It was déjà vu for Puttenham as Grayswood ran amok in the last 16 overs to win off the penultimate ball – just as they had in last year’s I’Anson Division One fixture.

Grayswood were playing only their second game of the season as the league switched to the timed format and Alastair Gloak’s early switch to spin paid off as Jonny Dow dismissed the Puttenham openers (27-2). Skipper James Crouch and Ahsan Awan batted patiently to take the visitors to 111-2 off 30 overs.

The bowlers were tiring in the heat, but the persevering Cameron?Kent picked up two wickets in two balls, including Crouch for 58, and then removed Awan for 44. Good ‘death’ bowling by Henry Hind restricted Puttenham to 174-9 from 48 overs – still a decent total.

It looked even better as Grayswood toiled to 48-4 from 20 overs, with Aks Ilyas and Sid Ahmed putting a stranglehold on the batsmen. Ali Gloak and Graham Dooling had to restart the innings and at 60-4, with 16 overs left, Grayswood required 115 to win.

Dooling (42 off 43 balls) then opened up with a vengeance and 36 came off four overs before Ilyas returned to dismiss both batsmen.

But Dave Handley and Kent were undaunted by the task of scoring 55 off six overs. Handley, in fact, took the bowling apart with a 27-ball 41 and at the start of the last over, Grayswood needed just two runs. Ahmed was giving nothing away and it was his fifth ball that Kent, hacking across the line, managed to get away for the winning single. Grayswood, the champions, are top of the table again.

Brook failed to get enough runs to seriously test Frensham who recorded their third straight win. Inserted by Sam Farncombe, Brook went off like a train, with the second-wicket pair of Tom Smith (46) and Ed Bishop (57) hitting the ball all round the small ground.

Frensham weathered the storm, though, thanks mainly to Tim Knight and Nick Cobbold who took three wickets apiece from tight 14-over spells. Jordan Frost claimed the important wicket of Bishop and Frensham were delighted in the end to restrict Brook to 188 all out in the 44th over.

Tom Charman blasted Frensham ahead of the run-rate with 27 off 16 balls and then James Wood and Farncombe (33) came together in a partnership that saw up the 100 and virtually assured victory. Wood completed another half-century and was 72 not out when he and Cobbold completed a five-wicket victory with seven overs to spare.

Tilford must have been confident of victory after dismissing Dogmersfield for 117 at the Green. Choosing to bat, the visitors were soon in trouble at 6-3. The Khan cousins turned the innings around with a partnership of 79 – easily the best of the day – before they were dismissed in quick succession by Nigel Martyn. Wickets then tumbled to Jake Austin and Martyn (5-35), but a rapid 21 from skipper Samad Ayoubi, who hit two sixes, gave his side something to bowl at .

Tilford made an even worse start and collapsed to a dismal 34-7 (R Khan 3-15) before Huw Town-Jones dug in with a patient 37, supported by the tail. But Raja (4-16) finished the job and Tilford subsided to 93 all out.

Grayshott’s 100 per cent record was ended by Blackheath. The day started badly for the visitors. Put in on a wicket that had a bit of juice for the bowlers, they lost Andy Wheble in the first over, cleaned up by 15-year-old Archie Freeth who regularly beat the bat with pace and lift. Ali Wheble and Gary Hunt saw off the openers, though, with a fine partnership of 70. Hunt had stroked his way to 57 when he fell to a googly from Australian Mitch O’Dwyer, and wickets then tumbled.

Harrison Ward hit the ball cleanly for 31 before being run out in a mix-up and a six by Mark Richards broke a pavilion window, but Grayshott’s 142 all out in the 48th over looked inadequate.

Grayshott thought they had opened the door slightly when Mark Richards eventually won his battle with Rob Parrott (32), but it was slammed shut again by O’Dwyer who timed the ball sweetly and added 42 runs to his five wickets. Richard Gray (32 not out) had meanwhile settled in and his unbroken stand with Harry Giles saw Blackheath home with 13 overs and seven wickets in hand.