SHIPSTON have regained the Cotswold Hills League title they last won in 1999.

That was to prove the last of a handful of successive titles before the London Road side clinched the championship in style with an eight-wicket demolition of their only rivals Kineton on what proved to be a busy and glorious last afternoon of the season.

Acting skipper Gary Betteridge was the man for the occasion as he hit an unbeaten 71 to steer Shipston to 20 crucial points as opposed to Kineton's four.

Kineton had surprisingly opted to bat first in the knowledge that the visitors had to have at least a 14-point winning margin.

They started briskly and were 53-2 after ten overs. However, a bowling change did the trick as Jon Walker and Steve Righton helped reduce the hosts to 73-5.

South African Sibinda led the recovery and, when he was run out off the last ball of the innings, Kineton had scored 154-7 leaving the chasers to score 155 and lose no more than four wickets.

The tension was evident among players and spectators alike. Julian Morris and Walker added 29 before the former's demise but Betteridge helped Morris add 96 in 27 overs when the latter was out for 47.

At 125-2 and 30 runs still needed, the title was still in Shipston's favour, however, the loss of two more wickets put the championship back in the balance.

However, Betteridge received doughty support from Simon Willey and it was fitting that the skipper should hit the winning boundary in the 40th over.

Tanworth-in-Arden will be playing top flight cricket next summer after a 16-run defeat of Rowington saw them clinch runners-up spot in the first division behind champions Broadway who signed off with a fine win at Alcester and Ragley.

Moreton-in-Marsh and Henley-in-Arden both won comfortably to seal the top two spots in Division Two, while Ebrington's nine-wicket win at relegated Rowington saw them take second place behind Warwick County Council in Division Three.

The section's champions rattled up 268 at Harvington with Hobbis (76) and Reynolds (64) in top form.

Onens took 4-49 for the hosts, who had Gardener's 62 to thank for a creditable reply of 185-5.

Badsey staged a brave rally to overhaul Stanway's 206-8 after being reduced to 65-6.

Wayne Pearse (60), Max Green (32) and Jim Goldstraw (25) led the recovery that ended with Tom Paul being caught on the boundary edge by O'Brien with three balls remaining just six short of victory.

Henley's tough assignment to avoid the drop from the fourth division ended in glorious failure after a brave display against champions Winchcombe, who will be joined in a higher status in 2003 by Bidford who had eight wickets to spare in overhauling Twyning's 157-6.

Great Alne ended their Division Five campaign with an unblemished record after easily surpassing Tanworth's 158-9.

Runners-up Bearley Bears signed off in second with a run spree against Claverdon, whose bowlers were thumped around for 296 runs before the batsmen could only muster 137 in reply.

However, the village club couldn't manage to raise a second string and that saw champions Long Itchington end the season on a frustrating note.

Moreton won the battle for second when they amassed 189-7 against promotion rivals Leamington and then bowl out the visitors to Batsford Road 20 short of what would have been a famous victory.

The league's presentation evening will be held at the Townsend Hall, Shipston on Friday, September 20.