CAPTAIN Naeem Akhtar led the way as Rolls-Royce took another huge step towards the Derbyshire Premier League with maximum points against Swarkestone on Saturday.

And Royces followed up with a 20-point winning draw at Matlock on Sunday, getting their long-awaited game in hand out of the way, to regain the County League top spot from local rivals Aston-on-Trent.

The title is still to be decided but the most important figure for now is the 76-point gap – almost certainly a safe one – that the two sides have opened up on the rest of the division.

On Saturday, Rolls-Royce looked a tight, ebullient unit with a lot of depth – and what immense credit Akhtar deserves for that.

The veteran seam bowler, 14 years in the first-class game, then five at Sandiacre Town before a single year at Dunstall, looks as if he is enjoying his cricket as much as ever and remains a mightily effective player at the age of 40.

His team-mates revere him and, following a joyous celebration after Akhtar captured the last Swarkestone wicket, it was instructive to see him lead them in a relaxed warm-down and discussion about the game on the outfield.

The day did not, in fact, begin especially well for Akhtar's men, with their recent signing from Alvaston & Boulton, Waseem Mohammed, and the usually prolific Mohammed Sultan both edging to keeper Jonny Guthrie early on.

Arfan Fazal's response was to hit them out of trouble in a rapid stand of 57 with Zaheer Abbasi, as he blasted three fours in Bruce Dilks's first over.

Michael Scott's first over went for a similar amount as Abbasi whipped a couple of fours away but there was an element of feast or famine about the innings as both bowlers recovered from the initial assault.

Fazal was out tamely, turning Dilks to short backward square leg and Akhtar was in the middle perhaps earlier than he might have envisaged in the 17th over.

Although he got off the mark with a four cracked through mid off, the Royces captain, often such a destructive hitter in his Sandiacre days, soon decided it was a good day for digging in and, for much of his innings, proceeded with a steady stream of singles.

Abbasi, an elegant and muscular batsman, captured from Nottingham side West Indian Cavaliers, took his side to 101 at the halfway stage with a cut for four and a neat dab for two.

He will not look out of place in the Premier League.

He cut another four off Scott to reach his 50 in the 32nd over but was bowled by the next ball after the pair had added the same as the previous partnership, 57.

Raja Sohail Haider came and went quickly, too, but the danger that the innings might fade away was averted by Akhtar's continued doggedness and an enterprising knock from Muhammad Alvi.

He was helped by Swarkestone, surviving a run out chance as he got off the mark and, after scooping a six over cover, being dropped just inside the rope by David Dixon attempting something similar, the ball dribbling away for four.

More conventional were cover-driven fours off Dixon and Scott and two off Luke Thomas, the second bringing up 200 in the 44th over.

Akhtar lifted a four over square leg to reach a diligent 50 from 65 balls in the next over but Alvi was run out in the same over and Akhtar followed in the 49th over, caught on the midwicket boundary.

A late cameo from Amir Iqbal, who threatened a large wedding party with a big six over midwicket, kept the momentum going and ensured Royces had plenty of runs to play with.

It certainly looked like plenty when Akhtar struck two early blows with the ball, James Thornton edging the last ball of his third over and Jonny Guthrie departing leg before from the second ball of the next.

Two for seven from his first seven overs was typical Akhtar and, when he went for five from an over, it somehow seemed very expensive.

Thomas, Swarkestone's captain, looked in good form, however, and while he was happy to see off Akhtar, he drove two delightful fours off Iqbal and began to build a useful base with Jamie Guthrie, who turned Sahd Shafiq for four and two off his legs to take the reply past 50 in the 15th over.

At 76-2 off 20 overs and with Akhtar finally taking a break, a win was still not beyond Swarkestone but Shafiq changed their thinking in the 22nd over, as Thomas, having batted so well to add 64 with Jamie Guthrie, played around a straight one and was bowled, as was Tom Hamilton two balls later.

After a short spell from left-arm spinner Kashif Hussain, Sultan bowled a wild spell, going for 18 from his first over, including four wides that bounced away beyond Tom Anderson's shoulder.

If the idea was to buy a wicket, it worked in the 33rd over, when he surprised and bowled Anderson with a good one, leaving Swarkestone on 126-5.

The draw was certainly the only option now for the visitors but Hussain made more of a mark in his second spell, as Jamie Guthrie, having battled his way to 40, was leg before aiming an ill-advised sweep at the spinner.

Michael Scott smashed Hussain for six to bring up 150, Andrew Lancaster twice cut Sultan for four and it could have been an expensive miss when Abbassi failed to stump Lancaster as he gave Hussain the charge.

Instead, Lancaster skied a sweep in Hussain's next over and Akhtar, returning for his last five overs, bowled Dave Dixon with the last ball of the 45th over.

In the next over, it was perhaps not the wisest move for Scott to take an early single and Hussain needed only two balls to bowl Adam Birch.

Scott saw off the 47th over, from Akhtar, taking a single from the last ball, but he could not get one from the last ball of the 48th and that left last man Dilks to try to survive Akhtar's final fling.

He could not do it, as Akhtar disturbed his stumps with the fifth ball and Royces were home with seven balls to spare, their talismanic skipper finishing with 4-20 from 14.5 immaculate overs.