A BRILLIANT all-round display by Graham Charlesworth enabled Oxford to escape relegation after an afternoon of tension and drama at Tring Park on Saturday.

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

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.

Keeping abreast of the situation at other grounds, Jobson soon realised that if they overtook Tring they would stay up.

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 reduced 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.

Jobson said: "It's a great relief, but overall it's been a disappointing season.

"We've done well to stay up and hope to put matters right next summer."

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

Spinner Luke 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-arm took wickets at regular intervals as the batsman struggled against his turn and bounce.

There was litte resistance, as Ryan, supported by a wicketless Jimmny 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.