Horspath came agonisingly close to securing a draw at Challow & Childrey in Home Counties Premier Cricket League Division 2 before slipping to a 25-run defeat.
Facing Challow's 299-7 after they were put in to bat with opener Harvey Eltham making 101, the visitors staged a spirited run chase only to be bowled out for 274 with one over left.
Opener Sravan Konidena made a fine 87 and acting captain Derval Green contributed a fluent 50 but wickets continued to fall at regular intervals late in the innings.
Last pair Jehan Mohammed and Liam Turnbull successfully negotiated 44 balls and were on the brink of seeing Horspath to the close.
But after making a valiant 23 Mohammed edged a Harvey Eltham delivery to Conor Jones at slip and bottom club Challow were able to celebrate a much-needed win.
Konidena had earlier continued his impressive form, which sees him now the division's leading runscorer this season on 384.
He had put on 50 with Tom Nichols when his opening partner was lbw to Theo Hutt for 21. Viv Narayan also made a start with 17 only to be stumped by Dylan Crees off James Newton Savage to make it 72-2.
Connor Wardlaw helped Konidena add a further 16 runs before tea and had moved on to 20 after the resumption when he was lbw to Eltham.
Konidena went to his half-century with a six, before Stephen Green (18) became the latest Horspath batsman to fall after getting in when he was caught by Alan Prothero at short fine leg off Eltham as the visitors stumbled to 147-5.
The Horspath opener powered on, though, in partnership with Derval Green, hitting two legside sixes in three balls with the second one leaving a mark on a solar panel on the pavilion roof.
Derval, with some cracking off drives, maintained the momentum and Horspath had moved on to 193 when Konidena was bowled by Conor Jones. His runs came off 102 balls and included six fours and three sixes.
Josh Richardson kept the scoreboard ticking with Derval only to be caught behind off Jones for 16 to make it 221-8.
Derval pushed two in the covers to complete his third fifty of the season but was then caught at long on by Hutt off Jones's next delivery to leave Horspath 242-9.
Mohammed and Turnbull defied Challow for half an hour but it wasn't to be for the visitors as the draw proved just out of reach with Jones (4-39) and Eltham (4-80) doing the damage.
Eltham had earlier led the way in Challow's innings with his 104-ball knock including 15 fours. He shared an opening stand of 148 with captain and former Horspath left-hander Jimmy Phillips, who made a patient 52 from 118 deliveries with four boundaries.
Going into lunch Challow were 143-0 and Eltham completed his century with a single shortly after the restart before being caught at deep mid-wicket by Konidena off Narayan.
However, Crees maintained the hosts' momentum with Phillips, putting on 62 for the second wicket before the skipper was bowled by Richardson to make it 210-2.
Crees raced past fifty, though, and had added 56 for the third wicket with Mahdi Saleem when he was caught by Narayan off Derval Green for 68 from 49 balls with seven fours and three sixes.
Horspath rallied to peg Challow back in the later overs. Turnbull ran out James Newton Savage, before Derval Green, who finished with 2-81 from 17 overs, bowled Jones.
Turnbull (1-33) was rewarded for his consistent line and length, which brought five maidens in his 11 overs, when Saleem was caught by Stephen Green at deep mid-wicket for 32, before Mohammed ran out Hutt as the innings came to a close.
The defeat sees Horspath slip to eighth going into Saturday's home game against ninth-placed Thame Town, who drew with Chesham.
It forms part of a big weekend for the side with the Cawston Press Village Cup sixth-round tie at Goatacre on Sunday.
Horspath CC would like to thank the following 2026 Player Sponsors:
Amin Rafiq (STRONG Pilates Oxford)
Asad Rafiq (STRONG Pilates Oxford)
Will Eason (Oxford Marquees)
Josh Richardson (Steve Richardson)
Tyrone Eyles (Interduct UK Ltd)
Robbie Eason (ARB UK Ltd)
Tom Coleman (RJA & SL Coleman)
Ryan Hicks (Green & Wakefield)
Ehsan Hussain (RMA Properties)
Tom Nichols (Savona Foodservice)
Josh Cummings (Gardiners Opticians)