Phil Asks for Cash

By Elliott Josypenko
March 23 2004

Pertemps Bees boss Phil Maynard fears his dreams of bringing Premiership rugby to Birmingham will never be realised unless the club gets a cash injection in the next six months.

The director of rugby at Sharmans Cross Road is desperate to build on a stunning season for Bees that has seen them fly high in National Division One and reach the last four of the Powergen Cup by stunning Premiership champions London Wasps.

Maynard has revealed that he is already taking steps to ensure that his giant-killers are not lured away to the top flight by thrashing out new deals with the players he wants to keep.

But he believes that, although the trip to the cup semi-final has raised its profile, time is now running out for the club to receive the kind of backing it needs to reach its potential.

“If we’re serious about taking Birmingham into the Premiership and making them a force then something needs to happen in the next six months,” admitted Maynard.

“I’ve sold the dream about the club’s ambitions to the players and already shaken hands with the key members of the squad whom I want to retain next season.

“But I fear that if nobody comes forward and backs us in the next six months I don’t think they ever will.

“A few of my players obviously have dreams to go on and play in the Premiership and if we don’t get the support then I will gladly help them find bigger clubs.

“We need to increase the playing budget to something like £500,000, and that would still be half of what some clubs in this division are shelling out.

“The basic fact is that we have reached the optimum potential for the club on the resources we have. We have become the best semi-professional team in the country.

“But we need to try to move on and we will need the backing of the business community in Birmingham to do that.”

Maynard is now keen for his team not to slip up in the remaining weeks of the season and cement their lofty position in the league - but acknowledges that injuries are now beginning to ravage his small squad.

He was forced to make 11 changes to the starting line-up for the National Division One game against London Welsh at Sharmans Cross Road yesterday after the Bees players took heavy punishment in the Powergen Cup defeat at Newcastle.

Doubts now remain over whether inspirational skipper Ed Orgee and scrum-half Paul Knight, who both suffered cracked ribs, and lock Alex Davidson will play again this season.

And because of the size of his squad, Maynard was left with little choice but to hand starts to two players who had not played rugby for over three months, and include former Oxford University full-back Tim Barlow who had not played competitive rugby since suffering ankle ligament damage in the 2002 Varsity Match.

“The three games against the full-time outfits in the form of London Wasps, Orrell and Newcastle have really taken it out of us,” admitted Maynard.

“When we played Newcastle in the cup they seemed to decide the only way to beat us was to bash us and in the last 10 minutes we lost three key men in three key positions for the rest of the season.

“At this stage we have used only something like 29 blokes in the team in past six months and they will have played around 32 games by the end of the season.

“But whatever happens between now and the last game it will not change my opinion that we have had a fantastic season and achieved more than we ever expected. I am full of pride for my team and really proud to be associated with a great club and a great bunch of players.”