High Roding secured promotion to the T.Rippon Mid-Essex League Premier Division despite defeat against Ilford Catholic.
Steve Molloy and Charlie Knightley (66) shared a 116-run opening stand at The Meadow, before their usually consistent middle-order suffered a collapse.
A blistering 41 from Will Davis helped them reach 243 and Ilford lost wickets at regular intervals in reply.
Freddie Burns (3-45) was the pick of the Roding bowling attack, but the visitors reached their target with two wickets and an over to spare.
However, Roding collected nine bonus points as third-placed Terling only managed four in their heavy defeat against runaway champions Basildon & Pitsea, meaning the battle for the runners-up spot was settled.
Roding visit Basildon for the last game of the season on Saturday.
The seconds have just missed out on a promotion of their own and host Galleywood in their final fixture.
The thirds ended their title-winning campaign against Hockerill seconds and scored 171, as young Jake Anders made 64.
Hockerill passed that total for the loss of four wickets, but captain Tom Shrager and assistant Alistair Bushell have worked wonders with the reformed side this year.
*Aythorpe Roding sufferd the biggest defeat in their 32-year history against T.Rippon Mid-Essex League Premier Division rivals Rayleigh.
Home openers Andy Impey (30) and Rob Littler (30) put on 53 in 11 overs and Jon Cook (35) helped them to 115-3 in 21 overs.
Jesse Walker was dropped in the deep when on 18 and moved the total to 243 with Jason Ox (40), who was trapped lbw by part-time bowler Sam Gravatt.
Phil Everitt added a breezy 49 in a 95-run stand, as Walker went on to finish unbeaten on 131, having hit 10 sixes and 10 fours, to lift the score to 359-5.
Neil Culleton, Luke Wharton, James Woodmore and Graham Milbank took the other wickets to fall as Paul Gravatt used seven bowlers.
But the captain fell in the first over of Aythorpe's reply, with Richard Eaton (18), Culleton (16) and Milbank (10) scoring most of their paltry 58 as Shaun Du Plessis (6-35) and Matt Verrinder (3-21) combined.
Defeat leaves Aythorpe in seventh place, 10 points above the drop zone, ahead of their last match of the season against basement boys Great Totham, which starts at midday on Saturday.
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