Diss sign off with trophy
Diss Cricket Club rounded off a positive season by getting their hands on the Lady Mary Trophy for the first time since 2011 on Sunday.
After a tough mid-season run, Mark Williamson’s men rallied to win eight of their last 10 games in all competitions.
That resulted in a sixth-place finish in their first season back in the Norfolk Cricket Alliance Premier Division, followed by the weekend’s 102-run win over lower-league Sheringham to secure the silverware.
Captain Williamson, who was named man of the match at the weekend, said: “Six or seven weeks we were struggling, but it has been a fantastic turnaround and Sunday topped it off.
“The performance was near to perfect as you can get for a final.
“We are a couple of divisions higher so people would have expected us to win, but we did not take them lightly and treated it like we do every game.
“It has rounded off a memorable season for the club. Everyone has performed and it was a real team effort.”
Upon winning the toss, Williamson had no hesitation in opting to bat first on a dry pitch.
He opened with Mark Brawn and the pair guided Diss comfortably through the first 10 overs, putting on 43.
They continued to build a platform for the innings and both struck consistent boundaries, before Brawn was caught for 27 off 51 balls with the score on 84.
Williamson then fell just an over later for 43, meaning two new men were at the crease and Sheringham were back in the game.
New batsmen David Tooke and Lewis Taylor (46) played themselves in and went on to accelerate the innings by countering the Sheringham bowlers.
They would share a stand of 90 in just 12 overs, with David Tooke passing his half century before being caught soon after for 55.
Thereafter contributions from the rest of the middle order in the form of Robert Tooke (21), Chris Cooper (14) and Jordan Warren (7) helped Diss to a commanding total of 253-8.
Tom Sheridan was the pick of the Sheringham bowlers with three wickets.
In the defence of their mammoth total, Williamson (2-12 off 8) led from the front again by trapping Will Moy lbw with the second ball of the innings, before bowling the dangerous David King for just 4.
From then on Sheringham never looked like getting close to the target, and Diss were able to cement their control on the game.
Daniel Taylor (1-19) picked up a wicket in his first over as Matthew Hudson(11) was sublimely caught by Brawn, before Cooper ran out James Moy (33) with a pinpoint throw from the deep, leaving Sheringham 83-4 from 23 overs.
Diss finished the job as Robert Tooke (3-38) picked up three wickets, Sam Hunt (2-24) two, and a further run out to complete a comfortable victory and the trophy.
The result means Williamson, who took over the captaincy in 2017, has guided Diss to promotion and now some silverware.
“At times it is a challenge getting a team together with call-offs, but on the whole I have enjoyed it,” he said.
“I have tried to thrive in the role but it would not have been possible without the players’ help and them all getting behind me.”
