Norwich Dragons III took a giant step towards claiming the Norfolk Empresa League Premier Division title when they saw off fellow contenders Broadland 2-1 at The Den.

A strong and competitive Broadland side took an early lead through Lydia Lawrence but a foot on the line by a defender led to a penalty stroke which was coolly converted by Maddie Reynolds to restore parity.

Encouraged by this, Dragons pushed forward in numbers and took the lead within a few minutes through Debs Smith, as the visiting defence became stretched.

Play switched from end to end for the remainder of the game, but despite numerous opportunities for both teams there were no further goals.

Natalie Brooks was Broadland's star player while Kat Speirs and Kath Mares got the vote for Dragons.

The leaders are now 10 points clear of Broadland, with both teams having five games to play, while Norwich City III are now their nearest challengers. They are nine points adrift with a game in hand after coming away from their Dereham counterparts with a comprehensive 4-0 win.

Liv Greenway opened the scoring after latching on to a cross from Ellyn Roberts and sister Emily then reverse swept in from Sophia Basset's delivery to make it 2-0.

City kept the momentum going after the break, with Jenny Brine and player-of-the-match Jenni Stanghan linking up well.

The victory was effectively secured when Basset swept the ball to the left post where Holly Totten was waiting to convert and the same player netted again late on to complete the scoring.

The battle between the fourth teams of Dragons and City ended in a 3-0 win for the former with Caroline Wolfe scoring twice and Lynne Price also on target.

Diss maintained their excellent form in Division One with a 6-2 win over Reepham to move to within a point of inactive leaders Pelicans 11. Only three points now separate the top four, which also includes Broadland II and Harleston Magpies V.

Dragons VI moved to the top of Division Two courtesy of a 1-0 win at Herlings (Gemma Ballard) while Lowestoft Railway II were losing by the same scoreline against Magpies V1.