By Elliott Josypenko
July 31 2006

Pertemps Bees have continued their summer recruitment campaign by signing experienced scrum-half Reece Spee from Irish provincial side Ulster. Spee, aged 28, has spent three seasons with Ulster, playing for them in both the Celtic League and European Cup. He previously played for the Bay of Plenty side in his native New Zealand.

Spee will join Pertemps Bees as a European-qualified player as is a Dutch passport-holder.

He is the second scrum-half to arrive at Sharmans Cross Road in a week following Mike Baxter from Premiership club Bath.

Baxter and Spee will be in competition for the No9 shirt vacated by Paul Knight who was released by Pertemps Bees at the end of last season.

"We are looking to add depth as well as quality to our squad for next season and Reece's arrival continues that policy," said Phil Maynard, Pertemps Bees' director of rugby.

"Scrum-half was a problem position for us last season but the arrival of Reece gives us a scrum-half with experience at a high level and Mike is a player who showed a lot of promise in Bath's Academy and who is keen to prove himself at this level."

During his time with Ulster Spee also played club rugby for Belfast Harlequins in the Irish Premiership.

Spee is Pertemps Bees' fourth close season capture following Baxter, lock Mark Cornwell (Gloucester) and fly-half Jon Higgins (Coventry).