Oxford breathed a huge sigh of relief after recording their first win of the season on Saturday.

Ian Crosby’s side again failed to impress with the bat in their Serious Cricket Home Counties Premier League Division 1 clash with Harpenden, but a superb bowling display – led by Shamilal Mendis’s 5-15 – saw them record a 21-run victory.

After being put in, Oxford lost Dan King cheaply, and he was soon followed by Stewart Laudat and Chris Sandbach – the latter top-scoring with 33.

However, from their lunch score of 85-3, Oxford collapsed to 111 all out, with Jamie Perkin’s 31 the only other innings of note.

The last seven wickets fell for 26 runs in 17 overs.

Brad Sutherland bowled Simon White to make an early breakthrough, before Mendis claimed his first two wickets to leave the visitors struggling on 45-3.

Jamie Perkin ran out Harpenden skipper Nick Lamb to make it 51-4, before Mendis and Francois Vainker then swung the game firmly in Oxford’s favour, with two quick wickets apiece as Harpenden slumped to 56-8.

A brief resistance from No 9 Oliver Tuck and No 10 Robin Pancharartnam gave Oxford a scare, but Mendis completed his five-wicket haul, by trapping Tuck leg before with the score on 78.

Vainker then dismissed Pancharartnam as Oxford finally got off the mark.