for St Michael's

Soon the "ooches" and "aahs" emanating from the Sin Bin back room at The Sportsman in Sackville Road gave way to even louder expressions of pain as the action on Friday evening moved to the operating table.

A charity chest-waxing and head-shave was under way...

Three plucky (no pun intended) souls had between them raised 570 for St Michael's Hospice even before they walked into Pam Emmerson's bar.

There, their friends were '“ in the nicest possible sense '“ out for blood.

There were cries of encouragement as the hisuite Geoff Davies and Dave Stovell stripped to the waist and revealed the extent of the task awaiting their "beauticians."

Graham Squibb had (wisely) opted for a head-shave.

In the Sin Bin the wax was melting in its heater.

Kim Lewis, Tracy Davis and Sylvia Irvine had scissors and electric clippers at the ready.

Geoff had already raised 300, Dave 170 and Graham 100.

It was time to earn it.

Rather in the style of Australian sheep-shearers anxious to produce a clean, blood-free fleece, the girls began to snip, shave and shear taking great care not to violate tender male nipples in the process.

Meanwhile, the clippers had been going over Graham's head with rather more abandon.

The worst of the chest-mats having been reduced to clippings on the floor, it was time to adjorn to the main bar.

The crowd of spectators followed as Geoff became first to lay on the operating table.

"Rip!" The wax started to do its work and Geoff was plucked of his first strip of chest-stubble.

Summing-up the feelings of all three voluntary victims, he said: "It's worth it. St Michael's is a charity which we know does a lot of good work in this area."