Farnham fell to a 70-run defeat at local rivals Camberley on Saturday in their second league game of the season.

After winning the toss and electing to field first, Farnham endured a 161-run opening stand between Todd Hutcheson and Will Hale. After Hutcheson passed his half-century and Hale an excellent century, both fell in relatively quick succession. Camberley’s middle order pressed the accelerator and wickets fell sporadically among the boundaries as the hosts posted an imposing 259 for six from their 50 overs. Debutant 16-year-old Peter Brown bowled with good pace and was unlucky to finish wicketless. James Berry was otherwise the pick of the bowlers, returning figures of two for 31 from his ten overs.

Farnham knew they had been set a challenging task, but openers Guy Hicks and Nathan Thorpe were determined to set a platform for the chase. The pair found the boundary in good order, but the home side’s bowlers were disciplined and the pitch began to lose life and get slower and lower, making fast run scoring tricky.

Hicks was the first to fall with the score on 32 and Mike O’Mahoney soon followed. Thorpe was joined by skipper Berry and the pair looked to take the game to Camberley’s spinners. Both struck the ball well down the ground and put on 73 before Thorpe was bowled, charging the spinner Elliot Green one time too many for a well made 59.

Berry reached his half-century, but when he fell with the score on 148 and overs ticking away, the chase was all but over. Wickets fell regularly and Farnham could only manage 189 for nine from their 50 overs. Farnham host Cheam on Saturday.

Farnham’s third team were victorious on Saturday, when they thrashed Frimley Phoenix’s third team by 126 runs in Division Seven of the I’Anson League.