Good afternoon from Cheltenham.

I was about to update you with the state of the matches, but the tea-bell has just rung!

So Paddy Chapman has won on lawn 2, with a peeling finish (SP = single peel). I was misinformed that this was the first peeling finish of the day, but Jamie Burch had a DP earlier.

On lawn 8, Mulliner has just run 4-back with his other clip on peg. This turn to win the match 2-0.

On lawn 5, Avery is game up. It is break all in the second, looks like Suter may be having a second break.

On lawn 7, in the zeroth round, Death and Brown have just started game 3.

Mmm nice lemon cake.

On lawn 3, I think Patel has beaten Kibble 2-0.

I also believe Maugham has beaten Taylor 2-0 on lawn 6.

Patel won +5 +23.
His oppo was whinging to me about the first game. He pegged out Patel with both other clips on 4-back. Later Patel hit, rolled off 4-back from 3rd corner with a 4' hoop (having previously stuck from 6"), then rolled off penult, ... well you get the picture.

Mulliner has just come in the tea-room (where I am). He needs his glasses to line up a 3y peg-out. Calls on umpire... Gets it!

First commentary boo-boo of the tournament. Mulliner missed peg-out, has had one off.

Mulliner has now finished for real.

On lawn 7, Brown had first break, but now Death has run hoop 1.

We think Brown broke down at 1-back, Death hit 6-yarder and now has break.

Just 2 knock-out matches in progress.

Lawn 5 update: Avery (game up) Is on 2 and 4-back, Suter was on 2-back and 4-back, but is now believed to be making progress with his backward ball.

Lawn 7, Death has made 1-back, thus conceding contact. (superAdvanced)

Conditions: the lawns are brown, variegated though nothing you'd call green.
This was Chris Clarke's verdict this morning:
"A really good test for all players this morning. I think that the 8 lawns used for the knockout are probably the best 8 lawns I've ever seen for an event. They were all challenging and all seemed to have substantially different speeds in N/S directions. Lawn 8 was one of the slower ones, with the northwards direction running at only about 11 seconds. However, the southwards directions on some lawns (4,5 and 6 are fastest) may be close to 15 seconds."

Lawn 7: Death has made 9 hoops. The Blue ball is already near 2nd corner. Black is croqueted toward the East boundary. Yellow is rushed into 4th corner, and Red is off in 3rd corner.

A competent commentator would know which of Brown's clips is on 1-back.... From the leave, we're guessing it's Blue.

Brown plays Blue, takes croquet from Red, Red to 2-back, getting a rush on Black! Approaching 1-back from 4y, Blue sails 4' past where it should be. Dribbles into posi.

Death is playing Yellow (!) Hits his 20-yarder at Red! What are the odds on a TP?!

25-1. I'm not tempted.

Death thru 1 with partner at 3. Probably come down to 20-1.

After 3, Death was faced with a tricky dribble at peelee, Apparently there's a cliff-face in the area. So he rush-peeled thru 4-back! Should have taken that 25-1!

On lawn 5, Suter got to 4-back and peg, Avery missed lift, Suter failed 4-back off Avery's 4-back ball.

Death fails 1-back.. Clips: Death 1-back and penult, Brown 1 and 1-back.

Brown has forgotten his lift! The 2-back pioneer (Blue) was deep, so had dolly rush to 1 for Black. Brown (Black) manages to hit his partial 3-yarder at Yellow (in 1-back) anyway.

Brown fails 1 badly. Maybe trying to run it gently? The crowd is blaming horizontal grass.

Death misses shortish (7y?) roquet.

Brown Blue roquets Black. Takes off to Yellow (in B-baulk). 7y short. Snicks it. Red is maybe 3y W of 6. Good croquet stroke yields rush. Approaching 1-back from 2 yards W. Runs hoop.

Suter has won game 2 on lawn 5.

Clearly as an ex-mathmo I have trouble counting, but I think that of the 125 games in the Qualifying Swiss, there was 1 quadruple, 4 triples, and 18 games decided on time.

Oops, something's happened on lawn 7. I'm guessing Brown missed his return roquet after 2-back.

