Asad Rafiq hit a gritty unbeaten 77 and Connor Wardlaw made a maiden Home Counties Premier Cricket League half-century as Horspath gained an important 48-run triumph over Ickenham in Division 2 at the Recreation Ground.
The side had slipped to just two points above ninth-placed Ickenham after a run of five weeks without a win.
And although Horspath remain in seventh spot, the 25 points earned from this hard-fought victory has now opened up a 15-point cushion over the Middlesex club.
It didn't start well for the hosts, though, as they crashed to 29-4 after electing to bat with Krissie Mistry and David Morgans taking two wickets apiece, before recovering to post 254-9.
Rafiq and Wardlaw set about repairing the damage with a stand of 72 for the fifth wicket.
Wardlaw had just completed a fluent fifty with his eighth four to add to one six when he fell for 52 off 50 balls. A leading edge off Noah Mungrue looped up to Morgans at cover to make it 101-5 shortly before lunch, which arrived with the addition of four more runs.
Rafiq and Derval Green continued the fightback after the resumption adding 66 for the sixth wicket, before a Mistry delivery lifted on the Jamaican all-rounder and he was caught at slip by Lesiba Ngoepe for 31.
Asad continued to dig in and joined by his brother and captain, Amin, put on 54 for the seventh wicket. Amin had made 26 when he was lbw to Yawar Tariq, making it 221-7.
It was left to Asad, who mixed good defence with eight fours and a six in his determined 125-ball knock, to steer Horspath to the close with his innings a league best, eclipsing the 72 he made at Datchet last September. Mistry (3-61) and Morgans (3-66) led the way with the ball for Ickenham.
Ngoepe had hit a brilliant 157 against Horspath on the opening day of the season but Amin made sure the South African couldn't repeat those heroics by bowling the opener when he had made just four.
With Green having Mungrue caught behind by Wardlaw and Jehan Mohammed removing Luke O'Driscoll in similar fashion, the hosts were on top with Ickenham 38-3 as tea was taken six runs later.
Captain Elliot Evans joined Nikhil Nair to hold up Horspath, before the skipper edged a Liam Turnbull delivery to Amin at second slip for 20 to make it 86-4.
Viv Narayan was next to strike when Harrison Marner was stumped and it was 141-6 when Jash Patidar nicked into Wardlaw's gloves to give Green a second wicket.
Horspath's wicket-keeper claimed a fifth victim when he caught Tariq for 19 off Amin and Sam Leslie also got in the act with Mistry caught by Tom Nichols to make it 177-8.
Nair completed a patient half-century, before Amin bowled Morgans and the Horspath captain clinched victory with four overs left when Paul Sims was caught at short leg by the diving Green.
Amin finished with 4-25, while Green took 2-39 from 16 overs as Nair ended unbeaten on 54 from 99 deliveries with four fours.
Horspath will look to build on this victory next Saturday when they visit leaders Wargrave, who drew with Thame Town.
Match highlights are available by clicking here
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)