Warlingham rugby players turning up for pre-season training at Hamsey Green last night quickly noticed a familiar face in the changing room – but one that was more familiar to them from their television screens.

Turning up for training at the rugby club for the first time in a decade was JB Gill, the former singer with JLS, the boy band which nearly won the ITV talent show The X Factor in 2008.

Gill was a rugby player at school in his teens, and was a pacy winger and full-back in the Waringham club’s junior section, too, before his singing career took off, during which time JLS enjoyed five UK No1s and sold 10 million records around the world before the band split two years ago.

Croydon-born Gill now runs a farm near Biggin Hill, but has returned to his former club off Limpsfield Road for some training ahead of the RugbyAid pro-celebrity game he is due to play in at Harlequins’ Stoop ground next month.

Warlingham welcomed back Gill with open arms. “Always really good to welcome back an esteemed past player,” they tweeted, along with a group shot of the players at the end of the session.

Gill seemed to find the two-hour work-out, his first rugby session in 10 years, gruelling, his comments including”lungs on fire” and “legs on fire”.

RugbyAid, being staged on Friday, September 4, is being organised by Mike Tindall, the England World Cup-winner, in aid of “our military heroes”. An England v Rest of the World match, Gill will be lining up alongside the likes of Josh Lewsey, Jason Robinson and former John Fisher wing, Paul Sackey.

Other celebs taking part include Harry Judd, Dion Dublin, Brain McFadden and Robbie Savage.

• For more details about the event, visit www.rugbyaid2015.com.

• Inside Croydon Events: for dates and links to what’s happening in and around Croydon, updated daily, click here

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