Colchester travelled to a frosty Norfolk and narrowly lost this a hard-fought game in which the lead changed no fewer than six times.

Diss started strongly but it was Colchester who scored first when early loose ball was quickly moved left by scrum-half Wadling. Julian Chamberlain- Carter accelerated to cross near the left touch after just 9 minutes for an unconverted try. Diss replied swiftly after gaining possession from the restart and disorganised defence allowed them to score under posts. The conversion gave the home team a 7-5 lead.

Diss played to their strengths and popped the ball close to the break down for their big pack to run on to. The back row of Whiteman, Pickett and Pickard were up to the task and were outstanding in both defence and attack.

Colchester retook the lead when Ollie Pickett broke two tackles to score under the posts. Crozier converted to make the score 7-12. An injury to hooker Rhys Hartley saw Charlie Thorogood come off the bench to join the fray.

Yellows cards for Liam Picket and Rob Pickard reduced Colchester to 13 men. Diss used the extra space well to cross the line and level the scores at 12-12. Stretched defence again allowed Diss to retake the lead with a converted try taking the score to 19-12. Only desperate defence by Meads and Brown prevented more.

Although conceding weight in the scrum, technical superiority meant Colchester won their own ball and put Diss under a lot of pressure. The result was a collapsed scrum and the resulting penalty by Crozier made the score 19-15 at half time.

Half time saw Awesu and Goodbourne replace Colcomb and Reid and both added significant impact in attack. It was end-to-end rugby for the third quarter and the lead changed hands yet again when well worked ball saw Chamberlain-Carter score his second. Crozier converted to take the score to 19-22.

The final quarter was a tense affair and Colchester looked to have the stronger squad at the finish. Diss pinned their opponents in the bottom right corner for a long period and a break from a scrum saw big No 8 Steve Hipwell cross the line and the lead change for the final time. The try was converted meaning the score ended at 26-22.

Colchester will rue this missed opportunity. When they were able to control the game and maintain possession, gaps quickly opened up that could be exploited. In the meantime the club says a fond farewell to Kiwi Shelford Meads who departs for pastures new this Christmas.