Pertemps Bees hire QC

Having run out of opportunities on the pitch to secure their National One status Pertemps Bees will next Tuesday have another chance to avoid the drop off it, when they take their appeal over the Mysterious Case of the Lost Points to the Rugby Football Union.

The Sharmans Cross outfit have engaged the services of a QC to argue their point at a specially organised panel in a bid to overturn a decision not to award them anything from their match with Cornish Pirates in January.

Although Bees lost that game 27-23 events were not allowed to run their natural course when the referee enforced uncontested scrums even Pirates had sufficient front row cover on the bench.

First Division Rugby Ltd responded to that by penalising the Cornishmen three league points but Bees claim that goes against precedent and will tell the governing body they should be awarded all four points and the scoreline set at 0-0 as was done when Coventry committed a similar offence against Rotherham a few seasons ago.

If they are successful Bees will move out of the relegation zone and be replaced by Sedgley Tigers, though the chances of the Mancunians standing by and letting that happen are not even as good as zero.