THIRD-PLACED Diss were the Norfolk Alliance Premier Div-ision visitors to the Norton Warnes when Cromer avenged their defeat earlier in the season with an excellent five-wicket victory which moved them out of the bottom two.

THIRD-PLACED Diss were the Norfolk Alliance Premier Div-ision visitors to the Norton Warnes when Cromer avenged their defeat earlier in the season with an excellent five-wicket victory which moved them out of the bottom two.

This in the wake of Cromer hopes of playing West Indian Nekoli Parris being dashed.

The club had announced that Parris, who plays first class cricket for the Combined Campuses and Colleges in the Caribbean, would play for them for the rest of the season. But he is now required to stay in Barbados because of studying commitments and will not be coming to Cromer this year.

Skipper Davies won the toss and put the visitors into bat.

Openers Cooper and Brown got Diss off to a steady start going at just under four an over. Brown was the first man to fall, at the hands of Craske for 11.

Fellow-opener Cooper soon followed for 17 bowled by Dean Elliott. Elliot and Charlwood were keeping things tight, the run rate really dropped and they both took a wicket in this spell. Diss were 81 for four from 21 overs and added only 16 runs from the next 10 overs.

Diss captain David Tooke was the only man showing some resistance. He made it to his half-century in the 43rd over and took his side to 200. Charlwood bowled Tooke, for 73, with two balls remaining.

At the end of their 50 overs Diss were 203 for eight. Charlwood had best figures of three for 38 whilst Elliott also picked up two wickets.

In reply Cromer got off to a flying start with both Tom Davies and Ben Clarke hitting boundaries in the opening overs. Clarke fell for 17, off 14 balls, in the sixth over.

Davies continued to find the boundary regularly and kept the scoreboard ticking over.

After the dismissal of Turner, Brown joined Davies and they took the score beyond 100 with a partnership of 46. This stand came to an end when Colin Brown fell to Cooper for 25.

After spending a long time in the forties Davies reached his half-century. With 20 overs remaining Cromer needed 94 runs with six wickets in hand.

It seemed that as long as Davies was in the middle that Cromer would reach their target. Michael Warnes joined Davies and they both batted superbly together putting on 90 for the fifth wicket. Warnes was out one short of his 50 after an excellent innings. When this partnership was broken Cromer needed just three more runs.

Fittingly it was the Cromer captain who got the winning runs with two overs remaining. Davies batted magnificently and finished not out on 86. He was at the crease from beginning to end and his controlled innings included 13 fours and one six.

Thanks went to Mr T Murray for sponsoring this fixture.

Saturday sees a trip to Topcroft were Cromer hope there will be a repeat of early in the season when Cromer narrowly won the reverse fixture.