Hi All

Play is about to start
Weather is currently 23/74 - however it is expected to reach 34 mid afternoon. wind is already quite strong , not Cairnlea strength , but a westerly that is quite blustery and swirling.
Lawn 1 , Greg Fletcher v James Hopgood
Lawn 2 , Stephen Forster v James Death
Lawn 3, Simon Hockey v Jamie Burch
Lawn 4 , Robert Fletcher v Stephen Mulliner
Ian and Mal start later

I can see lawn 1 and 2 well, short walk to check 3 and 4 , which I will do

L2 , James D supershot with red , level with hoop 5 , Stephen F maximum distance , JD misses into Cnr 4 , Stephen misses partner from mid B baulk . JD shoots with super shot ball at Stephens balls and misses
SF send red in court 3 yards holds rush close to Cnr 4 ball , delicate take off gives a dolly rush to 1 - takeoff looked slippy in the wind and glazed Cnr.
Rush is 1 yard irectly Sth hoop 1

L1 , James Hopgood plays red to East boundary 11 yards north Cnr 4, Greg F to Cnr 2 ish,
JH misses into Cnr 2
GF misses double from B baulk - can't of been a double as he is lining it in between them

L2 , SF established a good break , safely through hoop 2
Lawns look a good half second quicker today, mowed, rolled and a bit of wind
Still some work to keep break going , croquet loads are not quite at the hoops

L1, JH through 1 , load at 2 is closer to Cnr 2 than the hoop , so one good shot needed and he should be ok

L3 , Jamie Burch taking first break on Simon Hockey , through hoop 2
L4, Stephen Mulliner through hoop 1 , one ball in court , one ball in Cnr 4 ,
SM through 2 and looks set

L1 , JH though 4 on a tight break

L2, SF through 1back on a tight break

L2, SF setting a NSL with all balls at 3 back - 4 ball rocked back after the croquet shot and is slightly more Nth than ideal , not sure what James will have from A baulk , but appears ok as SF sets 15yards from Cnr 4 on E bndry - rush facing more to hoop 1 than red

L3, JB setting DS after 9, more flat than any diagonal though , looks wired , but rushes partner into Cnr 4 - give some the next decision some thought,
JB leaves red 1 yard nth Cnr 4, yellow 7 yards nth Cnr 4

L2, JD misses lift into Cnr 4
SF cuts rush , loads 2 and rushes red to 1 , sticks in 1 from 1 foot - asks the question , no jam
JD hits the 4.5 yard shot at red in the hoop

L3, SH lifts the peg ball misses at partner from Cnr 1 into Cnr 2

L1, JH sets DS
GF playing west bndry ball as it lays , centre balls yellow on E bndry - not sure of the target , didn't look like double , but had some of red showing

L4 , SM makes 3rd turn 9 , sets defensive leave ( Dream leave from Mal) - got it wrong earlier I thought 4 balls were on court .
RF hits centre ball from Cnr 3

L2, not sure of JD error , but clip on 3 and SF on lawn with rush to 1 , layed second break

L1, GF has a tough rush to 1 with the ball near peg, has 9 yard Pass squeeze roll
.plays it well , faced with a 1.5 yard hoop 20 degrees - hits right leg

L3, JB jawses 4 back peel after 3

L2, some interaction, SF has clip on 2 and 4 back, JD 1 and 3 - with the balls
Rolls to 3 from 18 yards, has something - parks it in 3
SF shoots with blue 7 yards nthW from hoop 4 - misses the yellow into b baulk
JD runs hoop hits back onto yellow towards blue - has some work as black is in Cnr 1
Rushes and then rushes to 4 , runs hoop

L1, JH hits and has second break underway

L2, good turn from JD , has established a break and is up to hoop 6

L3, JB through 3 back , misses penult peel , but has the rush under control to 4 back - peelee sitting ok in front of hoop

L4, RF takes a break of 9 , sets a NSL

L2 , JD finishes his break to 4 back and sets a DS

L1, JH jawses penult peel after 6

L3, JB has a 5 yard rush to rover with peelee , plays it well and has a 1 foot peel , very slight angle , irishes both through- takes game 1 +26 TP

