Cromer second team's last match of the Norfolk League Division Three season ended in defeat this week when they visited the divisional champions Fakenham and lost 15-6.

The scoreline was much closer than could normally have been expected however as Fakenham, because of fixture congestion, played two matches on the same night and in fact fielded three members of their second team.

With the divisional title already won and the Cromer team condemned to the relegation play-offs they sportingly agreed that in order to have a more meaningful match both Cromer club champion Richard Keeble and former club champion John Baker could play in the match.

Technical director Barry Starling was not slow to accept Fakenham's generosity especially as he was once again troubled by his long term knee injury which meant that Martin Sanville could drop down to play the third string match while veterans John Chandler and Martin Braybrook filled in at the bottom of the order. All three of the Cromer players put up spirited performances but all found their opponents too strong and went down to straight game defeats.

Higher up the order Baker, after a run of four successive first team defeats, showed that he is still a class player at second team level as he won his match 3-0 while in the first string match Keeble, as expected, won his match 3-1.

Starling said afterwards: 'With nothing at stake for either team this was just a case of fulfilling the fixture and we are grateful to Fakenham for sportingly agreeing to make a match of it. We have now got a relegation play-off match next week and I am hoping Matt Copeman will be available for this as we don't really want to drop down a division.'

Results: Richard Keeble beat Liam Brett 9-4 7-9 9-3 9-1, John Baker beat Ian Raisbury 9-2 10-8 9-3, Martin Sanville lost to Nick Fairbrother 5-9 7-9 4-9, John Chandler lost to Martin Dack 2-9 4-9 7-9, Martin Braybrook lost to Sam Lanham 6-9 3-9 7-9.