Edmund (Fordyce) has a clip on h2 and a break approaching 4 playing R an Y, Harps has a clip on 1 and possibly 2 as well

Edmund fails h6 and Harps has chance for his first proper break.

Edmund 2 + 6 vs 3 + 5

Edmund makes h2 and runs an extremely angled h3 and now has a break

Edmund 1b and 2b vs 3 and 3* Error earlier when I said Harps was for h5

Edmund won the first game 22-8. Hoops have been moved and I'm picking this will favour Harps if he can get the balls early. Edmund played some brilliant turns, but I would like to see a bit more control like he has had earlier in the event. It should be good!

Harps playing R an Y, Fordyce B and K
Y to EB
B S of c2
R misses into c4
K hits partner in c2, takes off to ball N of 4 and is making a leave. Ball 3y off EB level with 1 and 4y S of h1. I was lucky enough to play doubles with Edmund, he's like a duck to a pond and soaks up information so quickly. Still a bit aggressive, but is starting to make better leaves with balls outside the box and has the concept of forcing certain balls to play. A lot of raps have gone on him already, but I can't wait to see how good he is by the 2021 (?) Mac. Can't leave a rush to ball on EB, so might be a nice target for the ball by h1.

Harps to S of c3. I think that's a good option. Edmund rushes down, didn't see where the approach was from but has grovelled through h1?

I lied - must have been taking off from partner which was 9yN of h1 and falls short. Aborts into c2

Harps shoots at partner S of c3, misses into c3 and has a 2y Southwards rush after Edmund moves the in lawn ball to c4. Cuts it to 4yN of h5 and rolls over to c1.

Goes off the lawn in the shot and has a 2.5y rush pointing at h4. Edmund has a wide join on EB. Another good decision - it's great to see him changing some of his ideas and not just shooting at everything. The grasshopper is learning quickly.

Harps makes 1, has a leave. Harps playing R an Y with Y for h2 and R for h1. B and K are outside the box near 2 and 3 with Harps having a rush to 3. Edmund shoots with the ball near 3 - must have been some form of a target and hits. Approaching h1 from 2 yards. 1y hoop and nice controlled swing leaves him a 3y forwards rush.

Harps just informed me it was a ball and a half

Fails h2 - I didn't see where from but Harps has a 12 yarder free shot with two balls at his hoop. Big shot.

Misses onto WB.

Edmund has a 9 yarder at the ball on the boundary for the break, or a 4 yarder on partner. Take the 4 yarder!! I have a feeling he will play for the break...

He's going for it.. big powerful swing

BOSCHE

Middles it. Geez that boy can hit the ball straight. Lets hope he sticks with AC

Poor h3 pioneer, so the break isn't established yet. H3 is the toughest hoop on that lawn from what I can see so he needs a good rush.

Croqueting a ball to h4 from near WB level with 2, he plays a very strange shot, only Croquets it to the peg and gets a 2y rush pointing slightly S of h3. The 4th ball is on the SB between h4 and c4 so he must back himself to just hit it.

Approaching h3 from 3y NW of it, poor shot gives him a 1y 30 degree hoop with Harps h2 ball as the reception ball. I wouldn't even be thinking about taking this on.. and I'm not sure if many other players would.

BOSCHE, looks like he will run it off the SB but it hits h4. Turns down the 7 yarder at the ball on SB in favour of his 13 yarder at partner near the peg...

Snicks it! Will need to be a very good take off to the ball at h3, as the hoop will be in play if he goes beyond a ft

Wired and retires to c3. Clippage now, K on 4, B on 1, Harps Y on 2 and R on 1.
Harps shoots at partner on SB and misses giving his h2 ball a 1y rush to h1

Edmund moves the inlawn ball and has a wide join on the WB. Harps plays his h2 ball and makes a leave. B if 2y NW of h2, K is in c3 and Y is on SB with a 1y Rush to h2

Edmund goes 10yS of c3 with the ball near h2. Harps didn't have the rush that I thought he did, hammered off WB level with peg and will be making another leave

Reasonably good leave from Harps - Edmunds h4 ball 3yN of h4. Edmunds h1 ball 4y ENE of h3 and Harps with a good rush to H2 on the WB peg high. I think the way Edmund has been shooting he would have wanted to extend the distance of Edmunds shots and back himself for the more difficult pickup.

Edmund shoots with the ball near h3 at the balls on the WB. Misses by a ft

Harps plays some good shots, but doesn't get his rush to h4 and the takeoff falls short. He hated that hoop yesterday and now has a clip on it. Will it play mind games with him?

