OCKBROOK and Borrowash saw another four points chipped off their diminishing lead at the top of the Derbyshire Premier League when they failed to break the stubborn resistance of Alvaston and Boulton at Victoria Avenue.

News that Sandiacre had summarily beaten Ilkeston, the team who had ended Ockbrook's unbeaten run a week earlier, filtered through quickly but did not produce the desired response from the home bowlers.

A&B locked themselves into survival mode very early in their reply and, in the end, held out comfortably for the draw at 126-4.

Yet Ockbrook's frustration – and their position at the top of the table – could have been much worse.

A&B looked to make the most of winning the toss in conditions helpful for their seamers, Bardo Fransman, Yasser Tariq and Anthony Woolley, and had Ockbrook, missing Matt Cassar because of a family commitment, in all sorts of trouble at the halfway stage of their innings.

With 25 overs gone, Ockbrook were 62-3. Ben McGonigal was caught behind to the third ball of the day, while Matt Lineker and John Owen didn't fare too much better.

It was left to Charlie Ault and Chris Dunn to salvage a difficult situation and they took to their task particularly well.

Ault was impressively selective as he hit nine boundaries in 69 balls on his way to 50 and after he was caught at slip by Woolley off Steve Ottewell at 102-4 in the 33rd over, Dunn found a new partner to give the innings a late boost.

He and Ian Darlington put on 104 in 14 overs for the fifth wicket to take their side to a score way beyond their earlier expectations.

Darlington was dropped at mid on when he had made 27 and extended that to 43, off 38 balls with five fours and a six, before he was caught at short fine leg.

Dunn was content to play the anchor but, after taking 90 balls to reach 50, he decided the time was right to cut loose when Darlington fell in the 47th over and the next 10 balls he faced took him on to 82.

There were six fours and two sixes in an excellent innings and a total of 236-6 gave Ockbrook the comfort of knowing they were unlikely to be challenged.

A&B knew they had let a good position get away from them and, in a way, it might have been better for Ockbrook if they had ended with a total that would have encouraged their opponents to believe they still had a chance.

A&B batted from deep within their shells but there was still a chance for Ockbrook.

Neil Smith bowled Chris McIlroy and Adris Azam to make it 14-2 but, at the end of the sixth over, Trevor Smith dropped Tariq at third slip off his brother's bowling.

Trevor Smith bowled Achin Chand to reduce A&B to 37-3 in the 13th but the dropped chance was to prove crucial. Tariq, on nought at the time, dug in to reach the close on 49 not out, made off 133 balls with six fours.

The only real scare for the away side came when Woolley, on 22, had to be helped off the field and finished his afternoon with a precautionary trip to hospital after complaining of dizziness.

Even by then, A&B were well on their way to avoiding defeat and Ockbrook could turn their thoughts to next weekend's showdown with Sandiacre knowing the gap between the two was closer still.