Gardner took 5-21 from eight overs with his canny medium pace as Oxford rolled their opponent for just 88, completing a remarkable 49-run win after they only managed to post 137 at Morse Park 1.

Earlier Chris Grose made a vital 52 to dig his side out of what looked like a bottomless pit after Oxford stumbled to 6-34, and Gardner provided the winning touch as last year’s grand finalists put their season back on track.

“It was pretty pleasing to contribute at club level – I haven’t made runs all season but it was great to get some wickets and do a job,” the winning skipper said.

“After at one stage, being six down for 30-odd, I was ecstatic to get as many runs as we did and to win on top of that.”

Only seven players in total made it into double figures on what looked a benign surface, as ORC captain Mick Fardon (2-28 from eight) and fellow opening bowler Tim McKinnon started the rout early.

Gardner hit Fardon’s first and third balls of the innings for four and looked ominous, before being trapped in front by his opposing skipper.

At the other end McKinnon (2-20 from eight) took care of Aaron Bell for a duck before adding recent centurion Trent Hile (seven) to his growing list of victims in 2009-10.

Wicketless in his first two games in the top grade, Oberon teenager Jacob Bognuda (3-34 from six) made a stunning start to his day, picking up wickets in consecutive balls before adding a third by the time his opening over was finished.

Reeling, Oxford needed something special and it was Grose who delivered.

With Jacob Bell (20) offering stout support, Grose nudged and nurdled his way to 52 before finally departing while trying to push the run-rate.

With Bell he added 46, and by the time the innings came to a close from the first ball of the final over, his side had made something close to respectable at 137 all-out.