Chinnor 30, Oxford Harlequins 35: Rugby has been played at Iffley Road for more than 100 years, but there can scarcely have been a more dramatic match than that which earned Oxford Harlequins their first Oxfordshire Cup on Sunday.

The closing stages of a wonderful contest defied belief as 17 points were scored in injury time, before the sides finished level at a tennis score - 30-all!

Under the rules, the game went to sudden death, and Quins, whose greater fitness was beginning to tell, won the game with a superb try from full back Dave Boreham.

It was no less than they deserved in a classic contest that pitted the Quins backs against the powerful Chinnor forwards.

As underdogs, Quins ripped into Chinnor from the start, dominating the first half to such an extent that the favourites did not get out of their own half for the first 25 minutes.

By this stage, Quins, well served in the line-out by Elliot Stephenson, were ten points clear.

They scored within two minutes. A break by Boreham set up a ruck close to the Chinnor line. The ball was spun quickly down the line to left wing Elio Recchia, who broke through one tackle to score.

Fly half Chris Penney landed a conversion and then added a penalty following a further period of pressure.

Chinnor, forced on to the defensive, opened their account the first time they got in their opponents' half, fly half James Cathcart landing a penalty.

They pulled level on the half-hour when winger Sam McIvor slipped a tackle and fed Chinnor's best player, No 8 James Kindon, who powered over from close range for Cathcart to convert.

With the fly halves then exchanging penalties, the score was 13-13 at half-time, which scarcely reflected Harlequins' dominance.

Penney restored his side's lead with his third penalty early in the second half, but then Quins' winger Henry Pooler dropped the restart kick just short of the line.

The strong Chinnor pack took full advantage, with a driving maul over the line for a try, credited to full back Darren Oxley.

Cathcart's conversion made it 20-16, and that's the way it stayed until the 78th minute, when there followed an extraordinary sequence of events.

Pooler, atoning for his previous error, ran on to Boreham's pass at a devastating angle and touched down for what appeared the winning try, which Penney converted for a 23-20 lead.

But Chinnor were not to be denied, and following intense pressure on the Quins' line, were awarded a penalty try by referee Brian Bumpass, converted by Cathcart.

This decision was so hotly contested by Quins that Bumpass awarded Chinnor an immediate penalty from the kick-off, which Cathcart landed with an enormous kick.

Chinnor, leading 30-23 in the fifth minute of injury time, were surely set to capture their third cup.

But the referee found another five minutes from somewhere, and astonishingly, Quins hit back with a try from the elusive Martin Nutt. Penney's conversion tied it all up.

Chinnor started the sudden-death extra period with 14 men, after lock Matt Hutchins, who had only just come on as replacement, was shown the yellow card.

Quins were now definitely the stronger side and in the tenth minute of extra time scored the 'golden' try.

Following Pooler's break, Quins recycled the ball too quickly for the tiring Chinnor defence and Boreham raced through a big gap to touch down.

Moments later, Sean Baxter, leading the side in the absence of injured skipperJamie Cope, raised the Oxfordshire Cup, as fans from both sides struggled to take it all in.

Chinnor: D Oxley, J Hewitt, J Brooks (R Warner 80), T Wood, S McIvor, J Cathcart, G Phillips, S Matthews, T Whelan (M Cook 50), J Winpenny (J Forster 11-20, 50), J Borgnis (capt) (A Du Toit Serdyn 50), A Milburn (M Hutchins 80), T Johnson, D Seymour, J Kindon.

Oxford Harlequins: D Boreham, E Recchia, M Nutt, N Smith (A Noyce 29-40), H Pooler, C Penney, A Cope, P DeLange, S Mitchell, W Houston (P Molyneux 16-25, 38-40, 78-80, 84-87), L Pearce (L Donnelly 65), B Brusch, E Stephenson, S Baxter (capt), P Nye.

Referee: B Bumpass (Oxfordshire).