This year's commentary is not going to be the usual "Wake me up when Reg / Rob has finished his sextuple."

Death Yellow has run 1-back, and has a break.

Death Yellow now trying to finish with a straight double peel. Red is through penult to peg-high.

Death Yellow now rushing Red to rover. Not bad, hard to see from here (tea-room) how long the peel is. 4'? Red is not through. Half-jump sees them both off S bdry. Sadly there is no deep ball, as one ball had to be left by the peg.

Attempted peg-out from S bdry has umpire signalling a wide.

Crowd thinks Death might have taken on 8-yarder after rover. Crowd themselves would not have done so.

Anyway Red is maybe 3y SSE of 6, Blue is 2y NE of 4, Black is near W bdry, and Yellow is pegged out.

Brown plays Blue as it lies, misses Red.

Death hits peg.

Which lawn will Death v Giraud be on?

Manager pleases crowd. Death v Giraud will shortly be on lawn 8.

On lawn 5, Suter has first break in the deciding game.

Robin Hayes is re-setting hoops on lawn 8. Possibly this could have been done sooner...

Think there's been some interaction on lawn 5. Suter seems to have just run 4, picking up his clip. I'll go and check it out...

Suter has just made 5, with all balls in lawn, but none of them especially close to 6.

Lawn 8. Giraud wins toss, chooses Blue & Black.

Death Red hits hoop 5, finishing 1' W of hoop.

T2 Giraud Black just S of 2nd corner.

T3 Death Yellow at Black (13y). Hits!

Death presumably attempts to croquet Black into 2, Black misses hoop. Yellow sails 7 yards past Red. Death hits, rushing it near peg. Good take-off gives him 5' hoop, which he makes.

T3 Death Yellow has cut-rush to get Black to 2. Undercuts, Black goes through hoop 6. Good approach, another 5' hoop, runs it to boundary, has 3-ball break.

T3 Death Yellow still on break. Through 1-back with a rush.

T3 Death Yellow has misapproached 3-back. Black ball is 1' W of 4th corner. Red is 3y N of 3-back. Yellow is off in 2nd corner.

T4 Giraud has wandered up to 2nd corner. Surely starting from 4th corner is better? Yes, Giraud agrees.
Giraud Blue croquets Black near 2, little far with Blue on Red, cuts it 10y E of 1st corner. Approaches to ~2y, makes it. Oppo claims he loosened hoop while making angled 2-back.

We think this might be the first 3rd turn ball (almost) round of the tournament.

T4 Giraud Blue hits return roquet to near hoop 1. Surprisingly (to me) plays croquet stroke to Black, rather than take-off to Yellow. Runs 2, hits 6-yarder at Yellow. Now has 4-ball break.

Giraud has reached hoop 5.

On lawn 5, Suter got to 1 & 4-back, then got back in and blobbed 1 to just in front. Avery from about 4y away hit hard, full into the wire, spins, snicks Suter's ball. Avery picks up break (having perforce peeled Suter thru 1).

Apparently this will be an Italian evening at the Club. And as one player has cried off, I get some lasagne!

After 1-back, Giraud Blue rushes Black near 2nd corner.

T4 Giraud Blue has failed 3-back, with 3 balls adjacent (and Black nr 2nd corner).

On lawn 5, Avery stuck in 5, Suter is having his second ball round.

On lawn 8:
T5 Death Red is picking up break.

I am told that Marks Avery and Suter are joint eighth seeds.

Death has a referee on. His rush to 4 is hampered by another ball. Copes. Quadruple??!

Death will be trying a quadruple, but with the aforementioned hamperage has not got in position for the first peel after 4.

Death attempts the 3-back peel before 6. The peel rejects but the break continues.

An optimistic rush-peel attempt misses 3-back entirely to 3rd corner. An excellent croquet stroke restores Death's 4-ball break.

Death fits in another failed peel before 2-back. SQP?

Death's return roquet after 2-back finishes with Blue in the jaws of 1. Blue is croqueted thru hoop by 4y. Straight irish 3-back peel goes well, but Blue's misplacement means he needs another good croquet stroke... not bad!

