By Elliott Josypenko
January 16 2005

Pertemps Bees boss Phil Maynard has pleaded with the club's members to throw their weight behind plans to turn the side full-time this week - or watch them go into freefall. Last season the Solihull-based Bees were crowned the top part-time club in England after finishing fourth in National Division One behind three full-time outfits.

They also reached the semi-finals of the Powergen Cup by famously shocking Wasps in the biggest cup upset in rugby history.

But the Bees have lost some of their buzz this season and have fallen down the table behind the increasing number of expensively-assembled full-time sides.

And a record 81-17 cup defeat to Premiership giants Leeds Tykes emphasised the chasm they now have to bridge to join the elite.

In a bid to halt the decline, Bees' directors have convened a members' meeting on Wednesday when they will seek approval for a possible buy-out by a consortium of investors.

Club officials admit it will cost an estimated £1 million a season to turn full-time in an attempt to bring Premiership rugby to Birmingham.

However, director of rugby Maynard insists the club have little option because they gone as far as they can as a part-time club.

"It's a hugely important meeting for the future of our club this week. It will give us a feeling of where we are going and whether members share our vision," he said.

"From a personal point of view I feel this is the only way forward. We need help if we are to realise our dreams and have to go full-time.

"The club is currently run by business people who just can't pour any more time and effort into it. If we want to grow we need fresh investment.

"Every season more sides go full-time. It's getting harder and harder to grind out results.

"I've always said if you don't move forward, you don't stand still - you go backwards.

"We might be treading water at the moment and punching above our weight, but that won't last forever and now is the time to act."

Maynard has also indicated that he may finally be willing to concentrate on rugby full-time.

The Sharmans Cross Road supremo resisted the opportunity when he was coach at Worcester and even turned down the offer of a full-time contract with Bees 12 months ago to continue combining coaching with his day job as an automotive electrician.

"In the past it would have been difficult - now the timing is right. I would have to look at it closely if I were offered the job," he said.

Bees were given another indication of the growing gap between the full-time and part-time clubs in National Division One when they made the long trip to Penzance & Newlyn last weekend.

However, despite defeat, Maynard was delighted with the club's display in Cornwall and believes his Bees are slowly rediscovering their killer sting after a miserable run that saw them pick up just one win in seven league games.

"We made an eight-hour bus journey to play Penzance and I'd rather shove a stick in my eye than do that every weekend. It takes it out of you," he said.

"But the team really played well and against a full-time team we narrowly lost. Another five minutes and we would have had them - it was encouraging.

"They are full-time and we ran them very close. That is a victory as far as I'm concerned."

Maynard has also been quick to praise the impact of England Under-21 flanker Luke Narraway and England Under-19 fly-half Ryan Lamb since their arrival at Sharmans Cross.

The duo have joined Bees on loan from Premiership giants Gloucester with the intention of gaining valuable senior experience and match time.

Narraway made an instant impression when he came on as a replacement at Penzance, scoring with only his second touch of the ball. Highly-rated Lamb was the architect of that score and added the conversion.

"They both play for a Premiership side and have brought a freshness to the side," said Maynard.

"Ryan is tipped for the very top at number 10, but I'm sure would be the first to admit that his game management still needs some work.

"Playing in National Division One will definitely sharpen him up and also benefit us."

Pertemps Bees' vision of the future will be debated by their members at a special meeting later this month. How sustainable is their ambition to feature regularly as a top First Division club?

How feasible are their dreams of becoming the top club? These are complex questions and they are directly linked to the amount of funding the club can find. To operate at the level that they strive for immediately, they are £500,000 a season short of the necessary.

They are not, though, at this stage, short of optimism; a sombre air is not detectable and Phil Maynard, the director of rugby, describes the challenges ahead as "exciting."

"We will be putting a lot of effort into this one," is Maynard's promise. "We can be a big handful for anybody when we put things together."

Bees, apparently, were a big handful at Penzance last Sunday. They lost by nine points but could, perhaps should, have won the game.

"There were qualities in our performance that gave us great hope for the matches to come," said Maynard. "We certainly silenced the home crowd."

A significant cause of the Bees' fall down the table was the volume of injuries that could not be covered by an inadequate squad. There is now much better news on that front. Maynard's problems - a luxury, this - concern which players to leave out.

He's got to decide between Jim Thorp and new man Andy Le Chevalier in the front row and does the new signing, Ryan Lamb, start at fly-half? Or does the steady marshaler and reliable marksman, Tim Walsh, remain in command?

Lamb is described as a typical Welsh fly-half, all jinks and trickery and his first act, when he came on for the last half hour at Penzance, was to split the home defence and set up the try of the match for the other recruit, Luke Narraway. Who represents another selection problem.

"He brings a freshness to the side," said Maynard. "These young lads only know one way to play."


Sunday Mercury- www.icbirmingham.co.uk