ROB Williams and Charlie Knightley led Oxfordshire to an impressive five-wicket victory over Cambridgeshire at Challow on Sunday, writes Ed Mezzetti.

But ironically their win ensured Wiltshire qualified for the semi-finals by virtue of a superior net run rate despite having already completed their matches.

Oxon, too, had a mathematical chance of progressing beforehand and although beat both of them, ended up below them in the table.

Cambridgeshire's target of 231 was very gettable, but speed was the key.

And the competition's complicated net run rate rules meant qualification required a miracle.

No-one was quite sure how to calculate the rate Oxfordshire required, but some estimates had them needing as many as eight an over!

That looked even more unlikely once Peter Swanepoel had Stewart Laudat caught behind for a duck in the first over.

Keith Mustow had only made a single by the second wicket fell at 7-2, and the usually reliable Craig Haupt soon joined him back in the pavilion.

Williams and Knightley came together with Oxon struggling at 11-3, chasing Cambridgeshire's target of 230-9 in their 50 overs.

But a dominant 115 from Williams and Knightley's controlled 69 meant they put on 198 for the fourth wicket to all but ensure victory.

Williams, in particular, wrestled control from the visitors with a series of boundaries after their opening bowlers Swanepoel and Adam Sydall initially turned the screw.

Knightley eventually fell in the 42nd over and Williams holed out to Tom Westley soon afterwards.

But Richard Kaufman and James Hewitt had no problem knocking off the winning runs.

Earlier, Kaufman and spin partner Paul White were Oxon's stars with the ball, picking up six wickets between them.

Both conceded just 35 in their ten overs, which proved crucial in stemming the tide, and White's 4-35 was the best bowling performance of the day.

Opener Tom Harvey did most of the damage with 64, before he was caught by Knightley off the bowling of Kaufman.

Four other batsmen made it past 20 before Swanepoel belied his position as No 10 with a rapid 42.

His boundary-laden knock included a six off the penultimate ball, which White caught expertly before tumbling over the boundary and into the sightscreen.

White was involved in another memorable moment when Hewitt held a fell-length diving catch to dismiss Matthew Pateman off the spinner's bowling.

There was also some smart work behind from skipper Ian Hawtin, who stumped Paul Swannell to give Keith Arnold his only wicket from a wide.