Swing bowler Will Yates produced a five-wicket super show as Hales and Loddon beat Diss A by 15 runs to register their second Norfolk Alliance victory of the season.

Chasing 174 to win, Diss openers Andy Gregory and Tom Weal had established a solid platform when Yates was brought into the attack as third change.

The popular postman immediately produced a special delivery that clean bowled the dangerous Weal for 26. Yates followed up with a second wicket maiden, in the process accounting for skipper Andrew Horobin for a duck, courtesy of a stunning reflex slip catch by veteran Milton Lindsay.

Yates continued to rip the heart out of the Diss innings as he accounted for the next three batsmen cheaply on his way to excellent figures of five for 16 from nine devastating overs that transformed the game.

Diss regrouped and continued to edge closer towards their target thanks to the guiding hand of opener Gregory. He had just compiled an intelligent half-century when he was finally removed in the 38th over for 51. A rare loose shot by the stoic anchorman saw James Rowswell pouch the catch at point off the slow bowling of Martin Wells.

It was the key to victory that H&L needed and despite a battling 24 from Daniel Browne and Jody Sparrow’s defiant unbeaten 13, the remaining wickets were snapped up cheaply, leaving the visitors all out for 158 in the 43rd over.

While Musker McIntyre man-of-the-match Yates bagged the H&L bowling honours, he was well supported by Mark Stewart, who although wicketless, sent down nine overs for a mere 17 runs.

Paceman Isaac Rolph, returning from an extended sunshine break to take up the H&L captaincy duties, bowled with customary fire to take two for 37 from eight overs.

Earlier H&L had been put into bat on a rain-softened surface with Lindsay (18) and Jack Cook (18) putting on 38 in 13 overs.

With the tight Diss bowling unit giving little away, boundaries were at a premium. However Rolph managed to hit six fours in a typically combative 45 and Auldwyn Lindsay found the ropes three times in an attractive 25. Wells included a six and two fours in his 14-run cameo, while Rowswell (10) was the other double-figure contributor as H&L posted 173 in 43 overs. H&L are away to Topcroft A tomorrow.