Eversley needed 25 points to have any chance of survival and they achieved that by beating basement side Henley 2nds by 110 runs.

They were then indebted to Datchet for overcoming High Wycombe 2nds, meaning Eversley finished third from bottom, four points above Wycombe and therefore safe from the drop.

“It’s a far greater achievement staying up than getting promoted,” said Eversley skipper Phil Wise, who confirmed he will be stepping down as captain due to family commitments.

“All the teams in Division One are such quality that every game is competitive. It’s been so tight at the bottom of the table.

“I think it’s a fantastic achievement for our club to achieve that in the first year, especially with quite a young side.” A fine unbeaten century from Andy Parker - his first for the club - saw Eversley declare on 240-7 from 47 overs and they had little trouble dismissing 10-man Henley for 130.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for the hosts, as Wise explains: “Cephas [Zhuwao] hit the first ball for six and then got bowled the third ball. We were 29-3 and I was getting concerned when we were 83-5. But myself and Andy Parker (129*) put on 114 for the sixth wicket which saved us. I was indebted to Andy for his maiden 100 for the club.” Eversley made early inroads with the old ball and took three wickets courtesy of Zhuwao, who claimed four in total.

Dan Hayden, who took five of Henley’s seven wickets, provided some resistance with the bat but was forced to retire hurt with Henley seven down.

After a brief 20-minute rain delay, a bizarre twist occurred when Zimbabwean international Zhuwao scarpered to catch a flight home, leaving Eversley in a tricky situation.

So Chris Last finished the over and managed to take the last two wickets, with Alex Davidson taking a catch on the boundary to secure the 25-point victory.

However, they were still left sweating, as Wise explained: “We thought we were going down because Wokingham were going to beat Chesham. It was only later that we saw the incredible score at Datchet, which has ultimately helped us stay up. It was a pretty amazing feeling to find out.” Datchet posted 329-2 and then bowled out High Wycombe for 314 to confirm the Buckinghamshire side’s relegation. Overall, it has been an impressive campaign from Eversley, who finished with the most batting points in the division (94) and the second highest bowling points (41).