A new Alliance season got under way on Saturday with Cromer turning in an excellent display to beat Diss at the Norton Warnes ground, writes Richard Cox.

The Cromer team included David Turner who was making his second debut for the club, while Australian Damien Sweet also made his first appearance.

Cromer's Tom Davies not surprisingly decided to have a bowl after winning the toss. James Wilby and Simon Cooper opened the batting for Diss and had Michael Warnes and James Craske to contend with.

Diss moved on to 31 from just five overs before Craske trapped Cooper leg before. Warnes then struck in the next over to dismiss Wilby before Craske struck again to send Squire, the visitors' captain, back to the clubhouse for single figures.

The Tooke brothers halted the collapse, with David being the dominant scorer. Their short stand came to an end when Colin Brown got his first wicket of the day when Rob Tooke drilled the ball straight to Grant Zelos at mid on. Brown struck again a couple of overs later, dismissing David Tooke for 39.

Chris Cooper was batting nicely at the other end but a couple more batting partners came and went, with Brown striking twice in the same over. The dangerous Cooper took his side beyond 150 and reached his 50 from just 32 balls. However just six balls later his innings came to an end when he nicked one behind to Davies off the bowling of Ants Robinson. Cooper finished with 60 including six fours and four sixes.

Warnes grabed the final two wickets as the visitors were all out for 194. Colin Brown finished with 4-56 and Michael Warnes 3-37.

With the Diss innings ending in the 41st over Cromer gained nine overs, meaning they had a maximum of 59 overs to chase down 195.

David Turner and Tom Davies got the Cromer reply started and a wicket fell early on when Davies was out leg before for 11. Richard Charlwood joined Turner at the crease and this pairing took their team into a dominant position.

Turner was the more conservative of the pair but neither looked like giving their wicket away. Cromer moved into three figures and both were closing in on half centuries.

Charlwood was the first to reach fifty, doing so from 41 deliveries. Shortly after his innings came to an end on 54, with eight fours and three sixes.

The partnership was worth 112 and the home side now needed 64 runs to win with eight wickets in hand and 26 overs in which to get them.

Australian Sweet was the next man in and continued were Charlwood left off. Turner had now also reached his half century and he and Sweet made no mistakes in guiding their side to an opening victory. Turner's patient display saw him finish unbeaten on 69, and Sweet, in his first outing, made 34 not out.

This was superb start to the season for Cromer who chased down their target superbly to pick up a win and 23 points.