OXFORD Downs were left cursing the rain as they were knocked off the top of Cherwell League Division 1 when their match at Challow & Childrey was abandoned.

The visitors were within 22 runs of victory at Vicarage Hill when the heavens opened for the first time since May, forcing the players off.

Challow batted first, but were shot out for just 101, Harry Sutton taking 4-32.

Downs raced to 80-1 in 20.4 overs, but the rain thwarted their victory charge.

Great Brickhill took full advantage of Downs’s abandonment as they crushed visitors Buckingham Town 2nd by eight wickets.

Asif Khan (4-12) and Jack Woodhouse (4-34) skittled Buckingham for 115, and then Brickhill raced to

119-2 in 10.3 overs to record an important win and take over at the summit.

Tom Bartlett finished on 99 not out to steer Banbury 2nd to a seven-wicket win at home to Abingdon Vale.

The visitors set 210-6 in a rain-reduced 51 overs, Joe Butcher hitting 53 and Amith Premkumar 51, Jack Wilkins taking 4-32 for Banbury.

Banbury, led by Bartlett’s excellent knock and 69 not out from Josh Megson, then cruised to 210-3 to secure maximum points.

Rain ruined Cumnor’s home clash with Twyford.

The hosts were all out for 181, Will Bull hitting 60 and Fayyaz Mohammed taking 6-45.

Twyford had reached 81-2 in 12 overs before the rain intervened.

Tiddington fell to a seven-wicket defeat at Long Marston.

James Beesley took 5-47 and Alastair Bee 4-56 in Tiddington’s 144 all out, before Matthew Storey (66no) saw Marston home at 146-3.

In Division 2, Westbury’s title bid suffered a setback as they were beaten by 41 runs at home to Didcot.

The visitors posted 247-7 as Adam Webb hit 92 and Elliot Mathews an unbeaten 64.

Skipper Richard Cook then claimed 4-24 with his off spin as Westbury were bowled out for 206, William Gurney top-scoring with 62.

Bledlow Village closed the gap on Westbury with a thrilling four-wicket win at Aston Rowant 2nd in a rain-affected match.

The hosts batted first after winning the toss, and Tim Morgan top-scored with 131 in his side’s 227-7.

Bledlow’s reply was reduced to 44 overs.

However, they reached 228-6 with just an over to spare, Matt Bolton hitting 71 and Mike Winson 51, 14-year-old James Coles taking 4-40.

Sandford St Martin’s woes continued in a five-wicket defeat at home to Leighton Buzzard Town.

Batting first, Sandford were shot out for 114, Jack Kempster taking 6-33.

Kempster then hit 59 to steer Buzzard to 115-5.

Cropredy and Horspath 2nd battled out a draw.

Saim Hussain (57) helped Cropredy to 174-9, Luke Heritage taking 5-73 and Alfie Turner 3-36.

Horspath never got close, instead opting to bat out for a draw at 105-6.

Oxford 2nd were denied by the rain when well-placed against visitors Wolverton Town.

Oxford had set 233-6 as Mursaleen Sadiqi top-scored with 78.

Wolverton were 68-5 when the heavens opened.

Bicester & North Oxford continued their charge towards the Division 3 title when hammering visitors Banbury 3rd by ten wickets.

Matt Woods (4-11) and Dan Savin (3-21) combined to skittle Banbury out for 89, before Adam Stapleford-Jones hit 57 not out as Bicester cruised to 90-0.

Horley moved up to second after beating Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts by six wickets.

Nondies set 229-9 in their 53 overs, Pablo Mukherjee hitting 69 and Dave Eaton taking 4-51.

Horley eased home at 230-4 as Nick Tarrant hit 87 and David Finch 67 not out.

A completely changed Minster Lovell battled hard for a creditable draw at Stokenchurch.

With Minster’s entire first team attending a wedding, their second string starred.

Stokenchurch declared on 248-8, Josh Triggs hitting 120 and Arshad Latif 69.

But Minster’s young guns held firm to secure a draw, finishing on 215-7, Ashley Horne hitting 78 and Jacob Mayers 62.

