Pat Foster played the leading role as unbeaten Horspath took over pole position in Home Counties Premier League Division 2 with a resounding six-wicket home win over bottom club Cookham Dean on Saturday.

With morning leaders Oxford crashing to 86 all out and a heavy six-wicket defeat at home to promotion rivals Amersham it’s all change at the top.

Horspath now sit at the summit two points clear of Amersham, with Oxford four points further back in third as the season reverts to win-lose 50-over matches next week.

Foster took 5-57 as Cookham Dean were bowled out for 163 after electing to bat, with his haul including two cracking deliveries to get through the defences of Kurran Mangat and Zimbabwean Herbert Chikomba.

Skipper Will Eason and left-arm spinner Lloyd Belcher provided good support with two wickets apiece.

Robbie Eason (42) and Jamie Stead (36) then shared an opening stand of 80 to set Horspath on the way to victory, which was secured at 167-4 off 30.2 overs by Rameez Raja (29no) and Harrison Ward (26no).

It proved a day to forget for Oxford, who at one stage were a disastrous 19-7 after choosing to bat first at home to Amersham.

Harry Stephens prevented a complete humiliation by striking an unbeaten 42 from 66 balls with six fours, and sharing an eighth-wicket stand of 42 with Mark Beer.

Sri Lankan spinner Maduka Liyanapathiranage finished them off for 86, with superb figures of 7-31 from 16.2 overs.

Sam Fallah and Shami Mendis each picked up two wickets for Oxford, but the visitors wrapped up a six-wicket success inside 20 overs.

Aston Rowant secured a seven-wicket victory in their derby clash at Thame Town.

After choosing to bat first, the hosts slipped to 66-5, but an unbeaten 57 from Matt MacDonald, with late support from Hassam Mushtaq (30) lifted them to 161.

Spinner Adam Muttitt was the visitors’ most successful bowler with 4-37.

Skipper Josh Smith (56no) eased Rowant to an easy victory in the 45th over, with good support from Alex Jewell (46no).

Shipton-under-Wychwood lost by one wicket in a nail-biting game at Datchet.

Half-centuries from Simon Hole (58) and Joe Barrett (55) put Shipton in a strong position at 164-3, but then they lost seven wickets for just 13 runs – three to stumpings plus a run-out – to be all out for 177. Chris Peploe took 6-65.

His figures were bettered by Shipton’s Anupam Sanklecha, who captured 7-60, but a lack of support at the other end, saw Datchet’s last pair add seven runs to see them home.

IT was all over by lunch as Great & Little Tew were crushed by runaway Division 1 leaders Finchampstead on Saturday.
Tew, put in to bat, slumped to just 47 all out in 20.4 overs and the rampant visitors completed a nine-wicket success in just nine overs.
Finchampstead’s destroyer was South African seamer Jandre Coetzee.
The league’s leading wicket-taker took 7-20 in 10.4 overs to condemn the hosts to their lowest score in the league.
Six of Tew’s batsmen were caught by keeper Sukhmeet Kang.
All but six runs came from three batsmen, No 9 Matt Warner top-scoring with 15.
Finchampstead wasted no time in knocking off the runs, although Liam Manley earned Tew a point by dismissing Andrew House for 26.
Tew are comfortably placed in the table, following defeats for the bottom two clubs Harefield and Reading.
Banbury recovered from a poor start to give themselves an outside chance of the title with a dramatic 23-run victory at Tring Park.
Choosing to bat first, Banbury slipped to 12-3 and 44-4, but were rescued by a fifth-wicket stand of 112 between skipper Lloyd Sabin and Richard West.
Sabin made 70 off 129 balls with a six and ten fours, while all-rounder West showed his value to the side with 93 from 134 deliveries with a six and 11 fours. 
Banbury eventually made 218 all out, Doug Pratt taking  5-85.
At 184-5, following half-centuries from Ben Abbott (60) and Curran Gaur (53), Tring were strong favourites.
But the last five wickets fell for 11 runs  to spinners Luke Ryan (4-72) and West (2-25) to give the visitors an unlikely win.