Bees Buzz

Linnett unavailable - England calls!!

Linnett unavailable - England calls!!
Pertemps Bees prop Mark Linnett will be unavailable for next month's National One home game against Waterloo because he has been called up for international duty at the age of 44.
Linnett made his first senior appearance in two years and only his second since he retired almost six years ago in last weekend's EDF Energy National Trophy win against Launceston. The Birmingham policeman was re-registered by the Bees to help ease their continuing front row problems and he has made himself available for selection again for the rest of the season.
But Linnett will not be available for the Waterloo game as has agreed to play for England Veterans against their Irish counterparts in Dublin on the eve of the Six Nations clash between the countries at Croke Park.Linnett will pack down with Neil Lyman, a former front row colleague at Moseley and Worcester, and former Moseley and Gloucester lock Steve Boyle, one of the organisers of the England veterans team."I played for an England All Stars side against an Old Northampton team earlier in the season to help raise money for Matt Hampson, the Leicester prop who broke his neck a couple of years ago," Linnett said.
"It was good fun and there were some good old boys in the team, players like Mike Harrison, Richard Cockerill, Gary Pearce and Neil Back.
"I've now been asked to play against Ireland in Dublin and I gather that Neil Lyman will be playing as well. He was just a young kid starting out when we were at Moseley but we propped together quite a bit at Worcester and it will be good to play in the same team again.
"I had a chat with Steve Williams, the Bees' coach, after the Launceston game and he was pleased with the way things went after I came on.
"I've said that I am available to play for them again for the rest of the season although I hope that I won't be called on that often. But I won't be available for the weekend of the Waterloo game because I'm already committed to playing for England!"Linnett can claim their rare distinction of having scored a try for England in his only senior international against Fiji at Twickenham in November 1989 when he formed the front row with Brian Moore and Harlequins prop Andy Mullins, another one-cap wonder.He sat on the bench throughout the 1990 Five Nations Championship campaign without winning another cap - replacements were only permitted for injuries in those days - and also toured Argentina the following summer where he lost his place to Jason Leonard who won the first of his record 114 caps there.Linnett served Moseley, Worcester then the Bees with great distinction and hie is still enjoying his rugby as he demonstrated last week when he propped with 20-year-old Brendan Lynch after Emyr Lewis was sin-binned."I was pretty nervous before the game, much more than I used to get before I played regularly," Linnett said. "I suppose I did wonder whether I had done the right thing making myself available but after the first scrum went well I was OK.
"I got through better than I expected and I've told the Bees that I am available as and when they need me if they have further front frow problems for the rest of the season."