L2, SF misses into Cnr 4 on the lift shot , JD through 1 and plays the Hogan roll well going to 2 loading 3 from Cnr 4

Coffee run time for Si - back in 15mins

L1, JH finishes the Triple takes game 1 +26TP

L4, SM misses lift , RF onto second break

L2, JD finishes the triple , takes game 1 +16TP

L3, game 2 , SH east bndry , JB 8 yard duffer tice, SH misses partner from Cnr 3 into Cnr 4, JB misses his short duffer, SH hits from Cnr 4 along south bndry

L1, game 2 underway, GF high super shot , JH maximum distance, GF misses into Cnr 4, JH hits and has a load at 2 and a rush to 1

L3, SH fails hoop 1 , JB hits and has set break

L1, JH has a big rejection at 1, GF hits the 4 yarder with good pace and has a 5.5 straightish roll to hoop 1

L2,game 2, SF 1 yard nth hoop 5 super shot, JD maximum distance, SF misses from A baulk , JD hits from B baulk .
Plays a poor croquet shot , load at 2 is 5 yards short and the super shot ball he falls 2-3 yards short , no rush to 1, rushes 9 yards north of 1, leaves takeoff to hoop 1 , 1 yard short , tries a scatter , misses to mid BBaulk
SF shoots from mid court back to partner on east bndry, misses
JD misses from nth boundary through partner to Cnr 1 area

L1, GF runs good hoop 1, has set break ahead and is through hoop 3

L4, RF peeling rover rover , takes game 1 +17 Tp

L3, JB break running smooth safely up to hoop 6

L2, SF has worked hard to get break going and is through 2 , with yellow 6 yards west of 3 and red Sth bndry near hoop 1 line , plays a good croquet load to1 yard west of 4 and a dolly rush to 3

L1, GF break looking tight and is up to hoop 6

L2, SF break looking good and up to 1 back

L3, JB sets DS, but again lays up 6 yards apart nth Cnr 4 , SH lifts west boundary ball , shoots from Cnr 3 at the peg ball , misses into Cnr 1 area

L2, SF runs 3 back , loads red towards west bndry - 6 yards short , gets peg ball tight , lays up,east bndry

Another correction on L4 game 1, there was 4 balls on court first break from Stephen Mulliner

L2, JD lifts peg ball , misses from Cnr 3 into Cnr 4

L2, didn't reach Cnr 4, 1 yard north , JD missed inside by a few inches , so there might of been some drift to end up where it did

L4, game 2 underway , RF supershot, SM maximum distance, RF misses , SM hits from B baulk ?

L2, SF through 1, plays hogan roll , hits peg quite solid - has a9 yarder , plays it soft , misses by mms

L2, JD misses from hoop 3 to ball Sth hoop 4 , SF cuts partner to nth of hoop 6

L3, JB rush peels 4 back after 5

L1, GF lays tight NSL, JH lifts 4 ball , heads to Cnr 3, misses into Cnr 4

L2, SF plays good takeoff , loads 4 , rushes to 2, another good croquet shot and peels 4 back after 3

L1, GF through 1 , delayed TP ahead

L2, SF has made 1back and rushed peelee back to penult , a bit strong , but jawses a nice peel , loads 3 back going to 2 back

L3, JAmie Burch finishes triple to take game 2 and match in a shut out +26TP +26TP against Simon Hockey

L4, SM lays for sxp, RF misses from hoop 1 at the Cnr 3 balls
SM loads 2 , holds a rush to Sth bndry south of 4 ( other ball at 1 is close to Sth bndry ) sends croquet ball also towards 2 and has the 6 yard roll in to hoop 1, runs hoop 1 with some control but no forward rush ,

L2, SF rushes to rover , has a 14 inch peel , quite straight , plays an Irish , peels goes clean , back ball stays in hoop , runs hoop and plays the last few shots to peg out +26TP and squares up match

