Three matches into the season, one point on the board, and alarm bells are beginning to ring as Farnham strive to find their feet in the high-grade Premier Division.

Farnham won 11 out of 12 matches in a storming finish to last season's division one campaign, but the strengths they showed during that remarkable run have been sadly lacking to date.

The dual pace weapon of Peter Dickinson and Paddy Murphy has been blunted by sluggish wickets and the batting strength in depth is just not there.

Two key players from last summer are being sorely missed. Guy Hicks returns from university in three weeks, but Peter Richardson, whose forceful batting and guileful bowling gave the side a new dimension last summer, is gone for good.

The all-rounder had made it clear he could not committ himself to all-day premiership cricket, and is now playing for Woking Park & Horsell.

If they did not have enough problems, Farnham were without Dickinson for the trip to Banstead on Saturday.

The formidable, but injury-prone bowler is out with a groin strain, although he could play this weekend as a batsman alone.

Farnham desperately needed a morale-booster after the trauma of being bowled out for 48 last week and skipper Gary Clapham was happy to put the home side in on a damp track.

But Murphy and Andy Stedman could find no consistency and openers Molins and Newman helped themselves to 50 off the first 10 overs.

Although Stedman was unlucky to have Molins dropped by Alan Thorpe at second slip, this was the only real chance in 20 overs.

Chic Stedman and Harpreet were brought into the attack, but Farnham's woes only increased as Molins dispatched Stedman with pre-determined strikes to all parts of the ground.

Harpreet, nowhere near his waspish best as yet, eventually made the breakthrough when Molins (55) skied a return catch.

But Farnham could not put the batsmen under any pressure. Clapham, having to rotate his bowlers, ran out of options and although off- spinner Rob Smith performed reasonably well on his premiership debut – he bowled Newman for 79 – Banstead forged on and were confident enough to declare only an hour after lunch with the score on 250-2 and Debruyn and Offer undefeated on 61 and 45 respectively.

Left a maximum of 72 overs, Farnham desperately needed a good start and, although Clapham went in the third over, Thorpe and Nick Whitworth looked comfortable in advancing the score to 30.

But Thorpe got a good delivery and, although Whitworth held firm at one end, a middle-order collapse left the visitors at a sorry 78-6.

Whitworth's departure for a defiant 47 seemed to signal the end – but not quite yet.

The Stedmans came together and batted with great care to add 60 runs in a fine stand, showing the specialist batsmen what could be achieved with some application.

After his earlier disrespectful treatment, Stedman Snr took pleasure, more than once, in launching ex-Surrey spinner Neil Kendrick high over the boundary. After he was bowled for 37, Stedman Jnr (24 not out) and Murphy added a further 15 runs. Farnham were eventually all out for 163, having survived for 50 overs.