The lower end of Sutton High Street is a strange old place. It seems to be the domain of choice for that strange creature known as the hoodie and other associated ne’er-do-wells.

I tend to avoid that part of town if possible, but in the interests of this column I donned my best New York Yankees cap, sweatshirt, baggy jogging bottoms, white trainers and large gold chain as I swaggered on down to the Prince Regent for a Saturday night pint or two.

Having been given a nod of approval by the bouncers I opened the door to be greeted by the deafening roar of an enthusiastic band who, in their minds’ eye, were playing the O2 Arena and not the Prince Regent in Sutton.

The band’s version of the Grateful Dead’s Hard to Handle was certainly a crowd pleaser but my eardrums were ringing as the noise blasted out of the sound system and bounced off the low ceiling and walls.

Assembled in front of the band was a group mostly made up of head-nodding and toe-tapping rockers who I edged past on my way to the bar.

I settled on a pint of Ruddles in a bid to try and get in the party mood before casting my eye across the pub to check it out.

There’s no doubting that it’s a bit rough around the edges with a clientele to match.

The pub has a well worn feel to it and not in a particul-arly cosy way.

There’s an area set aside for darts and pool and there’s plenty of seating. But the punters who weren’t tempted by the band seemed content to prop up the bar while others found sanctuary in the smoking area. Whether this was to have a fag or to escape the wall of noise from inside is anyone’s guess.

It says a lot about this place that many people in the area still refer to it as the Cricketers. Perhaps for many discerning pubgoers the Prince Regent is simply too Hard to Handle.

The Prince Regent, 346 High Street, Sutton, SM1 1PR

How the pub rates(out of five):

Decor: XX Could do with a bit of TLC.

DRINK: XX Plenty of options for those who fancy a lager. But, being a bitter chap, I had a pint each of Ruddles and Hobgoblin.

PRICE: XXX £2.75 is pretty reasonable these days.

ATMOSPHERE: XX The band did their bit to get the party started and the ageing rockers seemed to like it. I am a fan of live music, but this wasn’t my scene.

STAFF: XXX They were ok, seemed to cope well with eager punters.