Sadly Death's rush of Yellow to 4-back does not end in front, so he'll be aiming for 4-back and peg here.

L8 clips: Death Red peg, Yellow 4-back; Giraud Black 1, Blue 3-back.

Leave is a defensive OSL. Blue is peg-high on E bdry, Black nr peg-high, nr W bdry. Yellow in 4th corner with 1' rush on Red pointing N.

"I had to try the straight quad, I needed a 4-back pioneer."

T6 Giraud lifts Blue to A-baulk, misses to just N of Yellow.

T7 Death lining up to promote Red with Blue. Overdoes it, Red is just out of 3rd corner. Take-off is perfect weight, but finishes West of Red. Approaches 4-back from 3rd corner, gets 5' angled hoop, rejects to halfway between 4-back and penult.

Manager has changed - the feast on lawn 5 preventing resumption of the outstanding Doubles semi.

T8 Giraud Black misses Yellow. (17y)

T9 Death Yellow hits Red, takes off to Black (on E bdry). Gets rush nr Blue. Overhits croquet stroke, Yellow almost off lawn. Cuts Blue near peg. Take-off approach to 4-back. 1y angled hoop (at least 30 deg). Runs it to boundary.

Death should finish here....

... and does so.

Death wins Game 1 +18

Pause for lasagne.

Suter has won on lawn 5.

Tomorrow's quarter-finals will be on lawns 4,5,6 and 7. Not necessarily in that order.

Waiting for second helping of Death v Giraud. And / or lasagne.

Crowd definitely wanting entertainment. Should be recommencing soon on lawn 8.

Death chooses Red & Yellow, Giraud elects to start.

T1 Giraud Blue off E bdry, maybe 10y N of 4th corner.

T2 Death Red duffer tice, halfway between peg and 6, and a bit W of the centre-line.

T3 Giraud Black at Blue from A-baulk. Misses to 1' N of Blue.

T4 Death Yellow at Blue from A-baulk. Hits.

T4 Death Yellow approaching 1 off Red, from about 4y in front. 2' hoop, makes it with rush, has 4-ball break.

After a probably ill-advised dalliance with red wine, I'm back on the ginger beer shandy.

T4 Death Yellow has made 1-back, and is depositing Red near 2nd corner.

T4 Death Yellow has made 9 hoops. Black is croqueted into 4th corner, staying on lawn by a good six inches. Blue is now also in 4th corner. Can Death find 3rd corner form 33 yards? Crowd excited... he's missed the corner!

But close enough so that Giraud cannot rush Yellow to Red.

T5 Giraud Black taps Yellow, croquets Yellow 5y N of 1. Roquets Blue. Take off to 1, yards past. Back to mother.

T6 Death Yellow to just S of 3rd corner.

T7 Giraud Blue rushes Black 2 or 3y S of Yellow. Take off bananas round Yellow, passing to the East of it and finishing NNW. Cuts it 7y E of 1. Makes hoop, has 6y return roquet. Hits it.

T7 Giraud Blue, from near hoop 1, rolls Yellow N of 2 going to Red. Has 5-yarder at Red. Has to wait for player on lawn 7 to move. Misses.

T8 Death Red has backward take-off to 1 from 4 yards. 4' hoop. Runs it, just, but enough to see Yellow. Could pick up standard TP from here.

Crowd excited about something. Hope has beaten Cumming.

...by pegging out, I should add.

T8 Death Red peels Yellow thru 4-back after 3.

After 4, Death rushes Blue into 3rd corner. Making the lawn look entirely playable, though I dare say it is easier this time of the evening.

T8 Death Red peels Yellow thru penult after 6.

Past and present lawn managers are discussing what happens if it rains. With the hard ground, it will flood but then it will drain. Let's hope we stick with sunshine!

T8 Death Red jawses rover peel before 2-back, rush-peels it before 3-back.

Death thru 4-back. Main tension is whether we're getting seconds of lasagne.

James wins match +18 +25tp

just in time for seconds!

See you 10am tomorrow. Jenny hopes to be here, and if anyone else wants a go, we have 4 quarter-finals!