Two fat ladies? Ten drunk students, more like

At the bingo the old guard are upset as students start marking their cards.

"Bingo!", comes a somewhat startled cry from the balcony. As a collective groan sweeps the room again, a sea of coiffured white heads snap up, scanning the tables in an attempt to locate the voice.

A young woman springs up, almost sending a pitcher of lager over her friends as she waves her score card in the air.

The floorwalker confirms the call and a cheer rises from the group of 20-somethings clustered around the winner; bottles of Bacardi Breezer chink with pint glasses in a celebratory toast.

Beneath the cheer, however, muted tutting is heard as the army of veterans on the first floor quietly unsheath their dabbers and prepare themselves for the next round.

Bingo is cool. On Friday night in Cambridge city centre the town's students and young professionals have shunned the pub in favour of the Gala bingo hall.

"We come here for a few games and some cheap drinks before heading on to a bar or club – it makes for a great start to the evening," says club member Tom Osmond, 27, his pierced eyebrow glinting.

Tom, a semi-professional singer who works in a bank, has never won at bingo but keeps coming back for more.

"It's addictive," he grins, pouring himself another pint from the jug at his table. "It really gets the adrenaline going and puts you in a great mood for clubbing later."

With Tom are Barry, 27, and his boyfriend Alex, 29.

"We love the bingo," says Barry. "I won £250 once and blew the lot on clothes. It's a a great place to meet and always good for a laugh.''

It's not just Cambridge where bingo is taking off two generations too soon. Attendance rates are increasing across the UK. There are now over three million regular players, an increase of more than a million over the last five years. Latest figures show that 37 per cent of these players are between 18 and 34. In another report, by market research group Mintel, bingo was the the most popular leisure activity for women between 20 and 25.

Geri Thomas, 22, who runs the Gala's bar, says the club has modified as more young people have caught the bug.

"I've had to whip out the old bottled lagers and replace them with Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Breezers for the students," she says. "It's cheaper than the pubs, and as it's all over by 9.20, they can go out with whatever they've won. "

But there are drawbacks, she adds. "Regulars get annoyed when younger customers sit in their lucky seat or make a lot of noise," she says. "We put the students upstairs so they don't get clobbered with a walking stick on the way out."

As the evening's session ends, the younger players pay more attention to their mobile phones than score cards as thoughts turn to the rest of the night's entertainment.

The hall empties and 26-year-old Rachel Lawrence collects her £150 winnings.

"It's fantastic money," she says. "Now we're going to piss it up the wall."

As the young players head off, regulars take the opportunity to have a quiet drink.

Alex Zamikula, 52, a local floor-layer, has little time for the students. "A lot of them don't know what they're doing, and they don't bloody care," he says. "You always get one in the group who's more drunk than the others and it really pisses people off. This place isn't what it used to be."

Oblivious to his criticisms, the younger players are ensconced in the nearby Bar B.

Beverley, 28, is paying close attention to the new male faces who have joined them from the Gala. "What's the best thing about bingo? Good-looking men," she winks. Meanwhile, Barry storms out "to sleep in the gutter" after a vocal row with Alex. At last orders, the group troops to the nearby Fez club.

By 3am, the survivors call it a night. "What a great evening,'' says Tom, "Bingo, beer, mates and dancing."