Brondesbury took the lion’s share of a draw with Hornsey to close the gap on their promotion rivals – but they also slipped two places down the table in Division Two of the Middlesex County League.

Glenn Phillips struck 132 for Bron, while Sasha Ward notched 78 as the visitors declared on 271-6 in Crouch End.

However, Hornsey’s batsmen also acquitted themselves well and Sean Solia hit an unbeaten 105 while captain Paul Weekes contributed 50 as the home side finished their 53 overs at 218-7.

Brondesbury started the day in third spot, 12 points behind second-placed Hornsey, and after their winning draw the gap was cut to nine.

However, Indian Gymkhana and Barnes both won elsewhere and leapfrogged Adam Wilson’s side, who slipped down to fifth.

Brondesbury captain Wilson said: “Glenn has shown himself to be by far the best batsman in the league, whilst Sasha has the potential to be a real star at Brondesbury.

“We were conscious that, on a dead pitch, we would need as many overs as possible if we were going to bowl Hornsey out.

“Having taken a couple of early wickets, we were hopeful that we could put right the wrongs of the first game of the season [when Hornsey won] - but Solia and Weekes steadied the ship for Hornsey and, whilst we were able to open up an end, the pitch beat us unfortunately.

“Despite that, however, it was a fantastic result for the club - one that went some way towards showing our ability with both bat and ball, both of which have improved as the season has gone on.

“Whilst we may have dropped a couple of positions in the league, we know that we are capable of beating everyone else in the league on our day, as well as being confident that all teams will drop points at some stage in the remainder of the season.”

Meanwhile, Highgate’s hopes of victory were cruelly dashed by an eighth-wicket partnership that hauled Indian Gymkhana back from the brink.

Captain Jake Sharland starred with an unbeaten 94 as his side posted 179-9 from 55 overs and then reduced their opponents to 118-7 in reply, with Craig Gourlay taking 4-45.

But Puneet Mehra (62) and Sumit Khullar (17 not out) turned their side’s fortunes around, adding 60 as they edged home by two wickets.