Welcome to the third day of the final test. The sky is 50% blue today, with angry clouds massing in the West. Light breeze just enough to fly the flags.

The players are out on the court warming up.

A coin has been tossed. Samir is starting with B - plays it to the EB 2yN of 4.

Jenny replies with Red just S of II

Samir shoots down the EB from III and hits B. Takes croquet 2y SE of 3. Rolls both balls to EB level with rover, and sets a rush for B to 1.

Jenny shoots down the EB with Y from III and misses into IV

Correction - Samir's rush was to II. I have moved up to the upstairs deck, and now have a much better view of the court.

Samir rushes to R in II, and rushes R to 1. Makes 1 with a rush pointing S. The other balls are in opposite corners.

Samir (playing Blue) splits R to 2y out of III, going to partner in II. Approaches 2 with a good roll - slightly angled 2ft hoop shot.Powers through to the boundary.

Taps Black and plays a big split loading 4, and manages to get behin R into the yard line area of III. Cuts R to perfect pioneer position (PPP)

Makes hoop, rushes R to middle of EB. Thick take-off sends R between 3 and 4, and leaves a 3-yard roquet on Y. Middles it.
Black is 4y N of 4, so will need rushing towards the hoop

The croquet stroke sends Y 2y SE of 5, and B only gets a cut rush on K. Takes croquet from 2y N of the hoop, makes the hoop to the boundary. The break is now under control.

After making 5, Samir loads 2B with Y (about 2.5 y NNE of the hoop). He will be making 1b of R, which he positions 3Y E of the hoop.

After making 1b, Samir sends R to 3b with a long croquet stroke from next to 1b. R ends up in the jaws of 3b!

Sends Y to join K at the peg after 2b - we will have a spread. Y is 6 inches from where it will have to be.

Carefully taking croquet from R in the jaws of 3b.Plays the croquet stroke with B remaining in the jaes, so he can get a rush out of the hoop. Manages a cut rush, takes croquet 4y SE of the peg

R is stopped to 3y in from the W boundary. Y is positioned at the peg, and K rushed to the EB. The final position of K and B is level with rover, all 3 balls and the peg in a nice line.

Correction - B and K are not part of the nice straight line. Jenny shoots with R from the WB, and middles K.She loads 2 with B, and rushes Y to 2.5y S of 1.

Makes 1. K is 3yW of the EB, between rover and peg, so she should have all 4 balls in play soon. Goes to B with the big split loading 3, and makes 2 with a rush to 4.

The rush only gets 4y pa
st the peg (very slow courts) but a nice croquet stroke loads 4 with B, and gets a rush on K.

Rushes K to Y, and now has the 4bb under control

Like Samir, Jenny gets her 3b pioneer into the jaws of 3b. She rushes it S to take croquet though.

Jenny rushes Y to the EB after 3b, and takes off to B to position it at 4.

Jenny plays a tight break to 4b. Pioneers need little rushing after being placed by accurate croquet strokes, and hoops are approached very close and dead straight. The NSL has Black (for 1) 2y E of the WB level with penult, and Blue (for 4b) NE of 4. The croquet stroke on B actually bounced B off the wire, and I can't see how well it rushes to 1. R lags back to Y, and leaves the rush pointing a touch S of W.

Samir picks up Black (for 1) and prepares to shoot down the EB. His target is level with rover - 23.5 yards away. He swings, then resets and re-stalks. Swings again. Resets again. Swings. Plays the shot very hard, and misses by a foot.

Jenny rushes R to 3y NW of 4, and lines up the shot to bombard Blue. She moves Blue 1Y S of 4, getting a short roquet on Black in the corner.

The stop-shot out of the corner sends K 3y past the peg, getting a rush to 1 on Blue. She takes croquet 3.5y S of 1

A 2-foot hoop shot is hit with force, and it makes it 1 yard through the hoop. Jenny rushes Blue to 1y N or Black (3y NW of the peg). She takes off to R (3.5y E of 4)and gets a rush back to the middle of the court.

All 3 balls are now in a circle 2yards wide. Red gets shot towards 3, and Y now has a rush to 2, but B is in the way. The rush hits B, so she is taking croquet from 5y SE of the hoop.

The hoop approach is over-done, leaving K 1y S of the NB and Y in an unrunnable position. Clip goes on to 2 and we have
B 4y SE of 2, R 4y SW of 3, and Y on the EB level with 4.

Samir shoots with K at B. Shoots hard, and misses by a fraction. K is yarded in 2Y E of A-baulk.

Jenny shoots Y at R (18y) and hits. Takes off from 5y NW of 3 and gets a rush on B to 2. R stops close to 3.

Makes 2 with a rush to 4.taps it and croquets Blue to 4. Makes 3 and takes off from R to K on the SB

Loads 5 with K, and makes 4 off B. Stops B to reception position at 4b (1y S and 3.5Y W of 4b)

Makes 5 with no rush. Rolls from 5 (loading 1b) to R at 4b. Gets R into good peeling position, but it stops in the jaws of 4b. The rush to 6 is a bit short, and she takes croquet from a couple of feet E of the hoop. Makes the hoop and takes off to rush red through 4b. Leaves herself a 45 degree shot of about 1y. Rushes R 5y N, then croquets it to 2b. There is furniture in the way - lines up the shot carefulle, R ends up level with rover N of 2b.

No problems with 1b. Leaves K as the penult escape ball, rushing B towards R.

Sends B to 3b getting a good rush on R to improve the 2b pioneer. Runs 2b to boundary, leaving a 4y rush on R

Red is rushed to the peg, then sent to penult. Y runs into K. B (the 3b pioneer) is 3y W of 3b.

