Paul Taylor again proved what a valuable acquisition Banbury have secured with a super spell of bowling that all but defeated Bicester & North Oxford in a rain-affected Division 1 game on Saturday.

Following his valuable contribution with bat and ball in the defeat of Finchampstead the previous week, Taylor returned the immaculate figures of 6-21 in 16 overs to leave the home side desperately hanging on for a draw at 73-8.

This was in reply to Banbury's 162-7 in a match reduced to 90 overs following a long stoppage for rain in the morning.

At the time of the delay, Banbury, having been put into bat, were 36-0 off ten overs.

On resumption, and limited to a maximum of 50 overs, openers Andrew Sabin and young Ian Tew took the score to 62-0, before an inspired spell by Bicester's new recruit Lee Mason halted them in their tracks.

After having Tew acrobatically caught at slip by Graham Savin, Mason claimed the prize wicket of Banbury skipper Craig Haupt with a peach of a deliverey that pitched on middle and leg before hitting the left-hander's off stump.

Mason, the start of whose run-up resembles that of Andy Caddick, pitched the ball up more than the England paceman and was rewarded with three more wickets.

Sabin drove a catch to cover, Tim Smith was bowled through the 'gate' and Taylor departed to a ball that lifted sharply from just short of a length.

The slow pitch, on which the occasional ball behaved oddly, made it difficult for batting, but Mason's spell of 5-13 in eight overs must have had Banbury worried at 109-6.

For this match, the visitors fielded five teenagers, and it was the two youngest who then came to the rescue.

Left-hander Chris Smith, 16, and 17-year-old Danny Harding exposed the pedestrian Bicester fielders by scampering cheeky runs and added the odd big blow for good measure.

Together they put on 47 off 49 balls and with 13 runs coming from the final over, Banbury were able to reach a challenging total.

Bicester, who had 40 overs to get the runs, were not really up to the challenge

Taylor, swinging the ball both ways with tight control and making the odd one lift, soon reduced them to 33-3.

But the crucial wicket that ended any slight hope Bicester might have entertained was struck by young off-spinner Jimmy Phillips.

His second ball was a rank long hop which Bicester's overseas recruit Kingsley Went slapped straight down deep square leg's throat.

After that, it was a matter of survival. Taylor returned to bowl Savin, who finally lost patience, and then found a good one which Bicester skipper Darryl Woods edged low to second slip.

When Taylor then trapped Ian Kennedy leg before for a duck, Banbury looked like winning, but Bicester's ninth-wicket pair survived.

With Taylor and a rich crop of talented youngsters, Banbury's future looks promising.

However, for Bicester, things appear bleak. There are too many makeweights in their team and they seem set for another struggle against relegation.