Goatacre’s Jitesh Aruva celebrates taking the last Charlton Kings wicket (Picture: Philip Wilcox)
By Philip Wilcox
Two-time Village Cup winners Goatacre enjoyed a fine victory at home over Charlton Kings in the quarter-final, which ended Kings’ excellent run in what has been their first season competing in this tournament.
There were three quality innings in the game. For Charlton Kings, Benny Ellis scored 55 in the run-chase, but it was the batting earlier in the day of Jitesh Aruva (58) and David Miles (77) which formed the backbone of Goatacre’s victory.
Put into bat, Goatacre made a quick start thanks to Jack Haines’ swift 27, which included four sixes. However, after Haines fell to Craig Collinson (3 for 61), Charlton Kings then exerted control. Opening bowlers Collinson and Gavin Williams (2 for 24) both caused the batters’ problems, and when spinner Benny Ellis (3 for 43) picked up two wickets in the eighteenth over, Goatacre were struggling on 70 for 4.
Aruva had looked composed from the moment he had come into bat at number 4, and now he forged a good partnership with Miles, who immediately batted assertively. Their stand of 83 was easily the highest in the game.
Aruva, compact and neat in his strokeplay, made a fine half-century. The taller Miles was prepared to lean into expansive drives, as he took the attack to the bowlers; he finished with 77 off just 54 balls, which included clearing the ropes four times, and nine boundaries.
Further carnage was averted when Miles was bowled by James Williams (2 for 20), and Goatacre were soon afterwards all out for 222.
Opening the bowling for Goatacre were the experienced Jif Wilkins (1 for 27), and the spin of Ewen Kenny (1 for 13). Both bowled tightly, and both took wickets in their opening spells.
From 41 for 2, James Williams and Benny Ellis set about re-building the Charlton Kings’ innings. Williams was playing well, when with the score on 82, he fell for 26 to Adam Tucker (2 for 32).
At this comparable stage of their innings (on the “worm”), Charlton Kings were ahead by a whisker, but from then on, Goatacre’s spin bowlers exploited the pitch effectively.
Toby Horton took a good sprawling catch on the boundary to remove the dangerous Matt Luxton off Miles (1 for 24), but chiefly it was Aruva who dismantled the visitors’ batting, as he spun his way to 5 for 26.
Ellis battled well for his fifty, and whilst he was still in, there was some hope for Charlton Kings. However when he was eighth out with the score on 154, it marked the end of any realistic chances that Charlton Kings had of victory.
Aruva took the final wicket, to seal a win by 60 runs for Goatacre, and a place in the semi-final.
