FARNHAM have seven matches left in which to turn their season around and avoid relegation to the third tier of the Surrey Championship.

At present they are rooted to the bottom of the table, 32 points adrift of Chipstead after winning just one of their 11 matches.

They have certainly had chances to improve that win tally and last Saturday’s game was typical as they reduced fourth-placed Cranleigh to 11-4 after the visitors had decided to bat first at the Park.

Rob Goldsworthy immediately made inroads, and with George Dale also bowling exceptionally well it felt like the wicket-an-over start could continue.

However, captain Matt Crump and overseas player Sutha Thanabalasingam dug in for Cranleigh and negotiated a very difficult spell.

The pair managed to get Cranleigh to lunch without further loss at 83-4. At the resumption, Farnham turned to the spin of Nathan Thorpe, but although he found considerable turn and bounce Farnham continued to toil in the heat in search of the vital fifth wicket.

The partnership grew and the Cranleigh pair were unfazed by a slowish run rate.

The introduction of Ciaran Rooney finally ended a wonderful stand of 181, Crump going for 76. Thanabalasingam progressed to a well-paced hundred and then took the attack to the bowlers before also falling to Rooney. The Australian’s 130 came off 136 balls and he hit 11 fours and seven sixes.

After that disastrous start, Cranleigh finally declared at 250-8 off 64 overs.

The odds were against Farnham, but they had a chance if they batted well and their innings followed a similar course to Cranleigh’s, although lacking the panache of a player like Thanabalasingam who remained heavily involved in the game.

Again, the wicket was juicy in the early overs and James Berry and Rooney were back in the pavilion with only 24 runs scored. But a century stand followed between Joel Walker and Guy Hicks who both drove and swept the ball to great effect.

Farnham had reached a highly promising 143-2 when Walker misjudged a sweep and was adjudged lbw to Thanabalasingam, bowling left-arm spin. Disaster followed as a miscommunication found Thorpe and Hicks at the same end and Thorpe, who had made a century for the 2nd XI the week before, was run out.

Within an over, Hicks was leg before to Jon Gonszor, also sweeping, and Farnham had lost three wickets for three runs.

Angus Boobbyer counter-attacked with two terrific sixes, only to fall to a ball from Gonszor that spat off the wicket and found his glove. Almost immediately, Russ Golding was trapped in front by Thanabalasingam and with two dangerous hitters gone, Farnham were 160-7.

Jamie Strachan and George Dale resisted gamely, but Thanabalasingam worked his way through the lower order to finish with 4-51 and Farnham were bowled out for 197 in the 51st over.

With one more big innings to follow Walker’s 83, Farnham could have done it. They will attempt to tap the undeniable depth to their batting when they host mid-table Banstead on Saturday.