A HAT-TRICK for Tim Chilvers was in vain as Abingdon Vale lost by 66 runs at home to Tiddington on the belated first day of the Cherwell League season.

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing a restructure to fit in a shortened season, the sides met in Tier 1A.

The last two of Chilvers’ victims at the end of the innings were stumped by brother Sam, while Paul White took 3-28, but opener Archie Davis carried his bat to make 83 as the visitors reached 211-7 from their 40 overs.

Michael Hawthorne (37) and new skipper Tim Chilvers (35) top-scored in the reply, but Vale lost wickets regularly and were all out for 145.

An unbroken sixth-wicket partnership worth 89 saw Cumnor home to a four-wicket victory at Bledlow Village.

William Bull took 4-52 as the hosts made 197-8.

It looked a tough chase as they slipped to 112-6 when Michael Race was dismissed for 42, but Tom Powell (73) and George Setterfield combined to get them over the line with an over to spare.

Oliver Ong took 4-36 as Shipton-under-Wychwood were dismissed for 178, Jamie Nelson top-scoring with 54.

Russell Beckett hit 63 in reply as Sandford St Martin cruised to a seven-wicket success in the 30th over.

Luke Higgins’ unbeaten 63 helped Didcot to a 42-run victory at Challow & Childrey.

Adam Webb hit 50 as the visitors reached 200-5, which proved far too many for the hosts as Jordan Morrison took 4-25.

Aston Rowant 2nd beat Dinton by two runs in the pick of the Tier 1B matches.

Tim Morgan (64) and Chris Eaton (42) had a second-wicket stand worth 102 as Rowant posted 203-4.

Jack Mercer’s 91 put Dinton on course to win, but he became the first of three run outs engineered by Ben Knowler as the hosts finished on 201-8.

Thomas Bartlett (102no) guided Banbury 2nd to a nine-wicket thrashing of visitors Buckingham Town 2nd.

Richard Simpson (4-39) starred as Town were dismissed for 176, a total which was overhauled in the 32nd over.

Mark Usher (67) and Marcus Jeacock (52) hit half centuries to set Bicester & North Oxford up for a 58-run victory at Cropredy.

They reached 207-4, which proved well beyond the hosts, who were all out in the 35th over.

Elsewhere, Westbury beat Twyford by 48 runs.

Arfan Ahmed starred with bat and ball as Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts crushed Oxford 2nd by 161 runs in Tier 2A.

First, he smashed 74 not out off just 53 balls as the visitors racked up 207-9.

Ahmed then took 5-3 as the home side were skittled for 46 inside 18 overs.

Pierre Lefort’s terrific spell set Witney Mills up for a 60-run win at Minster Lovell.

He took 4-18 as the home side slumped to 28-5, before eventually being dismissed for 111.

Earlier, Josh Garrett’s 66 had helped Mills post 171-9.

Chris Sandbach’s 81 proved crucial as Oxford Downs 2nd saw off East Oxford by 26 runs.

The knock led the way in their 221-7, which proved enough as their opponents were dismissed for 195 in the 37th over.

Thame Town 2nd eased to a six-wicket victory at Stokenchurch with nine overs to spare.

Horspath 2nd got off to a winning start in Tier 2B with a five-wicket success away to Great Brickhill 2nd.

Asad Rafiq took 3-32 as the home side were restricted to 178-8.

A series of solid partnerships kept Horspath in control during their reply, with Jehan Mohammed (52) and Rafiq (46) providing the key knocks as they reached the target in 33 overs.

Banbury 3rd never fully recovered from a slow start as they lost at Long Marston 2nd by five wickets.

The visitors were reduced to 36-5 before the middle order fought back with Andrew Prior (46), Joseph Wetherill (42) and Sophie Mitchelmore (35).

It saw them set a target of 184, which Long Marston reached with five overs remaining thanks to a 112-run fifth-wicket partnership between Edwards Robinson (70) and Simon Robinson (50no).

Elsewhere, Brackley beat Horley by 173 runs and Leighton Buzzard Town defeated Bletchley Town by 92 runs.

Colin Simpson produced the innings of the day as Sandford St Martin hammered Charlbury 2nd by 256 runs in Tier 4A.

The opener hit five sixes and 24 fours in his 184 not out, as the away side racked up 318-3.

It was a daunting target Charlbury never looked like threatening and they were dismissed for just 62, Sebastian Skinner taking 3-24.

Bicester & North Oxford 2nd lost by only eight runs at home to Cropredy 2nd.

Oscar Phillips (3-28) and Oscar Windebank (3-33) held the visitors to 180, despite Chris Plumbe’s rapid 61.

Nick Moorman hit 54 to start the reply and at 145-6 they looked in good shape.

But as time ran out the wickets fell to leave Bicester just short.

Kingston Bagpuize skipper Jordan Smith hit 90 in an emphatic 187-run success against Shipton-under-Wychwood 2nd.

The opener’s innings set the tone in the Tier 3A clash, as the visitors ran up 266-7.

Ben Fisher (3-10) and Matthew Watts (3-28) helped to skittle Shipton for 79 in the 19th over.

Didcot 2nd also had a straightforward opening fixture.

Sam Couldrick (67no) and Rory King (56no) saw them overhaul Challow & Childrey 2nd’s 153 for the loss of just one wicket.

George Siriwardene proved the difference in securing an unlikely three-run Tier 5A success for Abingdon Vale 3rd at Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts.

He was the only visiting batsman to pass 25 as his 72 not out carried the visitors to 168 all out.

Nondies had wickets and overs in hand as they closed in on victory.

But Siriwardene’s late burst ripped through the tail to turn the contest on its head.

Helped by a run out from Mark Powell, a succession of single figure scores saw Nondies bowled out for 165 in the 37th over.