HORSPATH'S slim hopes of promotion from Home Counties Premier League Division 2 evaporated with a 10-run defeat in an absorbing encounter at fellow contenders Chesham.
The side went into the game in third spot 27 points adrift of second-placed Wargrave, who strengthened their position by thrashing bottom club Tring Park by ten wickets earlier in the day.
Needing to win to stay in the race, Horspath produced a fine bowling display to send the hosts tumbling to 185 all out after they had chosen to bat on a brown grassless pitch.
The visitors looked well placed to claim victory at 147-5, but they were unable to get over the line falling to 175 all out.
The loss sees Horspath drop to fourth place as Chesham leapfrogged them to keep their own outside chances of promotion alive, 30 points behind Wargrave with two games to go.
Horspath had kept Chesham - who included former Northants players Richard Levi and debutant Alex Wakely - in check with the ball.
Acting skipper Will Eason set the standard with an excellent opening spell of seam bowling, rattling straight through his 10 overs at a cost of just 23 runs without reward.
He was backed up by an all-spin attack with the wickets falling to Lloyd Belcher (pictured) (4-25), Saqlain Choudhary (3-55), Imraan Manack (2-18) and Amin Rafiq (1-41).
Chesham were 71-1 after 20 overs when Belcher came on and struck with his first delivery by bowling skipper Matt Rance for 28.
Rafiq then claimed the wicket of the dangerous Levi for 23 to make it 109-3. Choudhary ended opener Alex Morgan's patient knock of 36 and also removed ex-England Under 19s captain Wakely for 13 and Mark Eteen (27) as Chesham slid to 161-7.
Belcher capped an impressive spell by wrapping up the innings with the last three wickets, but Chesham's score still presented a challenging target on a difficult surface.
Horspath had reached 41-1 when in-form opener Max Smith was caught behind by Ranvir Sinha off Samiullah Sajid for 24.
The visitors then slumped to 62-4 with Rance striking twice in the same over before Manack and Jehan Mohammed went on the attack in a stand of 54 for the fifth wicket. Manack smashed three sixes in his 32 off 26 balls before being caught by Raphael Weatherall off Asad Rehman to leave Horspath 116-5.
Mohammed and Hawtin kept Horspath on track, but the pair both fell in the space of four balls. Hawtin (17) was caught by Levi off Rehman, while Mohammed was dismissed by Rance for 36 to make it 147-7.
Amin Rafiq hit a breezy 14 to keep Horspath's hopes alive before the last three wickets tumbled with Rehman (4-40) and Rance (4-50) doing the damage.
Next Saturday the side visit leaders Harefield, who clinched promotion with a three-wicket win at Thame Town and need 10 points to be crowned champions.
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