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Chinnor flanker Andrew McGuire tries to protect the ball as Ferdi Gerber fights for it

Chinnor 25, Oxford Harlequins 13

It was a case of third time lucky as Chinnor clinched the South West 1 title with a hard-fought home win.

Having lost twice to Oxford Harlequins already this season, Chinnor's sheer intensity ensured there would be no hat-trick.

The hosts made the most of their wind advantage in the first half with fly half James Cathcart slotting five penalties and a conversion in a fine kicking display.

And with fellow Irishman Trevor Powell running in their only try, after a loose Quins pass, it was 22-0 at the break.

Quins raised their game significantly in the second half and had Huw Jones found wing Andy Noyce with a simple scoring pass on 48 minutes, it could have been different.

Chinnor were not to be denied, however, and can now look forward to different derby opponents in National 3 South - Henley Hawks.

The hosts' commitment was clear from the start, with man-of-the-match Darren Oxley leading a charge into the 22.

There was barely time for Cathcart to miss a penalty, his only unsuccessful kick of the day, before the game had its first flashpoint.

Referee Richard Steggall took a dim view of a fourth-minute clash between Quins' Paul Delange and Chinnor's Zane Winslade and gave both a yellow card.

Steggall kept good control of a potentially volatile match, although there were still a number of unsavoury off-the-ball incidents.

Chinnor were frustrated by two forward passes before taking the lead with Cathcart's 13th-minute penalty.

Quins' midfield broke down soon afterwards and the alert Powell had the strength to force his way over after collecting a loose ball 15 metres out.

Cathcart's conversion made it 10-0, but having also led in their two previous clashes with Quins, Chinnor couldn't afford to relax.

Oxley almost capitalised on a high kick from scrum half Owen Gustafson, while Quins struggled to clear the ball against the wind.

Chinnor's dominant scrum forced a penalty, which Cathcart converted on 28 minutes.

Quins' first real attack came just afterwards, but a crooked lineout throw scuppered their hopes.

Cathcart's metronomic boot fired over three more penalties before the break and Chinnor looked home and dry, especially with title rivals Bracknell trailing at Reading.

Once Noyce's chance went begging, Chinnor were able to absorb the Quins' pressure and they didn't conceded a point until the 64th minute.

Frank Jones's penalty took them to within three converted tries and some well-placed kicks from Pete Davies kept Chinnor pinned back.

Quins brought on Kenny Sewell at scrum half and moved skipper Anthony Cope to centre, which gave them added impetus.

Jones slotted a second penalty and then with five minutes of normal time to go, it was 22-13.

Sewell's quick tap created the platform for No 8 Paddy Soper to power over next to the posts and Jones converted.

Would Chinnor's nerve hold? The answer was yes, helped by another penalty from Cathcart.

The hosts' scrum stayed strong and their back row maintained an impressive workrate until the final whistle led to celebrations from players and supporters.

Chinnor: Williams, Huxford, Powell, Oxley, Seymour (O'Mahony 55), Cathcart, Gustafson, Winpenny, Bredenham, Whelan (Baker 73), Hutchings (capt), Black, McGuire, Winslade, Rixon (Hastings 80).

Oxford Harlequins: H Jones, Noyce, Wilson, Johnson (Sewell 68), Davies, F Jones, A Cope (capt), Aldous (Chadbone 68), Needham, DeLange (Chadbone blood 38-40), Payne, Eckert, Rowe, Gerber, Soper.

Referee: R Steggall (Devon)

Man-of-the-match: Oxley.

6:20pm Monday 21st April 2008

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