NICK Jones struck an unbeaten 66 as Brondesbury clung on for a draw to keep their faint title hopes alive at Teddington. The visitors had been well-placed to claim a winning draw, but a middle-order collapse meant they had to settle for denying the second

NICK Jones struck an unbeaten 66 as Brondesbury clung on for a draw to keep their faint title hopes alive at Teddington.

The visitors had been well-placed to claim a winning draw, but a middle-order collapse meant they had to settle for denying the second-placed side all 10 points instead.

"We're just about hanging on by our fingertips," admitted Brondesbury skipper Tom Simpson. "I think we'd have to win every remaining game to have a chance.

"Nick batted superbly - everything he hit struck the middle of the bat and it's a shame there was no-one to bat with him. We let Teddington get away, they were very positive and we didn't quite have the answers."

Ben Claypole (4-88) made early inroads after Simpson had decided to field and Teddington were struggling at 82-4 before Charl Malan - brother of Middlesex's Dawid - and Robin Jones took control.

The pair added 117 before Claypole returned to dismiss Jones for 94 and then Malan for 81, but the damage had been done and the home side declared on 265-7.

Brondesbury lost Rob Lynch for just four and, although Simpson (24) and Richard Rawlings (53) put on a half-century partnership, they struggled to accelerate.

Michael King (4-80) prised out both, along with Ben Claypole (11) and Ed Crowther (4) to leave Brondesbury well adrift of even the winning draw target of 225.

When Ed Bruce was out for seven, it was up to Jones (pictured) to save the game and he hit nine fours in a dogged half-century as Brondesbury reached 171-8.

IRFAN Ahmed's figures of 3-32 were the highlight as Brondesbury bowed out of the Middlesex Cup in Sunday's quarter-final against Stanmore.

Brondesbury reduced their hosts to 39-5, but Stanmore recovered to reach 203-9 in their 40 overs - more than enough as Brondesbury laboured to 100-7 in 29 overs before a downpour ended the contest.