THAME Town’s stay in the top flight will last just one season after their heavy 172-run defeat at Banbury condemned them to relegation.

A brilliant century from Qaasim Adams was the foundation of the hosts total of 268-7 from 50 overs.

Adams struck 104 from 105 balls with two sixes and nine fours, while good support came from opener Craig Haupt’s 59.

Hassam Mushtaq, with 4-65 was the pick of the visiting attack.

Thame, promoted to Division 1 last season, cashed to 96 all out in reply, Mushtaq top-scoring with 31 not out.

Steve green (3-11) and Graham Beer (3-24) did the damage for Banbury, who consolidated their mid-table position.

Aston Rowant’s title hopes suffered another blow, when they lost by 52 runs at Tring Park.

The visitors seemed well-placed when they restricted Tring to 220-9 from their 50 overs, a total that owed much to David Brent’s 88.

Wes Morrick’s excellent season continued when he took 3-24 from his ten overs.

However, only Chris Watling of Rowant’s top order played a major innings, scoring a hard-earned 52 from 100 balls.

The spin of Michael Payne (3-25) and Rory Criddle (4-42) proved too much for the visitors, who were all out for 168.

Rowant are now third, 21 points behind leaders Slough, who increased Oxford’s woes with a seven-wicket home win.

Skipper Jamie Perkin, promoting himself to opener, made 56 from 89 balls as Oxford progressed to 144-3 after being put in. Good support came from Fergus Nutt (36) and Owyn Tong-Jones (33).

But the visitors’ last seven wickets fell for just 32 runs as they were bowled out for 176.

Slough eased home in the 33rd over thanks to Daniyal Akhtar’s 57.

Oxford are now 39 points behind relegation rivals Horspath, who suffered a 59-run home defeat on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system against title-chasing Henley in Division 1.

The hosts were always up against it after putting Henley in to bat.

Left-handers Matt Rowe and Jack Davies shared an opening stand of 188 to set the visitors on the way to 282-8.

Rowe plundered 123 from 142 balls with 15 fours, while England Under 19s wicket-keeper/batsman Davies made 76 off 102 deliveries.

For Horspath, off-spinner Tom Cosford took 3-43 and Will Eason 3-49.

Tom Coleman and Robbie Eason made 31 apiece as they put on 64 for the hosts’ first wicket, but Rowe (4-46) then took three wickets in the space of 19 balls for just two runs to put Horspath on the back foot.

Darryl Brown hit an unbeaten 76 from 81 balls, which included a six and ten fours, but Horspath were well short of their DLS target at 203-8 when rain washed out play with fours overs left.

Great & Little Tew’s Division 2 promotion hopes suffered a big blow when they lost by eight wickets away to fellow contenders Wokingham.

The visitors were soon in big trouble, crashing to 35-5 after being put in to bat.

Openers Harry Smith and Robbie Catling departed in the first two overs, and Tew were up against it, as Iain Muirden and Lewis Sharp both took two wickets.

Joe White survived the carnage, and together with Curtly Slatter turned the innings around.

White made 37, while Slatter went on to score a mature 70 not out from 84 balls, with nine fours.

He found an excellent partner in Joe Thomas (25 no) and they took the score from 110-8 to 174-8.

Robbie Shurmer gave Tew hope by dismissing both the home side’s openers, but an unbeaten third-wicket stand of 137 between Dan Housego (72no) and James Bird (61no) saw Wokingham home with more than six overs to spare.

Shipton-under-Wychwood seemed doomed to relegation after losing by 12 runs at home to Amersham on the DLS system after rain.

Following another late order collapse, the hosts were dismissed for 168.

When they rain came, Amersham were on 125-5 from 25.1 overs to edge home by 12 runs on DLS.

Choosing to bat first, Shipton recovered from 43-3 to 103-3 thanks to a fourth wicket stand between Calum Taylor, whose fluent 40 came off 57 balls, and skipper Anupam Sanklecha.

However, Sanklecha’s dismissal for 57 from 81 balls sparked a collapse that saw the last four wickets fall for two runs inside two overs.

The main beneficiary was spinner Maduka Liyanapathiranage, who took 6-20, including a hat-trick.

Sanklecha and Shaun Miller each took two wickets as Amersham slipped to 42-4, but they stayed ahead of the required rate, thanks to Bruce Friedrich’s late unbeaten 26.