It was not all plain sailing for Grayshott who held their nerve after a shaky batting display. With disciplined bowling and alert fielding, they snuffed out the challenge of Witley who thus failed to escape relegation on a tense last day of the season.
The I'Anson Cup was born at Grayshott in 1901 and it was a big disappointment to the village's cricket club that, having finished runners-up in 1989, '96, '97 and 2000, they slipped to fifth last season in the competition's centenary year.
This triumph more than makes up for that disappointment. Grayshott had to fight off fierce competition from Frensham, the holders, and powerful newcomers Puttenham.
Last year, Grayshott's challenge was undermined by the number of matches they had cancelled. The change to the rules, where league positions are governed by points average per games played, was a consequence of last year's wet summer.
It is a fairer system and no-one can deny that Grayshott deserve their sixth championship on a record of 14 wins in 21 matches and only one loss (to Kingsley).
Paul Osborn's side has reaped the benefits of a healthy club youth policy, laid down years ago, but there is experience in abundance as well.
Richard Baker, Mark Sobey and Simon Whitley are survivors from Neil Elisha's team that won the championship in 1988.
Grayshott have a good mix of grafters and dashers. Baker has consistently held the batting together in one of his best seasons to date. Phil Coleshill also takes some shifting, while Andy Wheble and Osborn frequently provide the fireworks.
The bowling is headed by the genuine pace of Ali Lindsey-Clark, backed up by the lively Wheble. They have a battery of spinners in Sobey, Whitley and Danny Schwick, and Nick Ayling, yet another all-rounder, has given the attack an extra dimension with his swing bowling.
Left-hander Gary Hunt has come of age and James Tomlinson, if he misses out with the bat, can be relied upon to save runs in the field.
Put in on an emerald strip at Witley, Grayshott batted nervously against fired-up opponents, although, as it turned out, a total of 130 proved comfortably enough on a track that always assisted the bowlers.
Although the top six all reached double figures, only Wheble and Osborn topped 20 and every run had to be earned against the excellent bowling of Kieran Ritchie (4-48 in 17.3 overs) and Tony Kelly (5-44 in 14).
A superb one-handed catch, an inch off the ground, by Ian Munday to dismiss Whitley was the highlight of a fine fielding display and the Grayshott innings lasted just 35.3 overs.
Witley saw off the six overs before tea and Grayshott supporters were looking glum as Mark White and Phil Wood took the score on to 20 without loss.
But it all changed when Lindsey-Clark trapped White lbw. Wood was run out and two more leg before decisions bore testament to the straight and full bowling of Lindsey-Clark and Wheble.
At 37-5 in 17 overs, Witley were in crisis. At 37-6, with Ritchie caught behind off Lindsey-Clark, there was no way back.
Sobey bowled Barrow and Munday, the other hero of last week, fell to Ayling – another good catch by Osborn standing up to the wicket.
It fell to Ayling to take the final wicket and Grayshott were the champions.
Lindsey-Clark, 3 for 18 in nine overs, and Wheble, 3 for 14 in nine, had hardly bowled a bad ball between them.
Witley, though downcast by the certainty of their relegation, sportingly congratulated the winners. The champagne corks popped, the celebrations began.
Puttenham and Frensham had started their match with everything to play for, although later in the day, when text messages brought news of Grayshott's early win, the game inevitably lost some of its edge.
Put in to bat, Frensham struggled against the Puttenham seamers. Dan Thompson batted well for his 49, but the next highest score was only 20. The visitors were all out for 163 in the 48th over, with Richard Champneys (5-53) and John Crouch doing most of the damage.
The Frensham bowlers immediately made an impact, with Coldicott and Green reducing the home side to 12-3.
However, a useful knock by Matt Cook and an excellent partnership of 75 between Tony Champneys and John Crouch turned the game around and the target of 143 for the winning draw was reached in the 39th over.
Puttenham continued to press for the win, but finished eight runs short of the target. However, they pip Frensham for the runners-up spot..
Fernhurst pulled off a great escape at the bottom of the table and it is Kingsley who accompany Witley down to Division Two.
In a match that finished after 7-30 pm in almost total darkness, Fernhurst won an epic relegation battle at Kingsley.
It was a nightmare for Kingsley. They sportingly opted to carry on in the dusk, only for Fernhurst tailenders Graham Heath and Mark Fowler to scramble the winning two runs off the final over, with one ball to spare.
Whether it was a run or a leg-bye that clinched the win, no-one knew "We couldn't see the stumps from the pavilion," said Fernhurst skipper Nick Ralph.
Kingsley had high hopes of winning the game after amassing 199-8 in 46 overs – a big total on their ground. Nick Randall made 52 and 15-year-old Munt hit 30 off 20 balls.
After a bad start, Roger Eastment and Mike Allen launched Fernhurst's challenge with a second-wicket stand of 94. Randall then bowled Kingsley into a strong position as the visitors went from 129-3 to 171-7.
But the turning-point came when Andy Whittington hit 12 runs off one Randall over.
He, too, fell to Randall (6-52) and the game was in the lap of the gods again. But, in almost unbearable tension, Heath and Fowler scrambled the winning runs and condemned Kingsley to relegation after one season in the top flight.
Luck favoured Fernhurst, but they will point to the fighting performance they gave against Puttenham the previous week. Those two points gave them a big confidence-boost for Saturday's showdown.
Grayshott were previously I'Anson champions in 1903, 1920, 1929, 1969 and 1988.
Apart from Baker, Sobey and Whitley, the 1988 side included Gary Clapham, now of Farnham, and Tim Wheatley, the Liphook seamer.
The 1969 Grayshott captain was Geoff Tribe, now club president and meticulous scorer.
Wood Street are champions of Division Two: other I'Anson reports and final league tables on page 17.