Oxford & Horspath kept their outside title hopes alive with a 72-run win over Amersham in a dramatic finish at St Catherine's College on Saturday.

Chasing Oxford's 193-9 dec off 55.3 overs, Amersham attempted grimly to hang for a draw.

But Ben Thompson bowled No 9 Ward in his penultimate over and then trapped last man Moore lbw with the first ball of the last to dismiss the visitors for 121.

It gave medium pacer Thompson excellent figures of 4-21 off ten overs and made up for an earlier rare failure with the bat which had seen him play on without scoring.

Thompson's dismissal had formed part of an early Oxford collapse which had seen them crash to 34-4.

But the in-form pair Alan Kruger and Ian Evans rebuilt the innings.

After Kruger (39) was stumped by Matcham off left-arm spinner for Moore with the score at 89, Evans and Pat Jobson carried on from where they had left off against Henley last week with another useful partnership.

Evans made his maiden league half century before falling for 60 at 161, and with Jobson (40) going soon after, Oxford fell short of the 200 target skipper Rupert Evans was looking for.

With four overs being lost due to rain at the start of play and with a win imperative to keep the pressure on Henley, the declaration was made.

And it proved spot-on as Evans, who finished with splendid figures of 3-25 off 22 overs, and his other son, Philip, soon had the visitors in trouble at 18-3 and then 36-5.

But middle order resistance led by Chris Owen (48) made Oxford pull out all the stops.

Robbie Eason took a brilliant diving catch, running in from deep square leg to dismiss Atkins off Adam Krol, and Ian Evans trapped Owen lbw before Thompson cleaned up the last two wickets in the nick of time.

OXFORD & HORSPATH

K Mustow c Matcham b Ward...9

R Eason c Matcham b Ward...4

A Kruger st Matcham b Moore...39

B Thompson b Ward...0

G Plested b Moore...5

I Evans c Ward b Owen...60

P Jobson b Owen...40

A Krol b Moore...15

P Evans c & b Owen...3

R Evans not out...7

Extras...11

Total (9 wkts dec , 55.3 ov)...193

Fall: 1-12, 2-21, 3-21, 4-34, 5-89, 6-161, 7-165, 8-173, 9-193.

Bowling: Ward 13-2-51-3, Moore 27.3-8-79-3, Owen 15-2-52-3.

AMERSHAM

J Andrews b R Evans...14

H Matcham c Bishop b R Evans...1

S Dudderidge lbw P Evans...1

D Bulman c P Evans b Thompson...0

J Shuttle c Kruger b Thompson...1

C Owen lbw I Evans...48

J Atkins c Eason b Krol...15

E Hamilton-Pike c Kruger b R Evans...16

D Ward b Thompson...9

T Aylott not out...1

N Moore lbw Thompson...0

Extras...15

Total (all out, 55.1 ov)...121

Fall: 1-5, 2-6, 3-18, 4-28, 5-36, 6-70, 7-104, 8-109, 9-121.

Bowling: R Evans 22-8-25-3, P Evans 7-3-14-1, Thompson 10.1-1-21-4, Krol 6-0-20-1, Kruger 6-0-26-0, I Evans 5-4-4-1.

Oxford & H 25pts, Amersham 5