Oxfordshire battled back into contention on the second day of their Minor Counties Championship game with Herefordshire at Banbury yesterday.

The home side had been tumbled out for just 91 on Sunday, and then conceded a first-innings lead of 117 after Herefordshire made 208.

Robbie Eason takes evasive actionBut Oxon showed considerable courage in making 318 all out in their second innings.

It left Herefordshire needing 202 to win, and by the close in their own second innings they were 9-0.

The visitors must still be favourites today, but at least the final day looks like being a genuine contest.

Ben Thompson and Adam Cook were the top scorers for Oxon, both making half centuries to rescue the hosts from a wobbly 57-3.

But the feature of the innings was some gutsy batting from the lower order.

Eighteen-year-old Tim Smith made an unbeaten 41 from 82 balls. He received fine support from Keith Arnold, with whom he put on 59 for the eighth wicket, and then fellow Banbury teenaged debutant Jimmy Phillips.

Phillips must get a special mention for standing up to as plain a case of intimidatory bowling as you are likely to see at this level.

All the Oxfordshire batsmen were peppered by former Worcestershire paceman Paul Thomas, but while it might have been an acceptable tactic against top order men, it was too much at a No 11.

Phillips will become a better player for the experience, and thankfully he did not get seriously hurt, but that does not excuse the failure of the umpires to step in and halt the barrage of at least four or five bouncers an over.

The incident demonstrated a complete absence of common sense and feel for the game on the part of the umpires.

Earlier, Oxon had wasted little time in wrapping up the Herefordshire first innings.

Resuming on 197-8, the visitors added just 11 runs to their overnight score.

Arnold took both wickets to fall to finish with figures of 6-81 - the veteran seamer's 28th five-wicket haul in the Championship. SCORECARD OXFORDSHIRE

First Innings: 91 (K Cooper 5-35, P Humphries 4-24).

Second Innings

S Laudat b Cooper...34

R Eason c Dawood b Thomas...8

B Thompson c Dawood b Humphries...73

R Williams c Pearson b Cooper...1

A Cook lbw Cooper...68

Shahbaz Ali c Boroughs b Roberts...30

T Smith not out...41

I Hawtin c Dawood b Cooper...0

K Arnold c Pearson b Thomas...38

P Jeacock c Dawood b Cooper...2

J Phillips c Sarfaraz b Humphries...5

Extras...18

Total (all out, 98.4 ovs)...318

Fall: 1-42, 2-50, 3-57, 4-182, 5-227, 6-231, 7-234, 8-293, 9-296.

Bowling: Cooper 37-10-80-5, Humphries 15.4-1-60-2, Thomas 21-3-68-2, Davies 4-0-21-0, Roberts 21-7-77-1.

HEREFORDSHIRE

First Innings

(Overnight 197-8)

N Davies c & b Arnold...41

K Cooper not out...3

P Humphries lbw Arnold...0

Extras...21

Total (all out, 53 ovs)...208

Fall: 9-208.

Bowling: Arnold 23-4-81-6, Laudat 19-0-54-4, Thompson 4-0-23-0, Jeacock 4-0-25-0, Williams 3-0-12-0.

Second Innings

H Patel not out...6

R Hughes not out...3

Extras...0

Total (no wkts, 9 ovs)...9

Bowling: Arnold 5-2-8-0, Laudat 4-3-1-0.

*Oxon 4, Herefordshire 5