NATIONAL VILLAGE CRICKET: OATACRE'S dreams of a third trip to Lord's disappeared for another year on Sunday as they were beaten at home by Cornish champions Werrington in the last 16 of the National Village Cricket Championship.

The home side never truly recovered from a poor start in which they were reduced to 51 for five and, despite a gallant 71 from veteran Kevin Iles, the visitors reached their target of 173 with five wickets and two overs to spare.

For Goatacre skipper Peter Turner the defeat served as a painful reminder of his side's departure from last season's competition, when they were beaten at the same stage by then-Cornish champions Menheniot.

Said Turner: "It was very disappointing. We didn't score enough runs, although we bowled and fielded quite well. We restricted them to below 200 in effect, but the batting let us down.

"We were not a lot of runs for quite a few. Then Kevin Iles and Andy Donegan came in and it shows our strength in depth when your number seven and eight batsmen come in and put on 100 runs for you.

"Kevin loves this competition more than anyone else and, even now, we seem to rely very heavily on him. He enjoys the pressure."

A crowd of more than 300 people flocked to the club's home ground for the clash, and the omens looked good when skipper Turner won the toss and elected to bat first.

But the visitors soon made the early breakthrough when opener Scott Curwood was caught by Mark Hodgson at cover point off the impressive bowling of Ian Worsnip.

Rob Turner and Steve Gee set about repairing the damage and advanced the score to 39 before Turner was stumped by Mark Horwell off change bowler Ben Smeeth.

Captain Peter Turner was swiftly dismissed for nought in the next over, before Gee was bowled by Worsnip for 21.

Andy Dawson then became the pacy Worsnip's third victim for two, but his dismissal brought Kevin Iles to the crease to join Andy Donegan and the duo gradually rebuilt a tattered Goatacre innings.

Iles was particularly prolific in a stand of 106, his total of 71 including four huge sixes. Donegan batted sensibly at the other end and made 21 before he was clean bowled by Mark Taylor in the 37th over.

Two overs later and the innings was at an end. Jonathan Wilkins was out first ball to Taylor, and he was swiftly followed by Kevin Iles, Adam Iles and Rhan Heer as the Werrington bowler took four wickets for six runs in two overs.

Despite Iles' superb innings, the Goatacre total of 172 was well below par and the visitors made a confident start in reply, adding 34 runs for the first wicket.

Peter Turner gave the home side hope when he had opener Horwell caught by brother Rob for 20 and then bowled number three batsman Nigel Dennis four overs later. But the away side regained their composure and Ben Smeeth and Mark Hodgson added 58 to take the score to 106 for two.

Scott Curwood then struck twice in quick succession to lift the army of Goatacre supporters, dismissing both Smeeth and Hodgson, but Andy Hodgson and Nick Ward forged a crucial partnership to bring victory to within touching distance.

A fine catch from Wilkins off the bowling of Curwood accounted for Ward, but Hodgson continued to find the boundary on a regular basis and struck the winning runs in the 38th over.

Several Goatacre players slumped to their knees as the ball crossed the boundary line, but skipper Turner remains optimistic for the future and now has his sights set on a Lord's visit in September 2003.

He said: "It is pleasing to get this far and I think we have done very well. It is a case of starting again really. A lot of people have raised their game to stay in this competition and hopefully they will continue to do so to keep their place in the first team.

"In a perverse way I am kind of glad that people are so disappointed to be out. It shows how much the competition does mean to all of the players."

"Lord's is the ultimate dream, but unfortunately only two of the 600 teams who enter can get there is any one year."