L3, Ian Dumergue and Samir Patel warming up

Missed a bit of play while on lunch delivery duties

L2, game 3 underway and JD has first break going , through hoop 2

L1, GF up to 3 back, 1 peel done , good set up at penult

L4, SM sxp looks like it's down to a straight quad

L3 , Ian D , plays peg high supershot , Samir into Cnr 2 - not sure of the subsequent play, but Samir has an approach to hoop 1 with all balls in court, but sticks in hoop 1

L3, Ian hits 8-10 yarder and the reward of what Samir set up

L1, GF peels penult , rush to 4 back not perfect , takes off to hoop from 1.5 yards , runs with control

L2, JD lakes 9, sets DS , tight and optimum distances

L2, SF misses from Cnr 3 into Cnr 4

L1, GF loads rover from just nth of penult , ends up 10 inches past hoop , but should pass the leg back

L2, hogan roll from JD again, , plays it well as the 2 load was west

L4, SM gets 3 peels of sxp, gives contact and sets RF balls on east bndry and Cnr 4 , 16 yards apart and when setting his ball towards Cnr 2, croquets it out , so is only 6/7 yards apart .
I am at distance , so may not be accurate on All distances or detail , but it is the lawn with live streaming

L1, GF has a 2 foot rover rover , dead straight , safely through with both , and pegs out from 4 yards to level the match +26 TP

L1 stopping for lunch

L2, JD has all 3 peels done before 3 back and makes last 4 hoops to win the deciding game +26TP

L3, Ian has his break looking smick and is through 3 back Looks like a NSL

L4, there was a turn each after the contact , but RF is now in control of a break up to hoop 6- SM's clips are peg and 4 back.

L3, Ian setting the 4 ball from a yard away , it travels past hoop , not many places now to hide .
Leaves his blue on east bndry 7 yards from red, Sth of hoop 4, takes off to yellow and splits himself into Cnr 2 and yellow onto west bndry , 15 yards Sth Cnr 2

L4, RF takes break to 4back sets a NSL - has the luxury of being game up , might of been a different line of play if it was 3rd game

L4, SM lifts his 4back ball from hoop 2, shoots from Cnr 3 and misses into Cnr 4

L3, not sure what happened , but appears Samir.missd the 7 yarder on Ian , Ian takes off to his Cnr 2 ball , loads hoop 2 while getting some flat rush on yellow west bndry

Winds no longer here ( never lasted much past opening play ) temp up to 29

L3 , Ian runs a 1.5 yard hoop 1 , break ahead , rushes to east bndry , stops yellow to Sth of hoop 4 , gets rush on red , rushes red to nth bndry , nth of hoop 2

L2, Malcolm Fletcher and David Maugham warming up

L4, RF peels 4 back after 3

L3, Ian peels 4back after 3, no rush to Cnr 4 , but can cut it well down east bndry to make the next croquet shot easier - hoop 4 load is 4 yards Sth of hoop 4

L3, Ian break is very controlled ,peels penult at 6

L2, David M wins toss, does not choose red and yellow , much to glee of James Death, Mal takes Balck and blue
DM supershot 3 yards nth of hoop 5, Mal Mid East bndry, DM shoots from b baulk misses and is 9 yards Sth of Mal.
MF misses double from B baulk into CNr 4

L3 , RF up to a straight Double peel , from a jawsed penult , sends it to 3 yards nth of rover

L2, DM hits and starts a break ,

L1, Greg and James H underway
JH high east bndry, GF Cnr 2 ish, JH misses narrowly at himself
GF makes double from BBaulk and hits

L4, RF finishes triple to win game 2 +26TP and match 2-0 .

