By Roger Clarke - IC Birmingham
October 4 2005

A solid performance by Pertemps Bees to see off local National One rival Coventry 29-7 could be a springboard to see the Sharmans Cross Road outfit opening up some breathing space in mid table. Next up are Exeter. Bees might have lost last season's encounter at the County Ground but were give a standing ovation as they left the field.

Bees director of rugby Phil Maynard said: "It is always a close battle against Exeter and now they are full-time they are going to be even more of a problem."

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Bees are a different side to the one which managed a double figure run of defeats at the end of last season. There is a confidence and more positive attitude about them.

The introduction of scrum-half Ben Harvey as a goal-kicker has seen more points gathered between the uprights and, more importantly, seems to have been a weight lifted from the shoulders of Australian Tim Walsh.

The No10 enjoyed a game where he started to show true class providing a cross-kick ball which landed in Tom Beim's hands without breaking stride as he sprinted for the line.

The Aussie fly-half then created the break for the fourth try and a bonus point. Maynard would like to improve in certain areas. He has already made a start with better ball retention but he said: "The key factor is the work ethic and the willingness to play to the end of the game."

Bees' third and fourth tries came in the last five minutes against Coventry.

Maynard said: "As long as they have that as a benchmark, and that kind of enthusiasm as a benchmark, then we can perhaps move forward as a team.

"The performance at the weekend was something we have been working quite hard for and it did not involve one player - no one man won the game for us - it is up to the who team worth ethic to get us to a position where we can win a game.

"We know we are not going to win games in this league by playing for half a game."

* Back-row forward Will Matthews, on loan from Gloucester, has been included in the England Sevens core squad for this season's IRB World Sevens Series tournaments which gets underway in Dubai in December.

The core squad will also be preparing for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next March. Matthews, who made his England sevens debut in last season's IRB Series, has been out with a dislocated thumb but is expected to be fit for Saturday.