Good afternoon from Nottingham.

England is experiencing a heatwave at the moment, it is sunny and hot.

The lawns are tricky, with some very fast patches. Players are making proud boasts such as "I did a TP on lawn 7", which elicited an unironic "Wow!"

This morning Jenny Clarke beat Dave Kibble in the Draw Final. The Process had only reached the semi-final stage. Will Gee did not take croquet against Alain Giraud, while Dave Maugham beat Debbie Cornelius in a 3 hour plus marathon, Debbie put down a finishing turn.

The Process Final starts. Presumably SuperAdvanced, as...

Turn 1 Giraud Blue into jaws of hoop 5.
T2 Maugham yellow middle of East boundary.

T3 Giraud Black at yellow from B-baulk. Misses to 7y S of Yellow.

T4 Maugham Red at Yellow / Black from B-baulk. Misses badly to 2' N of Yellow.

T5 Giraud Black hits Yellow to 4' N of Red. Blue looks to be pretty central in hoop 5.
Black rushes Red 5y S of 5. Stops Red 5y beyond 2 (quick patch down there). Rushes Blue S of 5, approaches to 4', runs hoop by 9", which is enough. Rushes Blue 10y S of 2nd corner.
Rolls Blue behind 2 going to Red.

T5 Giraud Black approaching 2 from N bdry, putting Red to 3. Four yard hoop... makes it! Rushes Blue near end of A-baulk for some reason. My expert advocated tapping Blue and playing a croquet stroke.

T5 Giraud Black makes 3 off Red. Rushes Red near 5. No ball especially near 4.

T5 Giraud Black approaching 4 from 10'. 4' hoop. Gets it, has 4-ball break.

Our enlightened Mangler does not impose time limits. There were some long games Friday morning as players struggled to master the tricky conditions, and when 2 chaps turned up for a late lunch not having finished a 1 hour limit was applied and used!
Patrick then went on to a further epic with Mark Suter. One of Hort's clips was on the peg. the other 3 on penult. Suter made 2 hoops and pegged Hort out. After some cat and mouse, Suter left a rush to penult from near 3rd corner, Hort hit from near 1st corner and finished.

T5 Giraud Black has made 1-back, thus conceding contact.

The final is on lawn 1. Don't think I'd mentioned that.

T5 Giraud Black has made 9 hoops. Yellow is 3y N of 4th corner, Red is 7y W of 4th corner. Black goes back to Blue North of 2. Blue is croqueted into 2nd corner. Black misses 3rd corner!

Black is 2y W of 3rd corner.

T6 Maugham lifts Red to just E of Black. My expert thought Yellow was the ball to play.
Red is rushed into 2nd corner for a cannon.

T6 Maugham Red's cannon sends Black 8' NE of 2, Blue is rushed 4y SSW of 1. Good approach. TPO? No comment from my expert panel.

T6 Maugham Red has made 2 off Black. Yellow is still 3y N of 4th corner, so any TPO will be delayed.

T6 Maugham Red takes off to Yellow after 3. Fair croquet stroke gives him a break.

T6 Maugham Red croquets Black to 4-back after 4. TPO time!

1-back pioneer (Yellow) is a bit deep. And his hoop 6 pioneer is 8' NNW of 3. 4-back peel fails. Copes with 6. Rush-peels Black before 1-back.

One of the crowd has spotted that if Dave wins this we shall have an Ex-rated final!

T6 Maugham Red attempting a death-roll, peeling penult going to 3-back. Good result!

T6 Maugham Red just needs a straight rover peel to complete the TPO. Balls pretty much where you'd want them.

T6 Maugham Red irish peels Balck through, Red goes thru by inches, can only hit Yellow. Yellow is croqueted 6y ESE of peg. Rush to peg is 4y short. Black is pegged out. And so is Red!

One-ball ending. Game on!

T7 Giraud Blue rolls to 1, 2y hoop, makes it, snicks 6-yarder at Yellow. Rolls up to 2 from 15y, has 1 yard hoop, runs it to boudary.

T7 Giraud Blue has rushed Yellow 7y S of 3. Take-off approach, 8' hoop, fails it to the side.

T8 Maugham Yellow hits Blue centre-ball. Thick take-off leaves him 5y from hoop 1. Takes position.

T9 Giraud takes 3y position at 3.

T10 Maugham fails hoop 1 into slightly worse posi than before.

T11 Giraud takes 1' posi at 3.

T12 Maugham improves his posi at 1.

T13 Giraud runs 3 to 3y WSW of 4. Takes posi NNE of 4 to discourage shot.

T14 Maugham runs 1 by 8 yards. Takes 10' posi at 2.

T15 Giraud runs 4, takes 10' posi at 5.

T16 Maugham attempts 2, misses hoop entirely.

T17 Giraud takes 1y posi at 5.

T18 Maugham shoots at whatever he can see of Yellow. Misses to S bdry.

T19 Giraud runs 5 to peg high, takes 2' posi at 6.

T20 Maugham shoots, misses, flicks off right-hand wire of 6 to 10y W of 3rd corner.

T21 Giraud Blue runs 6, hits Yellow to 2y W of 3rd corner. Yellow is croqueted 6y E of 2-back, Blue short of 1-back, tries to take deepish posi, overhits, wiring lift!

T22 Maugham lifts Yellow to B-baulk, hits 8-yarder. Approach to 2 yields 3y hoop. Runs it, has 8' rush toward 3. Fails to centre it. Approaching from 4y WSW. Runs 4' hoop, another long rush ends up 2y SE of peg. Good approach to 4, if he runs it to boundary he has rush. Runs it by a yard.

Lionel has left the building.

