By Conrad Sutcliffe

DEVON are firmly on course for a third Minor Counties Western Division title after making it two wins in as many starts with a six-wicket verdict over Oxfordshire to overhaul Cheshire at the top of the table.

    Skipper Bob Dawson was hoping to chase around 250 in the final day and got his wish when Oxfordshire were bowled out shortly before lunch for 224 – a lead of 254.

    Dawson picked up two wickets with successive balls after Oxfordshire resumed on 172 for seven with Arwyn Jones taking the last one to fall when he had Stuart Hole stumped for 31.

    It was Jones' fourth wicket of the innings and eighth of the match, wickets which were crucial to Devon 's win as Dawson was quick to point out.

   “Both our spinners – Jonsie and Andy Procter – pulled the game back for us on the first day when Oxfordshire were thretening to run away with it,” said Dawson .

   “Arwyn bowled fantastically well through the match and got no more than he deserved.

   “The spinners were the difference between winning and losing. Oxfordshire had two average spinners – we had two great ones.”

    It was a routine cruise for Devon who always had time on their side – 78 overs was the minimum Oxfordshire had to bowl at them – and got there without too many mishaps.

    Opener Chris Mole looked on course for another ton to follow the one he scored in the win over Dorset , but perished for 83 with victory in sight.

    Devon had lost Richard Foan in the fifth over, the Sandford opener flashing outside the off-stump and getting a nick to slip, but Arul Suppiah and Dawson shared key stands with anchorman Mole that broke the back of the chase.

    Suppiah went along at one-day pace for his 52, which came off 44 balls and included a six and six fours, in a partnershipp that took Devon to 114 for two.

    Two balls after Suppiah reached his 50 his eyes lit up when Jamie Phillips dropped a short ball halfway down the track. A mis-timed pull went straight to Joe Porter at square-leg.

    Oxfordshire needed to follow up with another breakthrough to stay in the game, but were frustrated by Dawson and Mole waiting for the genuine bad balls to come along and avoiding needless risks. Oxfordshire's veteran paceman Keith Arnold bowled seven maidens in nine overs at one stage, but Devon weren't worried as the clock was on their side.
    Mole, who had 14 fours and an awful lot of dot balls in his 83 finally went when Richard Kaufman trapped him leg-before. The score was 199 for three, the target 55 and not even the prompt departure of Andy Pugh could stop Devon now.

    Pugh only lasted two balls before Kaufman hit his back pad and got the shout in his favour.

    The only scare knocking off the rest of the runs when Jamie Hewitt dropped a catch at square-leg he did well to get anywhere near in the first place to give Neil Hancock a life.

    After that it was plain sailing with Dawson opening up with a barage of shots in front of the wicket to see Devon home.He was unbeaten on 82 at the end having hit 11 fours – three of them one after the other off Kaufman - from 79 balls faced.

   Hancock applied the finishing touches with the last of his three fours, a languid pull round to long-leg which wrapped up victory with more than 20 overs to spare.

   Oxfordshire 325-9 (A P Cook 118, S V Laudat 711, C A Haupt 50; A J Procter 4-113, A Jones 4-82) & 172-7 (C A Haupt 39, R I Kaufman 29, J J Porter 30no, I A Hawtin 39, A Jones 3-44), Devon 296 (D G Court 63, R I Dawson 49, A J Pugh 44, T S Anning 34; J E B Philips 3-51) & 254-4 (C M Mole 83, R I Dawson 82no, A V Suppiah 52; R Kaufman 2-46). Devon (23pts) bt Oxfordshire (8) by 6 wkts