Oxford won a thrilling Oxfordshire Under 11 Cup final as they snatched a seemingly impossible victory from the jaws of defeat at Combe.

Batting first, Oxford found themselves pinned down by some accurate Banbury bowling, with Toby Hummer finishing with fine figures of 2-5.

However, a belligerent knock of 24 from James Fitzjohn proved crucial as Oxford managed to reach 77 all out.

In reply, Banbury seemed in no trouble, as Hummer, who finished upbeaten on 27, capped a fine all-round display.

With five overs to go and the score on 68-4, a Banbury victory seemed a formality.

But from that point, nerves seemed to get the better of them as the runs dried up with only four coming from the next three overs.

To make matters worse, wickets fell, and Banbury found themselves facing the final ball on 75-9.

Again it seemed that victory would go to Banbury as a firmly-struck shot from Hummer sped towards the boundary.

But a superb stop cut the ball off just inside the rope, and the stunned batsmen could scramble only a single, leaving Oxford celebrating a breathtaking victory.

Earlier in the day, Oxford had proved too strong for Freeland in their semi-final.

A fine 33 from Hamish Currie led them to 79-7, before Suliman Hussain returned 5-7 as Freeland were restricted to 46-9 in reply.

Banbury beat Aston Rowant by six wickets in the other semi-final.

RESULTS Semi-finals: Oxford 79-7 (H Currie 33, J Fitzjohn 22, G French 2-9, L Fenwick 2-10, A Florey 2-16), Freeland 46-9 (S Hussain 5-7, N Lancaster 2-9).

Aston Rowant 83-8 (K Walker 24, T Hummer 2-6, L Wetherall 2-11), Banbury 87-4 (L Symington 23).

Third-place play-off: Freeland 89 (L Fenwick 23, L Smith 3-11), Aston Rowant 47 (C Wood 3-4).

Final: Oxford 77 (J Fitzjohn 24, T Hummer 2-5, S Hussain 1-3), Banbury 76-9 (T Hummer 27no, N Khan 2-6.