A Hampshire Waste Services football team is on top of the world after winning all its matches and taking the trophy as UK champions in an inter-company league.

Now the winners are to travel to France as representatives of the Onyx Environmental Group to compete in an international tournament.

Brought together under the management of Paul Skittlethorpe, the Hampshire Waste team is mainly made up of recycling staff from the Portsmouth Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) - where materials are sorted for reprocessing.

Football has been a serious sideline for the workers since they won the local Chamber of Commerce six-a-side tournament last year. Now they are in training for the big event on 25 and 26 June and are all psyched up by their manager who says: "They are all stars, and are going all out to win it".

Managing Director of Hampshire Waste, Keith Riley, is also bullish about their chances. He said: "The Portsmouth team has demonstrated it is the best in the Onyx Group in the UK. All the team members have been straining at the bit to get over to France and I think they have every chance of winning the championship. I am very proud of them. The success of the Materials Recovery Facility is due to their hard work. This is an indication of the phenomenal team spirit that exists in Portsmouth."

15 June 1999