FARNHAM may be on the way down, but they gave Esher a fright on Saturday, coming within 15 runs of beating the Surrey Championship Division One promotion contenders.

Tom Grimes inserted the home side in overcast conditions and Farnham made the perfect start, George Osborne and Rob Goldsworthy removing the openers in the first two overs, both caught in the slips. And when Osborne, having been hit back over his head for a flat-bat six by Sohail Ahmed, trapped the former Pakistan A batsman the in front, Esher were rocking at 28-3.

Farnham looked firmly in control at 58-5 after further wickets for Goldsworthy and first-change James Berry, but Esher dug in against the spinners and Alex Martin and Archie Stroud got their side back in the game with a stand of 98.

Farnham had a few lapses in the field and when Martin eventually fell to Nathan Thorpe (3-38) for 66, Esher had gone past 150. Stroud was eighth man out for 37 and with the lower order contributing valuable runs, Esher reached 205 all out off the last ball, Grimes taking the last two wickets.

Farnham quickly lost Guy Hicks to professional Khurram Irshad who generated good pace and carry early on. Thorpe and Toby Davies battled hard to add 49, both using the extra pace on the ball to pick up boundaries.

With two left-handers in, Esher turned to England U19 off-spinner Ben Collins who duly slowed the run-rate, but it was a disastrous run-out that ended the partnership, Thorpe the one to go for 25. Davies followed for 20, caught and bowled off a leading edge, but Berry had got himself in nicely and with Toby Ward hitting a quickfire 23, Farnham were 114-4 at drinks.

Berry and Ciaran Rooney then gave Farnham a real chance by putting on 69, this despite three left-arm spinners all getting significant turn. With the visitors needing 23 at a run-a-ball, the game changed when Berry was caught for a fine 72, followed one run later by Rooney; 184-6.

Things unravelled for Farnham. The lower order were all at sea against the spin of Sohail and pace of Irshad and with the run-rate falling away, were held to 191-9, much to the delight of the Esher supporters.

Farnham meet second-placed Leatherhead this Saturday in their last home game of the season.