L1, Greg sets lawn - plays red to Sth hoop 1 , 1.5 yards of bndry, yellow technically wired through 6 towards east bndry and himself Cnr 2 and between Cnr 2 and hoop 2,
James plays the first retiring shot of the Mac into Cnr 4

L1, Greg cranks the 4 yard rush and unluckily smacks it into the peg as it was heading to Cnr 4
Leaves it at peg , takes off to yellow , overhits it slightly and now may rush to 1 instead of Cnr 4,
Lots of cut and ends up with a 14 yard roll from Sth bndry
Plays it well and has a 2.2 yard straight hoop
Runs it very well with control and a rush to the peg ball

L2, DM makes break of 9 , sets a MSL
MF lifts 4 ball , shoots from Cnr 3 and centre balls yellow

L2, MF loads hoop 3 , gets no rush onto red to hoop 1, checks the MSL ball at 2, rushes red to towards Cnr 2
Loads hoop 2, calls ref to watch the next rush, plays it well and gets it to Sth of hoop 1,
Runs 1 and has set break

L3, sorry Ian missed your finish - presuming +26 TP

L1, classy break from Greg , makes 3 back and sets NSL

L2, Malcolm takes the break of 9 and sets an OSL,

L2, DM lifts the yellow from west bndry , shoots at the 13 yarder from A baulk - misses

L1, JH lifts the 4 ball and shoots from A baulk at the 15/ 16 yard short shot on East bndry- hits centre ball

L1, JH rushes to West bndry , loads 2, rushes to 1, has a 6 yard roll in, plays it well , runs a 2.5 feet hoop , lots of wire , but pops clear to give him a hit on the 5 yarder - misses and ends up east hoop 3

L3, Ian hits 4th turn at his 10.5 yard duffer, moves it towards east bndry , takes off to the nth east bndry ball , plays it well and has arush down the line

L2, MF jawses 4 back after 3

L1, Greg hits and loads 2, rushes peelee to 3 , croquets it mid court while getting a rush to 1, some cut needed - plays it well to 2 feet nth of the hoop

L2, MF rush peels 4 back after 5, loads peelee to 1 back , moves balls around a bit to get break tighter , has. A good load at 2 back and a mid court pivot - making 1 back off of peelee - gets no rush to penult , stops it to penult and keeps the delayed nice and tidy

L3, Ian made a good rush to 1 , and has a break under control up to hoop 4

L2, GF has a set standard TP and is approaching hoop 3

Sorry lawn 1

L2, MF misses penult peel going to 4back, but stays handy for the straight finish

L1 , GF jawses the 4back peel after 3

L2, MF peels penult to 1 yard Sth of peg , taps on red and croquets it as a good side ball
Plays the rush to rover well , has a 2 foot straight peel - irishes both through cleanly - misses the 2.5 yarder back on red

L3, ID break running smooth , up,to hoop 1back

L1, GF runs hoop 5 , cuts yellow to east bndry near Cnr 3 , loads 1 back gets a rush onto peelee towards penult

L2, DM takes his lift from A baulk hits the roquet gently , gives him room to,load 2, whil getting a rush to hoop 1

L2, DM peels 4back after 3

L3, Ian finishes break to 4 back and sets a NSL

L1, GF loads 3'back after 1 back and gives him a peel at penult while going to 2back , plays it well - peel goes through by 2 yards and has a tap on shot at 2 back

L3, Samir lifts the 4 ball , shoots from Cnr 3 - misses into Cnr 4

L2, DM peels penult after 6

L1, Greg has rover peel set 1 yard nth of rover , runs penult and comes down for the last peel

L3, Ian through hoop 2 with peelee at hoop 3

Test score at the moment
Day 1, AUS held a lead 2-1
Day 2, currently is AUS down 1-2

Making it 3-3 with these three matches to complete

L1, GF has a 1.5 foot straight rover peel, peels both through cleanly , pegs out to win the match + 25TP in the deciding game

Sorry battery died, finished some commentry on a new thread " part 2 " on my phone .

Will let things charge for a bit and return for the last part of the matches .

Recap, test score is 4-3 AUS , David Maugham is one game up against Malcolm Fletcher and Ian Dumergue is playing Samir Patel and has a rover rover peel to finish game 2

L3, ID completes triple takes the game +26TP .

L2, MF lifts 4 ball . Shoots from A baulk , another very narrow miss

L2, DM through 1 , has a tight looking standard triple ahead

L2, DM completes tp to win the match ,