Oxford Downs 2nd had to settle for a draw in a rain-reduced match with visitors Great & Little Tew 2nd.

Youngsters Freddie Smith (75) and Prav Chahal (58no) helped Downs to 258-5.

But only 21 overs were possible in Tew’s reply, and they reached 123-1, Josh Garrett scoring 52.

Cublington defeated visitors Great Brickhill 2nd by two wickets.

They dismissed Brickhill for 146, before edging home at 148-8.

Witney Mills produced the result of the day in Division 4 when defeating leaders East Oxford by 52 runs.

Sam Haselgrove led the way, scoring 88 in Mills’s 238-8.

Olly Burney (4-22) and Ben Madden (4-46) then starred with the ball as East Oxford were bowled out for 186.

Thame Town 2nd took full advantage of East Oxford’s defeat, closing the gap to just one point with a six-wicket win at home to Charlbury.

Alastair Thomas took 5-47 and Dan Patey 4-63 as the visitors were all out for 161.

Christian Warwick then hit 61 and Harry Thomas 50 not out to steer Thame to 162-4.

Abingdon Vale 2nd won their bottom-of-the-table clash at home to Shipton-under-Wychwood 2nd by four wickets.

Jamie Nelson (60) and Paul Hemming (42) helped Shipton to 171-8, only for Matthew Darley (44) to steer Vale’s reply to 172-6.

Tiddington 2nd’s Jacob Davis claimed 5-28 to help his side to an 18-run win over visitors Long Marston 2nd.

The hosts had been bowled out for 166, but Davis and Colin Bird (4-18) combined to dismiss the visitors for 148 in their reply.

Bletchley Town and Brackley battled out a draw in a rain-affected clash.

Brackley set 222-8, Adam Wirth top-scoring with 83, before Bletchley reached 116-2 in the 22nd over before the rain came.

Division 5 leaders Cropredy 2nd crashed to a ten-wicket defeat at Dinton 2nd.

Muhaib Ur Rehman took 5-18 as Cropredy slumped to 83 all out, before Bhavan Jeyanathan hit 61 not out as Dinton cruised to 84-0.

Alex Bowles smashed 148 for Kingston Bagpuize, who were held to a draw at Leighton Buzzard Town 2nd.

Kingston set 267-7 thanks to Bowles’s knock. But Buzzard shut up shop, closing on 166-6.

Aston Rowant 3rd drew their home clash with Cumnor 2nd.

They were bowled out for 225, Leigh Lewis hitting 61 and Mark Walker 56, Sam Herbert taking 4-48 for the visitors.

In reply, Cumnor reached 2015-5, Jack Miell retiring hurt on 55.

In another rain-affected match, Horspath 3rd drew with hosts Chearsley.

Craig Wharton top-scored with 80 in Horspath’s 194 all out, and Chearsley were 119-4 in the 24th over to secure the draw.

Kimble saw off hosts Didcot 2nd by three wickets.

Ian Demain top-scored with 44 in Didcot’s 214-6, but Bradley Rose then scored 58 to lead Kimble to 215-7.

Alex Dawson’s 6-51 was in vain for Challow & Childrey 2nd as rain led to their match at Twyford 2nd resulting in a draw in Division 6.

The home side were bowled out for 205 as Dawson proved the star of the show.

In reply, Challow were 78-5 before the rain forced the players off.

In Division 7, Michael Peyton-Bruhl returned outstanding figures of 8-21 to help Westbury 2nd to a nine-wicket win at East Oxford 2nd.

Peyton-Bruhl’s haul sent East Oxford tumbling to 65 all out, and then Westbury cruised to 68-1.

In Division 8, Anand Srinivasaraghavan to-ok 6-23 to help Witney Mills 2nd to an eight-wicket win at Challow & Childrey 3rd.

His magnificent haul sent the hosts crashing to 89 all out, before Ross Morgan hit 51 not out to steer Mills to 92-2.

Ellie Norton also claimed six wickets as Charlbury 2nd got the better of visitors Cublington 2nd by seven wickets.

Norton claimed 6-50 in Cublington’s 164 all out, before Charlbury eased in at 165-3 to secure victory.