Oxfordshire’s ladies A team claimed their own title, but could not prevent the county falling to defeat against Glamorgan which confirmed their relegation from the top flight of British darts.

Oxon knew they needed a miracle to avoid the drop after two years in BDO Inter-Counties Championship Division 1, requiring a victory, plus other results going their way.

But after trailing 13-5 after day one at the Ex-Services and Families Club in Bicester, the writing was always on the wall.

The all-conquering Ladies’ A team did their best with a stunning 5-1 victory to reduce the deficit to 14-10, but defeat for the men’s A side resulted in a 25-14 loss overall.

The ladies B team drew their match 3-3, with wins from Laura Ross, on her debut, Shirley Castle and lady-of-the-match Tasha Borton.

However, the men’s B side proved no match for their Welsh counterparts and were totally outplayed.

The Glamorgan team allowed them only two points courtesy of Mark Burns and man-of-the-match Stuart White.

Sunday belonged to Oxon’s ladies A stars, who made it six wins from nine matches to capture their own section title with a 5-1 triumph.

Their victories came from Clare Bywaters, Rebecca Rose, Sandra Cox, Casey Gallagher and lady-of-the-match Deta Hedman as they finished three points clear of Cambridgeshire at the top of the table.

Oxon team manager Graham Manning said: “This was a fantastic achievement for our ladies and we can’t give them enough praise. “We have a great ladies squad who show amazing team spirit, which has made them the No 1 team in the country.”

Thanks to their efforts, the score stood at a more respectable 14-10, but the men’s A were unable to match their efforts and lost 8-4.

Michael Kearns, Preben Krabben, Ade Larner and man-of-the-match Dennis Smith were their winners, but now Oxon face life in Division 2 next season.