GOATACRE are one match from a return to Lord's after an astonishing effort from their tail-enders and crucial bowling spell from one of their veterans set up a superb victory in yesterday's National Village Cup quarter final against Cornish visitors Roche.

The Goats, competition winners back in 1988 and 1990, will head to Foxton in Cambridgeshire next Sunday for the prize of trip to the home of cricket on September 13.

Victory over Roche looked unlikely after the home side slumped to 23-5 in under seven overs having won the toss and batted.

The bowling of Ryan Clark (6-39) did the damage to leave the Goats in real trouble, but Jonathan Wilkins (28) and Kevin Iles (21) - a veteran of those two previous Cup wins - started the rebuild by putting on 54 for the sixth wicket.

However, when Alan Griffin (31) was out  the 33rd over, the home side were 130-9 and facing the prospect of defending a low total.

But numbers 10 and 11 Dan Wiseman (40) and Matthew House (66) then combined to put on an unbeaten partnership of 101, House hitting four fours and seven sixes, to get their side to 231-9.

Roche's reply started steadily but Iles (3-27) helped ensure wickets fell steadily while Jack Haines, Rob Murpy and Wilkins all weighed in with two each, no visiting batsman scoring more than 30 as they subsided to 133 all out to start the hosts' celebrations.

REACTION TO GOATACRE'S TRIUMPH IN THIS WEEK'S GAZETTE & HERALD