A last-wicket stand of 20 gave Abingdon Vale a dramatic victory away to Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts in Cherwell League Division 2 on Saturday.

A low-scoring match produced only 235 runs, but could not have been more exciting.

Nondies slumped to 117 all out, Pablo Mukherjee hitting 38 and left-arm spinner Paul White taking 3-27.

But the hosts hit back through Zia Hamid (5-35) and Mark Strong (3-41), to leave Vale deep in trouble on 98-9.

However, Abingdon’s final pair of Adam Scholey and White defied the odds to see their side home by the narrowest of margins.

Oxford & Bletchingdon Nondescripts 10pts, Abingdon Vale 25 Challow & Childrey had no answer to Gordon Harris, who took 6-30 to set Aston Rowant 2nd on the path to a straightforward win at Chal-low & Childrey.

Nigel Hill’s 48 was the only contribution of note in Challow’s 148 all out.

Aussie Luke Stutter took 3-52 after tea, but Thomas Condon (35) steered Rowant to 149-5.

Challow & Childrey 7, Aston Rowant 2nd 25

Wallingford had no ans-wer to the seam attack of Pierre Lefort and Ben Madden as they succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat at home to Witney Mills in their Division 4 clash.

Left-arm seamer Lefort took 5-47 and Madden 4-38 as Wallingford were shot out for 94.

Stalwart Rob Sessions was the only batsman to break the shackles, top-scoring with 45.

Mills openers – Will Sterio and Pete Claridge – suffered few alarms and the game was all over before 4.30pm.

Wallingford 1, Witney Mills 25

Kingston Bagpuize squ-eezed past Stokenchurch by only four runs to condemn the hosts to their fourth straight defeat.

David Pearce hit 41 in Bagpuize’s 127 against Stefan Read (6-31) and Paul Maddock (3-28).

Matt Warner took 5-38 as the hosts fell short on 123, despite Joe Brown’s 52.

Stokenchurch 6, K Bagpuize 25

Didcot’s batsmen struggled against the Horley trio of Dave Eaton (3-14), Jon Hart (3-50) and Steve Palmer (3-58) and slipped to 154 all out, despite contributions from Simon Pritchard (45) and Matt Jones (31).

Jones then took 3-55, but Simon King (40), Nick Tarrant (30) and Dave Clark (38no) fired Horley to 156-4 with 12.5 overs left.

Didcot 6, Horley 25

Challow & Childrey 2nd did not manage to pick up a single point in Division 5 as they suffered a ten-wicket defeat at Oxford 3rd.

Mark Murfett (6-12) and Harvey Eltham (3-30) combined to dismiss the visitors for 69, then Akheem Fox hit 32 not out in Oxford’s 70-0 from 11.3 overs.Oxford 3rd 25, Challow & Childrey 2nd 0 Paul Butcher took 3-7 and then hit 64 not out in Abingdon Vale 2nd’s seven-wicket win over Thame Town 2nd.

The visitors were bowled out for 132, with Vale’s Charles Pickford (3-23) and Joe Butcher (3-47) also enjoying success.

Vale lost two quick wickets in their reply, but Butcher and Tom Pollard, who hit a slow but crucial 35, saw Vale ease to 133-3.

Abingdon Vale 2nd 25, Thame Tn 2nd 5

Abingdon Vale 3rd suffered their first defeat of the season after going down by four wickets to Cropredy 2nd in Division 7.

Vale once again struggled with the bat, being bowled out just 76.

The visitors were 36-2 at tea, but were given a scare after the resumption when Vale’s veteran seamer Adrian White found his line to take 4-33.

However, it was not enough as the hosts reached 77-6.

Cropredy 2nd 25, Abingdon Vale 3rd 6

Samantha Moore took 5-29 as Abingdon Vale 4th beat Didcot 4th by seven wickets in Division 10.

Moore, making her first appearance of the season for Vale, claimed her haul in 15 tight overs as the visitors were dismissed for 131.

Vale had few difficulties passing their target, Andrew Price (41) and Dennis Lanham (40no) on song with the bat as Abingdon recorded their second win of the campaign – matching their tally for the whole of last season.