HORSPATH'S relegation worries increased with a heavy 153-run defeat at home to runaway leaders Great Brickhill in Home Counties Premier League Division 2.
With five games left, the side remain in ninth spot, 19 points from safety ahead of next Saturday's crucial trip to eight-placed Buckingham Town, who lost by eight wickets at Oxford Downs.
Horspath had Will Eason back at the helm following injury. Electing to field after winning the toss, he produced his usual accurate opening spell, conceding just 23 runs from 10 overs without reward.
However, the side enjoyed some early success with Max Smith striking twice to reduce Brickhill to 29-2.
But then 17-year-old Aadi Sharma hit a superb unbeaten 101 to steer the visitors to 258-4 dec, before Horspath collapsed to 105 all out with Taran Toor taking 5-29.
Opener Rhys Nicholas and Sharma put on 86 for Brickhill's third wicket, with the former surviving a direct hit for a run out as he reached his half-century with a quick single into the covers.
Lunch was taken with the visitors 105-2 and they added another 10 runs after the resumption before Nicholas, who made a patient 65 from 132 balls with eight fours, chipped a simple catch to Elliot Ruff at cover off Jehan Mohammed.
However, Marcus Critchley ensured there was no respite for the home side, stepping up the pace with 72 from 59 deliveries in a fourth-wicket stand of 140 with Sharma.
The Stowe School teenager brought up his half-century with a boundary down to third man by the nets and Critchley reached his fifty by smashing a four to long on in the same area as the runs continued to flow.
Sharma reached his maiden Home Counties century with a single behind square leg off Minhaj Jalill, before the Sri Lankan all-rounder had Critchley, who smashed seven fours and two sixes, caught by Amin Rafiq at long off with the next delivery.
Four balls later the declaration came. Sharma's runs came off 137 balls and included 12 fours and one six. Smith finished with 2-42, while Jalill (1-33) and Mohammed (1-54) were the other wicket-takers.
Faced with a daunting target, Horspath reached 43-1 in reply with opener Jimmy Phillips and Smith together before an all-too-familiar collapse.
Smith had hit five fours in a breezy 23 when he was bowled by off-spinner Jude Ramanadanpulle and by tea the home side were 63-6 with Phillips unbeaten on 21.
The left-hander had shown great concentration to keep Brickhill at bay, but he had added only two more runs after play resumed when he was bowled by Toor.
Mohammed smashed six boundaries in a defiant 30 off 23 deliveries before also being bowled by the former Coventry & North Warwickshire seamer as Horspath succumbed inside 35 overs.
Toor was well supported by left-arm spinner Navin Kavikara (3-30) as Brickhill maintained their 40-point lead at the top.
For Horspath now the focus has to be very much on the basement battle at Buckingham.