After weeks of wrestling with his conscience, his ambition and the club's bean-counters, Pertemps Bees director of rugby, Phil Maynard, has declared his intention to remain at Sharmans Cross Road next season.

The announcement ends months of speculation that Maynard would end his three-year stay in Solihull after experiencing his most disappointing season in the role.

Some had suggested the pressures of a ten-match losing streak, the worst in his 20-year career, a desire to prove himself at a higher level and the financial and temporal constraints at the National One outfit might have been enough to force Maynard out.

But he committed himself to Bees yesterday and vowed to continue working hard to try to regain their status as the top semi-professional team in Europe.

He said: "We held that position two years ago and we want to try to get it back next season.

"I have definitely committed to Bees so it's just a case of rolling our sleeves up. We know we have got less money than most people in the league but we have to get on with it."

A large part of Maynard's deliberations were over the size of his playing budget which took a hit last season when Bees bought a new stand from Worcester.

Although next season's war-chest is no bigger, Maynard knows he must try to unearth the odd nugget or three to bolster a squad he considers to be generally sound.

He said: "We have got to try to recruit the best players we can for the money we have got and hopefully get off to a good start, which should be fun with Harlequins as our first game."

City rivals Moseley have re-signed the vast majority of their existing squad for the 2005-006 campaign including key performers Ollie Thomas, Nathan Bressington, James Aston and Adam Caves.

Thomas had attracted interest from other local clubs while Caves was offered a lucrative deal by Rotherham Titans but both fans' favourites have opted to remain with the National Two side having received attractive counter offers.

Wingers Bressington and Aston had also attracted interest from higher-ranked clubs and their decisions can be seen as a vote of confidence in the coaching of Ian Smith and Don Caskie who took the club from relegation contenders in the previous year to third place in the league this season.

Director of rugby, John Beale, said that Rob Sigley, brother of Gloucester and former Moseley and Bees prop Terry, had rejoined the club from Sharmans Cross.

Beale has also agreed the signing of Gloucester academy lock Tom Skelding who he describes as "a very abrasive player who hits rucks and mauls very hard."

Bees' National One rivals Coventry have still not agreed a deal with existing captain and tight head prop Adrian Olver.

Club chief executive, Ian Carvell, said that there were still things to sort out before a contract could be signed.

Meanwhile, North Midlands will give a debut to hooker Dan James as they continue their defence of the County Championship Shield against Durham at Stourbridge's Stourton Park ground on Saturday.

The reigning champions, who defeated Eastern Counties at Twickenham last year, required two late penalties from their captain Duncan Hughes, the Stourbridge and England Counties fly-half, to secure a 24-12 win over Cumbria at Penrith last Saturday.

James missed that match because he was on duty with England Students at Twickenham but the Loughborough Students player is available this weekend and is expected to go straight into the starting line- up for North Midlands' only home match in the competition. They complete their group programme against Oxfordshire at Chinnor on May 21.

They will also welcome back Stourbridge hooker Alan Hubbleday, who played in their title-winning squad last season. Hubbleday and backrow forward Dave Merlin missed the Cumbria game because they were on Exeter fly-half Tony Yapp's stag weekend.

In the County Championship Cup, the top flight of the new three-tier competition, Warwickshire need to beat Gloucestershire at Nuneaton if they are to keep alive hopes of reaching the final. They lost 25-6 to defending champions Devon at Barnstaple last Saturday when Barkers' Butts fly-half Danny Richards kicked two penalties.