ROBBIE Eason struck a superb 95, but it couldn't stop Horspath falling to a nail-biting two-wicket defeat at home to Great Brickhill in a cracking game to close their Home Counties Premier League Division 2 campaign.
The opener's terrific knock took Horspath to 231-7 - their highest total of the season - after acting skipper Will Eason had elected to bat in the mid-table clash.
But Oxfordshire captain Jonny Cater has long been an expert in masterminding a run chase and he made a well-paced unbeaten 72 to see Brickhill home at 232-8 with three balls to spare.
It was a fourth straight defeat - on the back of three successive wins - for Horspath and saw them slip a place in the table to finish seventh.
Eason was a rock at the top of the order, taking the score to 74-1 with Tom Betts, who made 18 on his Home Counties debut before dragging a delivery from Kevin Wijesinghe on to his stumps - the first of two victims in consecutive balls for the Brickhill seamer.
Horspath were precariously placed at 88-4, but then Eason shared a stand of 65 for the fifth wicket with Imraan Manack.
Eason went to his second half-century of the season in style with a six down to the nets in the 31st over, but their partnership came to an end when Manack was stumped by Cater off Marcus Critchley for 33 to make it 153-5.
Will Hawtin stepped up the pace, though, with a run-a-ball 26 before Critchley struck again with Jack Rodnight taking the catch in the deep to leave the hosts 194-6.
Eason powered on in company with Amin Rafiq, who smashed an unbeaten 18 off 12 deliveries, and reached the last ball of the innings bowled by Rodnight needing to hit a six to reach his century, but instead picked out Lawrence Snookes, who accepted the chance.
It was the side's highest individual score this season with his runs coming off 148 balls and including six fours and three sixes. Wijesinghe, with 2-29 off his 10 overs, was the pick of the Brickhill attack.
The visitors had reached 83-2 after 20 overs when Lloyd Belcher came on and bowled Critchley with just his second delivery.
That saw Cater join Aadi Sharma, who had made 41 when he was trapped lbw by Belcher to make it 104-4.
Paceman Justin Clarke returned to the attack and bowled skipper Garth Davson for 17 to leave Brickhill 132-5. With Manack and Belcher picking up further wickets, Horspath reduced Brickhill to 161-7, but critically they were unable to dislodge Cater.
The home side knew how crucial it was to remove the county captain after he had hit an unbeaten 61 to lead Brickhill to a four-wicket win at the Rec last year.
And once again he proved a thorn in Horspath's side as he paced his innings to perfection.
Wijesinghe provided good support with a run-a-ball 19 before the home side's hopes were lifted when he was bowled by Manack to make it 196-8 with five overs remaining.
Cater went to his half-century by pushing a single into the onside to round off the 47th over and make it 211-8.
Snookes survived the last five balls of the next over, before Cater launched two successive sixes down the ground in the penultimate over as Brickhill arrived at the last over needing eight to win.
Cater duly delivery his side a thrilling victory with two offside boundaries off the first three balls much to Horspath's frustration. His runs came off 75 balls and included seven fours and two sixes.
Belcher took 3-48 to finish as the side's leading wicket-taker for the season with 30 victims at an average of 19.5, while Clarke returned fine figures of 2-30 from his 10 overs and Manack 2-54.
Now Horspath's focus switches to the Hartwell Senior Cup Final against holders Banbury at Wormsley on September 17 (2.30).
Scorecard
Final table
Match highlights