CROMER got their Norfolk SRA Summer League season off to a winning start when they entertained Diss in Division Two and won 14-6. The second team, in contrast, travelled to Norwich to play their East Anglia counterparts in Division Three and were soundly beaten 16-0.

CROMER got their Norfolk SRA Summer League season off to a winning start when they entertained Diss in Division Two and won 14-6.

The second team, in contrast, travelled to Norwich to play their East Anglia counterparts in Division Three and were soundly beaten 16-0.

First team captain Ben Herrieven has taken on the problematical first-string position and selected a strong-looking team with Alex Foster dropping down to No 2, the experienced club handicap champion Henri Paul at No 3 and top lady player Louise Taylor at No 4.

Diss had a young team and both Taylor and Paul won their matches in straight games which meant that the Cromer team only needed one game from their top two players to take the bonus points.

Foster made sure of this as he took the second game of his match 10-9 before losing an up and down match 3-2.

Herrieven also went down 3-2 to one of Norfolk's top junior players.

After losing the opening two games he clawed his way back to 2-2 but lost the decisive fifth game.

Herrieven was pleased with his team's performance: 'This was a good start to the season.

'I think we have got the nucleus of a good team and hopefully, if we can keep this form going, we will finish in the top half of the table.'

Results: Ben Herrieven lost to Jack Bell 4-9, 4-9, 9-6, 9-1, 2-9; Alex Foster lost to Andy Whiting 1-9, 10-9, 1-9, 9-7, 2-9; Henri Paul beat Alex Brawn 9-3, 10-8, 9-3; Louise Taylor beat Tom Bell 9-7, 9-0, 9-3.

Second-team captain Barry Starling selected a team packed with experience but the young East Anglia team allowed them just a handful of points. Starling was not helped by the unavailability of four of his squad but the overall result was a disappointment as Hugh Bradbury, Martin Braybrook and Malcolm Crane picked up only 18 points between them as they each gave their opponents more than 40 years.

Starling fared little better and despite playing the fourth string match and an opponent nearer to his own age he too went down to a straight-game defeat, taking just a dozen points.

Results: Hugh Bradbury lost to Gareth Joubert 2-9, 2-9, 2-9; Martin Braybrook lost to Adam Fielding 2-9, 0-9, 7-9; Malcolm Crane lost to Nick Stringer 1-9, 2-9, 0-9; Barry Starling lost to Chris Langford 6-9, 5-9, 1-9.