TWO Worcester Warriors players have taken their on-field partnership into the business world, setting up a deli in the city.

Hooker Niall Annett and loosehead prop Ethan Waller are not only colleagues in Warriors’ front row, but are also business partners in the Sangers deli - the latest business to open in Worcester's The Arches.

While Warriors players have a break before pre-season training resumes next month, the pair will be busy working in Sangers serving up gourmet sandwiches and their own Oddkin blend coffee.

The shop is one of the latest to open under the city's railway arches at Arch 3, Netherton Court.

Mr Waller said: “Niall is from Belfast and there they have a sandwich shop pretty much on every corner. We don’t really have that in England.

“We both despise meal deals and we wanted to bring something to Worcester that was not there.

“We do all sorts of sandwiches.”

He continued: “Our biggest seller is the Steak and Cheese Sanger, which is medium-rare beef, chutney, cheese and garlic aioli. The New Deli Sanger is also very popular which is a Madras mayo, cooked chicken breast, some fresh spices and mango all on locally baked bread.

“All our meat is locally produced so it’s as much of a celebration of Worcester and Worcestershire as we can make it.”

He admitted setting up a business is not easy.

“There are a lot of hoops you have to jump through, particularly where food hygiene is concerned,” he said. “We were lucky in that our business partner had the arch available from a previous business as a gym so we basically put in a change of use and started cracking on with the work.

“We completely gutted it during one of our weeks off, did as much decorating as we could before we had to call in the big guns for plumbing and electrics.

“Now it’s a fully functioning sandwich shop and it’s something we are very proud of.”

He continued: “We have three staff at the moment and we are looking for a couple more part-timers to help spread the load.We want to be hands on owners, we don’t want to be sat in the background. It’s something we are passionate about.”

Waller has previous experience of the food business having run a mobile pizza business Slice Slice Baby with his brother Alex, the Northampton Saints prop.