Bees Buzz
PERTEMPS BEES ACADEMY TO PLAY FIRST MATCH
(February 8 2007)
PERTEMPS
BEES ACADEMY TO PLAY FIRST MATCH (February 8 2007)
Pertemps Bees' pioneering academy will play their first game on Wednesday February
21 when they take on Bromsgrove Under-17s under the new floodlights at Portway
(7.30pm).
The Academy was launched by the National One club last summer in partnership with
South Birmingham College offering youngsters the chance to combine vocational
training at the college with specialist rugby coaching.
The course has attracted an initial intake of 24 students who receive rugby coaching
at Portway on three afternoons from Ben Harvey, the former England sevens international
scrum-half.
Harvey combines his duties as Academy coach with those as assistant coach to Pertemps
Bees' head coach Steve Williams.
"All of the students play rugby at local clubs," Harvey said. "They
have had coaching sessions three times-a-week since the autumn but this is the
first of what we hope will be regular fixtures.
"We are delighted that John Blackhall, the coach at Bromsgrove, has agreed
to bring his team to Portway for this historic fixture."
The Academy squad will include Tom Hardwick the son of former Moseley and Royal
Navy prop Tim Hardwick. Hardwick, who is a sports studies student at South Birmingham
College, plays his club rugby at Woodrush.