HORSPATH 2nd capped a fantastic season by being crowned Cherwell League Division 2 champions with a 57-run win over Bledlow Village at the Recreation Ground.
Having secured promotion a week earlier, the side needed 10 points to claim the title and they duly delivered with what was ultimately a convincing victory.
It was a magnificent tenth win of the season and gave the club its first league title triumph since the 1st XI won Home Counties Premier League Division 2 in 2016 and its first Cherwell crown since the 4th XI claimed Division 8 in 2014.
The side, who have been in pole position since hitting the summit on July 16 and will be back in the top flight next term for the first time since 2017, showed their mettle by recovering from 23-3 after being put in to bat to post a formidable 241-8.
Pete Healey (45) and Josh Richardson (44) turned the innings round with an 89-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Mark Skelton then smashed a run-a-ball unbeaten 47 and Charlie Turner blasted 34 off 24 deliveries in an eighth-wicket partnership of 78 to take Horspath to their final total.
Former Horspath player Adam Mould produced an excellent spell of 2-25 from 10 overs for the visitors.
Bledlow reached 51-0 before Skelton (3-14) stopped them in their tracks with a devastating three-wicket burst - which included a superb catch above his head by Subhan Javaid on the long on boundary - to make it 55-3.
Javaid (2-24) bowled the dangerous Mould for 27 and with six batting points having already been accrued, he took an even better catch to secure the all-important seventh wicket and fourth bowling point to clinch the title.
Joe Harman whipped a delivery from Healey to wide mid-on where Javaid diving low to his right shot out a hand and much to his delight saw the ball had stuck.
It was a truly outstanding catch and was rapturously received by his teammates and the Horspath supporters.
Sam Leppard (33) and Megan Woodward (26no) provided some late resistance before off-spinner Luke Heritage (2-30) wrapped up the innings and acting skipper Joey Todd was able to lead his newly-crowned champions off the pitch.
They round off their campaign at relegation-threatened Shipton-under-Wychwood next Saturday.
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HORSPATH 3rd went down by 46 runs in a high-scoring encounter at Leighton Buzzard Town, whose success saw them capture the Division 3A title.
Opener Tom Light hit a brilliant 125 off 148 balls to take Buzzard to 272-8 after they had elected to bat.
His superb knock included 14 fours and four sixes as he dominated the innings with fellow opener Jack Kempster (30) the next highest scorer.
Off-spinner Alfie Turner took 3-45, while skipper Ryan Hicks picked up 2-60.
Horspath were soon in trouble at 4-2 before Rayaan Dogar (34) and Turner (30) set about repairing the damage.
Dougal Main hit 50 off 57 balls with five fours and two sixes, while Ryan Hicks smashed 48, but the target proved out of reach as Horspath were bowled out for 226.
Tom Pope took 3-46, while there were two wickets apiece for Antony Francis, Adam McNeil and Brendan Ford.
Horspath, who stay in fourth place, complete their season at home to Oxenford next Saturday.
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EVERGREEN left-arm spinner Robin Pykett recorded his second five-wicket haul of the season as Horspath 4th kept alive their hopes of beating the drop from Division 5C with a five-wicket win at home to already-relegated Steventon.
Pykett returned impressive figures of 5-19 to send Steventon crashing to 139 all out after they had been put in to bat.
His nine-over spell bamboozled the Steventon batsmen with his haul including opener Richard Chapman (38), while old ally Adrian Manger weighed in with 2-15.
Manger (29no) then steered Horspath home at 140-5 in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand with Chris Hotchen (20no) as Lalit Chablani took 2-18.
Horspath remain in ninth place, but are now just two points behind Clifton Hampden. In next Saturday's final round of games, Horspath are away to second-placed East Oxford 2nd, while Clifton Hampden entertain Dorchester.
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