Mehrtens helps misfiring Quins keep Bees at bay

Pertemps Bees 9 Harlequins 35

"He told me he wants his players to make friends and he wants to get some old-fashioned rugby values back in the club," he said. Richards, Maynard continued, had instructed all his players to buy their opposite number a pint after the match. "And he said I have to speak to him on Wednesday and tell him whether they did. And if anyone did not do it then they would be fined £20."

The former All Black Andrew Mehrtens, reportedly in receipt of £200,000 for each of his two years with Harlequins, landed four out of four conversions and gave a pretty good exhibition of fly-half play.

"The way everyone had talked about life in Division One you'd have thought we were going to be playing at the bottom of a pond," he said. "But from what I have seen of the facilities and the pitch here it's fantastic. It is better than some of the First Division grounds I've played on back home. I feel much happier playing at places like this where the spirit of the game is alive. The big arenas don't suit me."

Mehrtens had a relatively trouble-free ride, although the part-timers were far from disgraced. They were aggressive, massively so. But as bravely as they tackled - and the wing Nick Baxter, the flanker Cae Trayhern and full-back Dave Knight were heroic throughout - they found themselves repeatedly outpaced out wide.

Ugo Monye and George Harder scored two tries each, with the lanky full-back Tom Williams adding to the danger in the Quins back three.

The Bees pack gave Quins a few things to think about, and when they did get their driving maul going, or Knight counter-attacked into the what looked like the thick of trouble, the visitors were often flustered.

The Bees train six hours a week and are one of a handful of clubs at this level who are not full-time. They should have been annihilated. That they were not will be a source of worry to Quins as they travel around the country with every club in the division determined to bring them down.

"They certainly won't have it their own way on that showing," said Maynard.

Pertemps Bees: Penalties Walsh, Lamb; Drop goal Walsh. Harlequins: Tries Monye 2, Harder 2, Williams; Conversions Mehrtens 4, Jarvis.

Pertemps Bees: D Knight; T Beim, A Billig, S Martin (M Davies, 67), N Baxter; T Walsh (R Lamb, 53), P Knight; A le Chevalier, M Miles (B Gerry, 65), M Long (R Leilua, 72), B Hughes, E Orgee (capt; R Hurrell, 4), T Tamarua (H Fakatou, 69), C Trayhern, D White (J Jenner, 53).

Harlequins: T Williams; G Harder, G Duffy (W Greenwood, 62), J Turner-Hall, U Monye; A Mehrtens (A Jarvis, 78), S So'iaolo (I Vass, 57); A Rogers (L Ward, 69), J Richards (T Fuga, 57), R Nebbett, J Evans, S Miall (N Easter, 57), A Vos (capt), L Sherriff, T Diprose (P Bouza, 57).

Referee: M Fox (Leicestershire).