T22 Maugham approaches 5 from end of A-baulk. Blue is sent to 6, fails 4' hoop into jaws. Even if Giraud forgets his SuperAdvanced lift, he has wiring lift.

T23 Giraud lifts Blue to A-baulk, snicks Yellow. Takes off to 4y N of 1-back. Takes 5' posi, not wired this time!

Clip reminder: Maugham Yellow 5; Giraud Blue 1-back. Red and Black pegged out.

T24 Maugham is 2y E of 5, takes 1y posi at 5

T25 Giraud. runs 1-back by 15y, hits 8-yarder at Yellow to maybe 2y NE of end of A-baulk. Rolling up to 2-back. My expert thinks this too aggressive. Has 5' straight hoop, but Yellow is 3y SW of 2-back so any failure may be costly. Blue retreats to 4th corner.

T26 Maugham shoots at Yellow. Misses, coming back on just N of Yellow.

T27 Giraud Yellow rushes Blue off N bdry, 4y W of 3rd corner. My expert preferred rushing it 10y or so, then croqueting Yellow toward 2nd corner, Giraud takes off to 2-back, takes posi.

T28 Maugham shoots, missing to 3y E of 1st corner.

T29 Giraud Blue runs 2-back, hits Yellow, big croquet stroke from 1st corner, Yellow is 3y NW of 4-back, takes 7' posi.

T30 Maugham plays Blue 9y E of 1st corner.

T31 Giraud runs 3-back well. Takes 4' posi at 4-back.

T32 Maugham takes 5' posi at 5.

T33 Giraud runs 4-back to boundary. Plays Blue 1' N of 1st corner.

T34 Maugham fails 5 to right-hand side.

T35 Giraud looking at going to E bdry where Yellow cannot hit him (Yellow is maybe 1' E of 5.) Blue is sent 12y N of 4th corner.

T36 Maugham sends Yellow 9y E of 2nd corner.

T37 Giraud Blue to 3rd corner (?!)

T38 Maugham Yellow hits Blue. Big croquet stroke. Blue is croqueted 6y N of 2, Yellow 8y S of 5. Tries hoop, hits left-hand wire full, spins 4' N of hoop.

T39 Giraud thinks. Blue to 3y W of 2nd corner.

T40 Maugham takes posi at 5.

Yellow seems to have an angled hoop, maybe not runnable..? Giraud having a close look. Maybe close to 45 degrees?

T41 Giraud Blue to just S of 3rd corner.

T42 Maugham takes good posi at 5.

My expert thinks should have gone to 1st corner last turn.

T43 Giraud Blue to 4th corner.

T44 Maugham runs 5 to 1y N of peg. Takes 4' posi at 6.

T45 Giraud deems.

Sorry, declares.

T46 Maugham runs 6, takes 4' posi at 1-back.

T47 Giraund to 3rd corner.

T48 Maugham runs 1-back, thus conceding lift. Takes 4 yard posi at 2-back.

Blue is for penult.

T49 Giraud lifts Blue to A-baulk. Misses Yellow to end of B-baulk.

T50 Maugham attempts 2-back, hits outside of left-hand wire, bounces 1y SE of hoop.

T51 Blue takes 7' posi at penult.

T52 Maugham Yellow misses Blue.

T53 Giraud Yellow takes on 8-yarder at Yellow. Centre ball. Drive approach, Yellow 4y beyond rover, leaves 3y hoop. Fails, conceding wiring lift.

Blue is not in the jaws.

T54 Maugham lifts Yellow to B-baulk, hits. Blue is now 1y N of penult. Roll to 2-back. 7' hoop....

T54 Maugham fails 2-back.

T55 Giraud Blue hits 5-yarder at Yellow. Approaches penult from 12y N of 1st corner. Thick take-off, 3 yard hoop, gets it! Has 7-yarder at Yellow.

T55 Blue hits Yellow to 5y E of 1st corner. Croquets Yellow toward 2nd corner ... and off the lawn! Blue is 7' S of peg.

T56 Maugham Yellow at Blue, hits!

T56 Blue has been rushed half way between 3-back and 4th corner. Rolls to 2-back. Bit too far... not runnable. Yellow to 12y N of 4th corner.

Clips: Giraud Blue rover, Maugham Yellow 2-back.

T57 Giraud plays Blue to 4y S of 2nd corner.

T58 Maugham tries to take posi at 2-back, overhits.

Experts are unsure about Giraud's tactics.

T59 Deem.

T60 Maugham takes posi

T61 Deem

T62 Maugham runs 2-back, gets good posi at 3-back.

T63 Giraud 3y E of 1st corner.

T64 Maugham improves posi.

T65 Deem

T66 Maugham runs 3-back, takes good posi at 4-back.

T67 Giraud takes long (4y+) posi at rover.

T68 Maugham runs 4-back. (Lift.) Yellow to 11y W of Blue.

T69 Giraud lifts Blue to A-baulk. Hits yellow (~14y). Yellow is rushed 3y WSW of 2. Take-off to rover. Overhit. Takes 1y posi.

T70 Maugham teakes 8' posi at penult.

T71 Giraud runs rover. Shoots at peg and / or Yellow, missing both.

T72 Maugham has 7-yarder at Blue. Hits (just). Drive approach yields 7' hoop. Runs it past peg. Has 6-yarder at Yellow. Hits. Take off to rover from 7y. 4' hoop...

T72 Maugham fails rover into front of hoop.

T73 Giraud is shooting at peg. Misses to 5y N of peg.

T74 Maugham runs rover. Waves his arms as if it's hilled the wrong way. Shoots.... Hits peg!

David Maugham beats Alain Giraud +1tpo.

I shall start a new thread for the play-off. But first some tea!