OXFORD and Banbury both pulled off the great escape on Saturday - avoiding relegation from Division 1.

A brilliant all-round display from Graham Charlesworth got Oxford out of the mire, while Luke Ryan was Banbury's star.

Oxford started the day in the second relegation position, just four points behind opponents Tring Park.

But thanks to picking up a raft of bowling points in a drawn match, they managed to send the Hertfordshire side down instead, along with West Herts.

Having been put in to bat, Oxford seemed in trouble at 84-4, but Charlesworth and Ian Crosby turned the game round with a fifth-wicket stand of 107.

Crosby departed for 64, but Charlesworth went on to score an unbeaten 105 to guide Oxford to 275-7 in 64 overs.

Skipper Pat Jobson declared two overs early as he still reckoned his team needed a victory to stay up.

But Oxford took advantage of the rule awarding one point for every wicket taken by the side bowling second.

As Tring faltered after a good start in pursuit of the target, they realised too late that they needed to preserve wickets.

The clinching blows came when Charlesworth took two quick wickets - in his effective spell of 3-37 - to help reduce Tring to 150-8.

It was now a hopeless cause for Tring and Oxford knew they were home and dry, even though the hosts gamely hung on for a draw at 183-9.

Banbury, bottom before the final day started, leapt to safety with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Falkland.

Spinner Ryan was the hero with a stunning spell of 8-42 - the club's best ever figures in the league - to see off depleted Falkand in double quick time.

The game finished in mid-afternoon, but Banbury faced an anxious three-hour wait before learning that they were safe from the drop.

Putting Falkland in to bat, Banbury took time before securing the breakthrough.

But once Ryan came on, it all changed.

The 18-year-old Oxfordshire left-armer took wickets at regular intervals as the batsman struggled against his turn and bounce.

There was litte resistance, as Ryan, supported by a wicketless Jimmy Phillips at the other end, bowled out the visitors for 126 in the 27th over.

Banbury wasted little time in knocking off the runs, with Richard Kaufman striking an unbeaten 62 as they passed the target in just the 24th over.

So a day that started with the prospect of two Oxfordshire sides going down, ended with them both achieving great escapes.

Henley's season ended in dramatic fashion when they tied with High Wycombe.

Replying to Wycombe's 232 all out, Henley were dismissed for 232, off the last ball of their innings.