GUY Hicks scored a half-century as Farnham beat bottom side Egham comfortably to record their third Surrey Championship win of the season.

Tom Grimes inserted Egham on a good-looking track at the Park and the visitors got off to a bright start, thanks to the aggression of the aptly named David Risk. He merrily hit the ball over the top of the infield and raced to 46 from 42 balls, including ten fours, and took the score to 64 before falling to a sharp return catch by new recruit Tom Andrews.

Picking up where he left off the previous week, Andrews bowled with good aggression and significant movement to take 4-38 from his ten overs.

The introduction of spinners Ciaran Rooney and Chris Terry changed the pace of the game. Terry quickly had the other opener, Richard Hall, caught by James Berry for 41. The former Elstead player bowled with excellent control and he and Rooney rattled through the middle overs as Egham toiled for runs.

Terry returned outstanding figures of 3-14 off ten overs and his third victim left Egham struggling at 118-7.

Ben Ungaretti and the returning Andrews also bowled well in tandem, but Ryan Dennis and Dave Morris shared a gutsy stand of 42 and Egham managed to get up to 163 in the 49th over.

Joel Walker and James Berry faced a fiery new-ball bowler in West Indian Marlon Cornelius and after a brisk start, both were caught behind, leaving Farnham at 36-2.

The experienced pair of Hicks and Rooney steadied things. Rooney, as usual, played the anchor role, while the more aggressive Hicks punished anything slightly off line.

Egham rotated their bowlers, but the pair added 75 and Hicks sprinted to his 50 before being also caught behind, with the score on ‘Nelson’.

Any thoughts of a middle-order collapse were quickly dispelled by George Hellyer as he dispatched the ball to all parts. Farnham coasted home in the 34th over with Rooney hitting the winning boundary to end 41 not out. Hellyer hit an entertaining 29 off 28 balls.

Farnham travel to Dulwich this week in the first game of the timed format.