PROMOTION is all but assured now for Rolls-Royce and Aston-on-Trent after they both halted a run of poor form at the weekend.

Rolls-Royce put themselves in the box seat for the County League Division One title by taking maximum points against Stainsby Hall.

But that was only after they had recovered from yet another batting slump.

The nerves have been showing in their recent matches and they had lost their last two after slipping to 42-6 against Staveley Welfare and 57-6 against Nutbrook.

This time, they lost two wickets in two balls at 18 and three with the score on 56 to find themselves 56-6.

From that point, Raja Sohail Haider led a recovery, battling to 83 not out from 107 balls with 11 fours.

He got good support fromMuhammed Alvi (30) and Majid Shajid (38), adding 78 with Shahid as they took the score towards a much more healthy 223-8.

In the event, they hardly needed to have worried, because Stainsby found batting even harder and fell apart for only 66.

Naeem Akhtar grabbed 5-23 from 11 overs to take his season's tally to 70 league and cup wickets at a cost of 8.83 runs each and spinner Kashif Hussain took 3-11.

Aston-on-Trent arrested their own two-match losing streak but had to settle for a draw at home to Nutbrook.

Zain Abbas hit 101 of Aston's 191 before Nutbrook replied with 144-7, a result which drops them back into the relegation places, joint bottom on 217 points with Shipley Hall.

They are there because Staveley Welfare managed to climb out again, after getting the better of a tight match against Shipley.

Staveley posted 213-9 from their 50 overs, Ben Peake and Tom Bullimore each making 42, then Shipley edged to within six of a vital victory before closing on 208-9.

Staveley are only five points ahead of the bottom two and may yet come to rue the point they were deducted on Saturday for bowling their overs too slowly.

Matlock are not out of danger, after slumping to a dispiriting defeat at home to Swarkestone.

They were bowled out for 67, Michael Scott taking the first five wickets for 14 runs, and are only eight points above the relegation places.