The player strike threatening Pertemps Bees’ Boxing Day derby clash with Coventry has been averted following the intervention of a major sponsor.
Players at the National One side had met with management earlier in the week after the club had failed to pay them this month’s wages.
Although they agreed to fulfil their next fixture with Sedgley Park, the players pulled out of this week’s training sessions and told their employers that unless their salaries came through in the next seven days, they would not play against Coventry.
But faced with the prospect of seeing the team that bears his company’s name fail to meet their First Division obligations, Pertemps’ chairman Tim Watts has stepped in to save the day.
Mr Watts announced last night that he will personally fund the December payroll, thereby securing the club’s immediate future.
"The standard of rugby so far this season has been excellent and the Bees have played really well," he said.
"It is unfortunate that the club has found itself with cashflow problems and I hope that my investment will get them back on track in preparation for the Boxing Day match against local rivals Coventry."
Pertemps, the national recruitment agency based in Meriden, acquired naming rights to Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club three-and-a-half years ago in a deal that looked good business when they reached the semi-final of the Powergen Cup and appeared live on national television.
Despite that achievement and a fourth-place finish in 2003-4, attendances have remained disappointing at Sharmans Cross Road, causing the sort of financial discomfort that culminated in the redundancy of former director of rugby Phil Maynard earlier this week.
