A losing bonus point was again the only reward as Saffron Walden fell to a 19-13 defeat against Diss.

Walden did have the better of the first 15 minutes and went into the lead with a penalty after Diss were penalised for hands in the ruck.

But that was as good as it got for the rest of the half as Diss scored two unanswered tries to lead 12-3 at the break.

The first came after 25 minutes with a great break by the left winger who used his pace to round his opposite number and the full back to score under the posts.

The second came after Walden didn't clear their lines effectively.

Five minutes after the restart Diss scored their third try as they turned the ball over from a Walden attack deep inside their own 22 and kicked long.

And with the Walden backs up in attack, they did not get to the bounce of the ball which then somewhat fortuitously bounced into the Diss chasers and from there it was a simple run in under the posts.

Walden rallied from there though and it was the forwards that created and scored Walden's first try as they drove over from 10 metres following an attacking line-out.

Nik Baker dived over to narrow the gap to 19-8 and still 30 minutes to play.

Although Walden had most of the ball at this stage, too many handling errors stopped any chance of building phases and accordingly chances came and went.

They never gave up though and and finally with four minutes left, they managed to put together some good possession and the ball was sped down the line to put left-winger Ollie Webber over in the corner.

That was the final score, however, with Diss able to see out the game.

The result leaves Walden seventh in the London Two North East table, two places and four points above their opponents.

Walden now have a week off and will hope to get several key players back ready for the away trip to South Woodham Ferrers on November 27.

On the other pitch, there was a celebration of local rugby as Walden's second string took on Wendens Ambo, winning 57-29.

But it was much more than that, with players turning up from several other clubs to ensure a game, that was as high scoring as it was enjoyable.

A spokesman for Saffron Walden said: "It was played in the right spirit and it was good to see players swapping the green of Walden to the black and red of Wenden at half time to even things up.

"They all just enjoyed the game and then the post-match hospitality in the club house.

"Plus it was good to see several Walden players returning to play after a long break and getting the green shirt on again."