Farnham’s first team travelled to fellow strugglers Dorking on an absolute scorcher of a Saturday, knowing this was a game they could not afford to lose.

In keeping with that spirit, captain James Berry won the toss and inserted Dorking on what looked to be an interesting surface. Farnham looked to control the game and see how the wicket played to try to get a positive result.

It didn’t take long before Rob Goldsworthy bowled Dorking’s overseas opener Maduranga Zoysa with a nip backer and Farnham were up and running.

Charlie Kenway entered the crease and immediately started playing his shots – quickly pushing the team score towards 50.

Berry tweaked the attack and was rewarded as Mike O’Mahony had Dorking’s Charlie Edwards well caught by Tom Grimes at point.

The game was finely poised at 46 for two, and asking for someone to grab it by the scruff of the neck and really decide the outcome.

That man for Farnham was Goldsworthy, who produced a masterful spell of seam bowling. His control and skill, combined with a pitch which was going through the top, proved too much for Dorking’s middle order. He ran riot, knocking back stumps and drawing false shots to end with six for 31 from his 14 overs.

O’Mahony offered good support and claimed two for 35 from his ten overs.

Nathan Thorpe was brought into the attack following Goldsworthy’s marathon spell to close out the innings, claiming two for two from nine balls to bowl Dorking out for 97 in the 31st over.

Farnham knew time would not be an issue – as they had 69 overs to chase the 98 runs they needed for victory – rather the pitch deteriorating further was the major fear.

Thorpe and Jamie Strachan opened the innings and the pair got into their work early on, with Thorpe finding the boundary in the first over.

Strachan tried to open his arms to hit the spin of Chris Weill over the top, but he was brilliantly caught by Corbett at mid-on.

Captain Berry strode to the crease and he and Thorpe calmly took Farnham to tea with a combination of good running and putting away the bad ball. Farnham were 48 for one at the interval.

When they returned to the crease after tea the wind had been taken out of Dorking’s sails, and the pair accumulated with ease and moved Farnham to within touching distance of the target.

However, there was to be a twist in the tail as Berry edged the returning opening seamer Corbett behind for a well-made 33, to leave Farnham on 73 for two. Grimes then fell cheaply to the same bowler and Russell Golding fell leg before wicket to Weill and Farnham were suddenly wobbling at 78 for four.

The veteran O’Mahony then joined Thorpe and the pair steadied the ship and took the scores to parity. Thorpe’s epic innings of concentration was broken as he looked to cut the part-time spin of Toby Blood – a thick edge hit slip fielder Chris Thurgood in the chest before he took the rebound.

Thorpe was disappointed not to hit the winning runs as he fell for 34 off 115 balls. Australian overseas Brady Poole then knocked the ball into the gap to take Farnham to only their second win of the season.

Farnham host Worcester Park tomorrow (Saturday) as they seek another win to progress further up the table.