Bees & Stour share seconds

By Elliott Josypenko
September 7 2005

Pertemps Bees and National Two club Stourbridge have joined forces to run a combined second team this season.

The Midlands rivals will field a joint team for a series of miweek fixtures that will strengthen the formal alliance between the clubs that was agreed last season.

Phil Maynard, Pertemps Bees' director of rugby, said: "We have a very competitive first team squad this season and keeping every player happy is a difficult task.
"If you don't run a second team the danger is that players can go weeks without proper match time and they can get stale.
"Last season we ran a midweek side but, when we had a spate of injuries towards the end of the season, we had to cancel a couple of matches because we had difficulty in raising a team.
"Stourbridge have encountered similar problems. Finding second team fixtures is not difficult, finding enough players to put out a side is.
"We already have strong links with Stourbridge and, by linking up with them at second team level, we believe it will benefit both clubs. It will allow us to give regular rugby to all our squad members and to help Stourbridge with the development of their players."
A fixture list has yet to be drawn up but home games will be played at Stourbridge's Stourton Park ground. A name for the side has yet to be agreed.