By Elliott Josypenko
November 2 2005

It might only be three hours but it's a light year forward for Pertemps Bees next week when they add a Wednesday morning training session to their weekly regime. The Sharmans Cross Road club are finding life more and more difficult in National One as their bunch of committed part-timers take on sides with full-time players and full-time training.

Last up were Bedford, second in the league.

Down 21-18 at the end of normal time, a bonus point at Bedford was a prize worth having but the sin-binning of skipper Ed Orgee left a chink in the Bees' defence which the home side exploited to the full with two tries in as many minutes.

Director of rugby Phil Maynard said: "Bedford train twice a day three days a week and that makes a massive difference. We train for just three hours a week and that tells against the fulltime sides, it has to."

The three hours is spread over Tuesday and Thursday evenings, but now Maynard has found the money to increase training by 100 per cent with a three-hour Wednesday morning session - in daylight.

He said: "We had a straw poll and 70 to 80 per cent can manage to come along. It will double our training for the week so it can't do us any harm.

"It makes us more proam than amateur."

Despite only two wins from eight Maynard is happy with his side this season and his ambition, as always, is to be the best part-time side in the country.

He said: "The lads are battling away and there is no shortage of commitment, You can safely say that all the players are putting their bodies on the line and are giving everything they have got."