Bicester & North Oxford beat Kingston Bagpuize by four runs in a dramatic finish to their Division 3 clash.

Put in to bat, Bicester never looked comfortable against promising young seamers Matthew Warner (4-25) and Damian Wiskin (3-26).

But opener James Rimmer stuck it out to make 76 and the home side found their way to 147 all out.

Bagpuize have relied on Martin Shepherd and Robbie Keates to score the bulk of their runs for years, so Bicester put themselves in the driving seat when Shepherd went cheaply.

Keates was still there when Kingston needed five to win with three wickets in hand.

But he became one of leg-spinner Richard Simpson’s five victims when he was ninth out, and no more runs came.

Bicester were a powerhouse of Oxon cricket a decade ago, and retain some of the county’s best facilities, but are rebuilding after losing a whole host of players a couple of years ago.

Kingston have ambitious plans under David Ward, the club’s head coach and director of cricket, who will be striving to find some young batting talent to complement Wiskin and Warner.