I lied again - didn't take off to the hoop, made another leave. Ball at 3 and S of 4 with Harps laid up on WB peg high and a 3y cut to the ball at 4. Edmund shoots at the inlawn ball, another bad miss by his standards and harps can either take the rush or the 4 yarder at Edmund for the easier break.

Misses the 4 yarder

Edmund has a rush pointing at h3 and a ball at his hoop. Two good shots and should be a break for the youngster

Poor first shot means there won't be a h5 pioneer and takes the sensible option to take off to the ball near h4. Doesnt get a rush, 2y approach from directly E of the hoop, leaves a 2y 30 degrees hoop which he fails badly to 4y NW of the hoop.

Harps misses a cross court shot, Edmund hits his 8 yarder. Will he be aggressive and play for the approach loading 5 from peg high on EB or set a leave?

Plays the approach, 3y 15 degrees h4 coming up

Bang. Rejection to 2y further N than where he began

Good 10 yarder from Harps and has a chance for the break to get off that dreaded h3.

Underapproaches h3, fails the hoop to 1y straight Edmund has a 13 yarder from 4 to the reception ball at 3.... missed and hit the ball quite hard. Slow it down son. Still looks very controlled though which is good to see.

Harps picks up the 5 yarder on the NB, falls short on his croquet stroke to get a rush to h3 so takes off to the ball 3y SW of the peg to get a 2nd rush to 3. Looks like a good shot.

Almost identical position where he will be running the hoop from. Tries to play it with feet further forward but hits it very flat and rejects to 3y N of h3

Edmund misses the 10 yarder at Harps. Harps misses the 7 yarder for the break at Edmund. That could be quite a significant shot in the match.

Edmund plays his h1 ball, good pioneer at h2, runs his 2y h1 to 2ys of h2. A lot more difficult to pick up the break now.

Good approach from 3yE of h2, fails 1y straight hoop

Harps has the innings.. 1 hour nearly gone and we're currently 4-2

Edmund has hit something and is now approaching h2 from 10 yards with a chance for a break. Finishes 5y SE of h2 and returns to partner on SB.

Harps misses his 15 yarder to leave two balls near h3 and give Edmund a much easier start to a break. What can he do with it?

Shilling has just won the 3rd 26-1 against Roberts

Poor rush to h2 means he will be approaching from 4y NW of h2 off Harps h3 ball with a good pioneer at h3.. added pressure now

2y 15 degrees hoop..

maybe 20 degrees??

Taking it on... big stalk... walks up... BANG. through by a ft

Big croquet stroke and sends B off the EB going to the ball at h3. Harps misses 6 yarder

Fordyce has a 1y 25 degree h3 with Harps' h3 ball as the reception ball..

Bullies it through to the SB. Pukka shot, but now has a 10 yarder on partner also on SB. half balls. Good chance for a break now.

has made h4 I think.. off for a scout

Hasn't got control yet, but if he can rush to h5 he should be able to get control by 1b

Good pioneer at 2b, still needs to hit his 4y rush on 1b moving the pioneer by 4y at least.. reasonale shot has a 2.5y approach from ENE lots of brown in front of that hoop..

Reasonable*. Very nice shot and smoothly through the hoop with unfortunately a 6y return. Hits it with control moving it by a yard

2 balls 7y NW of 3b and currently approaching 2b. What will the leave be? #betthatitwillbeaspread

Puts the clip on 4b but not the best leave he could have come up with. Had all the balls round 3b, finishes with. Harps' h1 ball 10ys of h2. Harps h3 ball 6y N of c4. Edmund laid up on EB with a rush to h4

Harps misses into c3

Edmund makes h4 and 5, but doesn't get a rush to h6 and his approach from 4yW gives him a 4y straight hoop which he runs by 2ft. Hits another 6 yarder

Edmund breaks down at 4b after having to approach it from 5yN and take off falls short. Harps sticks in h3
Edmund shooting from h4 at the ball in 3 and the reception ball. Likes it...

Misses reception ball, hits the wire and moves Yellow, but no roquet. Finishes 2yS of c3

First easy pickup for harps, can he get himself back into the match?

I didn't see what happened, but I now see Edmund back on the court and Harps' clip still on h3

Time must nearly be done, so I think it's impossible for Harps to come back from this

Edmund fails 1y penault and Harps has a lift. 4b and penault vs 1 and 3

Hits the 13 yarder in the corner

Can he make it off the dreaded h3

Fails h3 after a good rush to it and a slight over approach

Harps now mid turn. Currently approaching h3 with Y with his R clip on 1 still. Surely time has gone?