The Ryman League Division 1 promotion race was reduced to farce last night as Thame's game went ahead on a surface that had more in common with a boating lake than a football pitch.

Wayne Cort hit the bar for Thame

The kick-off at Bishops Stortford was delayed by 30 minutes to allow an army of workers more time to remove surface water and to fill in the large holes that had appeared in the surface.

When the game eventually got under way, it was a contest of who could kick the ball the furthest.

Thame's Nando Perna was just wide in the third minute, while the home side went close when an attempted clearance struck Mark Risley and clipped the bar on its way over.

United's young keeper Chris Brain was forced into action making a good save from Vinnie John, and an even better one when diving low to his right to save a Martin Hayes piledriver.

Chris Potter saw a drive scrape the foot of a post and moments later produced a fine cross which was headed against the bar by Wayne Cort with Desborough well beaten.

The crucial goal arrived in the 71st minute when Vinnie John's shot took a deflection which beat Brain, the ball struck a post and, instead of rebounding to safety, stuck in the quagmire on the line to allow Trevor Paul the easiest of chances.

The result leaves Thame one point behind third-placed Braintree, having played a game more.

Thame: Brain, G Williams, Potter, Brown, Smith (Bradley 29), Avery, Merritt, West (Mitchell 58), Cort, Perna (Swaysland 76), Fontaine.