Jenny takes off from K, and rushes B to 3b.Does not get a rush out of the hoop

Big roll from 3b to penult. Misses K by a fraction, leaving a 1.5y shot on R.

Trying to peel R from 1.5y N of penult. Gets it in the jaws. Good rush to 4b

Runs into K on the hoop stroke. Takes croquet on NB 2y W of 4b.

Sends K 1y E of the peg, going to B. Roquets R and takes croquet with R in the jaws (may be a fraction N, can't see from here)

Calls umpire to watch the shot

Red catches a bit of wire and sails past the peg to 2y NNE of rover - excellent outcome.

Blue is sent 3y S of rover, and Black right next to the hoop. Red gets rushed to about 1 foot from the hoop, but at about 20 degrees.

Red is peeled by 2 feet, and Yellow makes the hoop and roquets Black.

Red is rushed to 2.5y W of the peg. Jenny lines up the shot carefully, and pegs out to applause.

First game of the day to NZ, +17TP

Game 2

Jenny plays Black to the EB level with rover

Samir plays Yellow just S of II

Jenny shoots at K from A, misses

Samir makes a double from the middle of B baulk, shoots and misses by millimetres. Lines R in 2y S of K

An umpire is called to see if Jenny gets a cannon. K goes a few inches too far.

Jenny rushes R to 2y S of 1. Runs it with a rush towards 3. Cuts R to 5y N of K on EB

Rush on K ends up at end of B baulk. K is rolled towards II (2y SE), and Jenny roquets Y in II.

The croquet stroke out of II sends Y to 5y W of 3, and B at an angle in front of 2. Too much angle - Jenny retires to behind K. Can't see the angles for Y on B/K, that is the sort of position where I would leave a double no matter how hard I try to not do it.

Samir is shooting with Y at B/K - about 16 yards. Hits Blue.

Samir loads 2 with B, rushing K to 2ft S of 1. Instant break!

Makes 1 with rush to R on EB

Rushes R to WB close to 2, and stops it to 5y W of 3.

Grovels through 2, but has a shot on Y

Samir going round on 4bb

Samir has K and R at the peg for a spread, and approaches 3b from the side. Gets and angled hoop, and fails it. Blue has a shot at Yellow by 3b (Blue clip is on 2).

Jenny uses Blue to hit Yellow, sends it to 3 going to the 2 balls at the peg. Rushes K to 2, leaving R by the peg.

Jenny gets the 4bb under control after 2.

Jenny completes the break and sets an OSL

R is 2y from the WB level with penult
Y is 6y E of the peg
K and B tight just N of IV

Samir lifts Red and takes the shot from the end of A baulk.
misses K on his left

Jenny checks that all 3 balls are lined in correctly. She rushes R into B, moving it a yard N but still on the EB. Takes off from R to get a rush on B towards Y

Loads 2 with B, rushing Y to 1y N and 5y W of 1

Takes off for the hoop, grovels through on a hard stroke. Hits 5y shot on Y

Croquets Y to 6 inches from 3, getting a rush on B to 2. Takes croquet 18 inches S of 2.

Jenny sets up for a delayed triple, leaving Y at 4b and making 4 off partner.
Runs into partner after 4, and takes croquet from the SB.

The triple is put on ice as Jenny sends Blue to 6.

She is now taking K to the peg.

Jenny grovels through 4b but has a shot on partner. Makes penult, roquets Yellow and calls an umpire.

Seems Yellow stopped in a hole, and ground staff are out with their bucket repairing the damage. Jenny is taking croquet of Yellow 2y NNE of penult, with Blue 2y SSE of penult, and Red 3y E of rover.

She rushes B to R
, and makes rover off Red.

The leave is another OSL - Red 3y off the WB just S of penult, Y peg-high between 3 and 4, and B and K just out of IV. The Blue clip is on 4b, Black on the peg, with Samir's Red on 1 and Yellow on 3b.

Samir lifts Yellow and shoots at Blue from A baulk. This time he hits. Now has the opportunity to make 4 hoops and peg off Black.

Samir makes 3b, but decides to set a leave rather than have the Riggal. Leaves Blue 3y W of EB, just S of peg-high.
Black (the peg ball) is left halfway between II and 2 - it may be wired from Blue.
Red and Yellow control I - Red just out of 1, Yellow 3y NE of Red.
Not much room to get a pioneer to 2 from I.

Jenny shoots with Blue for the match. Skims past Red.

Samir grovels through 1. Not hampered though, hits Y. Does not have room to send it to 3 though - just manages to get it to the peg, and stil fails to get a rush on Blue.

Takes croquet on EB just S of peg-high, sending B to 4y WSW of 3. Gets behind K and rushes it to 2.

Loads 4 with K and rushes Y to B. Croquets Y short of peeling position, and rushes B 2y N of 3.

Croquet stroke too hard, leaves 45 degree hoop. Jump fails.

Jenny has R and Y at her hoop, with a 3yarder for the match

A Beiderweilenesque casting session is aborted and she re-stalks

Jenny hits Y to the end of B baulk. Croquets it to penult, and hits R which bounces off the wire giving her a short take-off for hoop position.

She runs the hoop to the boundary, leaving a 6-yarder on Red

Middles Red sending it past the peg. She loads rover and gets a rush on Black to NW of penult.

Takes off to Yellow and rushes it to penult.

Runs penult and hits Yellow. Rushes Black to S of rover, and croquets it to the peg.

Makes rover off red, and pegs out to take the first match of the day.

NZ leads England 6-1 in the test