A below-par batting display saw Gerrards Cross CC suffer a humbling eight wicket defeat in their Home Counties Premier League Division Two match against Horspath on Saturday.

A low and slow wicket ensured batting would be a challenge and it was no surprise when Horspath elected to bowl first having won the toss.

The difficult pitch was complicated further by the influence of Will Eason and Patrick Foster who both produced devastating spells of swing to claim 3-17 and 4-17 respectively.

These early inroads left Cross starring down the barrel of a cripplingly low score on 40-7, and they were not helped by a reckless approach which saw a number of batsmen needlessly surrender their wickets.

With conditions improving somewhat, Cross made a fist of salvaging their already doomed innings before Lloyd Belcher (2-2) and Mark Skelton (1-11) accounted for the remaining wickets to leave them on 78 all out.

The bowlers were now working towards a thankless task, and there was little they could do to stop Horspath easing to their target in under 25 overs and for the loss of only two wickets.

The mood of the defeat was summed up perfectly by Rameez Raja who crashed the winning runs with a six from the only ball he faced.

Gerrards Cross will look to bounce back from the loss when they take on Cookham Dean in their next match.