Good morning from Cairnlea.

And it is a good morning.
Sunshine, blue sky, this is what I came for.

3 Robert Fletcher v Matthew Essick P0
4 Edward Wilson v Reg Bamford P0

Again, the number on the left is the court.
The numbers on the right indicate that neither pair has played before.

Before play yesterday I made the following predictions:
Fletcher 3-0
Essick 3-1
Wilson 3-1
Bamford 3-2
Four winners and three scores correctly predicted!

By the law of averages, these will both be wrong:
Fletcher 3-2
Bamford 3-1

The young guns challenge the old guard.
If Robert Fletcher can be called old at 28. (ish)
He did first catch the eye at the 2009 Worlds, where he knocked out Burridge, Maugham and Death before losing to Bamford in the semis.

Bamford did not play in the first 2 World Championships.
In he next five he got no further than the quarter finals.
In the ten in the 21st Century, he has now reached the semi-final stage eight times.

Here's an expert stat:
The first eleven World Championship finals contained at least one Englishman.
The next six (including this year) will have included just one Englishman, once.
In 2013 and this year, no British player made the semis.

Of course, for these stats Bamford is South African, though he lives in London.

The players are practising.

L3G1T1 Fletcher Blue supershot 3y SSW of peg.
T2 Essick Red from B-baulk, peg-high E bdry.
T3 Fletcher Black at Red from 3rd corner.
Hits!

Expert arrives.
Bamford and Fletcher both 68% to win today.

T3 Fletcher rolling to 1 from 5y.
Slightly overhit, angled hoop.
Runs hoop to N bdry.

T3 Fletcher Black hits 13y return roquet. Rushes it back to end of A-baulk.
Had he missed, that was a 4-ball break for Essick.

T3 Fletcher now on 3-ball break.

Exciting news, commentary fans.
Jenny Clarke will be commenting on Wilson v Bamford.
On a separate thread.

T3 Fletcher is thru 6.

Great start from Fletcher.
Puts pressure on Essick.

Fletcher has made 9 on the third turn.

T3 Fletcher leaves Red 9y S of 2, Blue on W bdry, Black 2y away.

The "three ducks" leave. Aggressive. "Hit or I'll finish."

T4 Essick Yellow misses Blue into 2nd corner.

T5 Fletcher Blue rushes Red 3 or 4y past 1. Thru 1 and he's away.

An expert is nitpicking.
Fletcher should have had some balls further south.
Essick should have taken the shortest shot: 17 yards rather than the 21-yarder he took on.

T5 Fletcher Blue is making 2 off Black.
Red and Yellow close to each other, near hoop 3.

Error!
T5 Fletcher Blue fails angled hoop 2.

Essick has all 4 balls.
Will need to rush to hoop 1 from hoop 2 to pick up break.

T6 Essick Red rushes Blue to 1. Looks a fair rush, Hits the East wire.
Short angled hoop, gets it.

Two questions for my expert:
Should Essick go for the TPO?
Will he go for the TPO?

Yes and no, respectively.

My uninformed view is that a solid break to 4-back would settle the player into the match.

Black (the 4-back ball) is the hoop 4 pioneer.
So no TPO.

The expert now recommends a POP on Blue to 3, then leave Black at hoop 2.

I haven't seen any POP tactics this week.

POPping: Peeling the OPponent for tactical reasons, not with a view to pegging out.

POPping Blue to 3 here would make it very unlikely that Fletcher could pick up a standard TP, should he hit in.
It also means that one could construct a better leave, "forcing" the 4-back ball to play.

T6 Essick Red has made 6.
My expert thinks he should have POPped Blue before 6, so that Black could have been left in hoop 2.

No POPping from Essick.
Blue has been left 3y WSW of 2.
T6 Essick Red is making 2-back off Yellow.

T6 Essick Red has made 9. NSL with Black at 4.

Clips: Fletcher Blue 2, Black 4-back; Essick Red 4-back, Yellow 1

T7 Fletcher lifts Blue to B-baulk, shooting at Yellow.
This is maybe 22y, as I'm not side on that's a guess.
Centre ball!
Rushes it just W of 4th corner.

T7 Fletcher Blue has Red and Yellow near 3.
Rushing Black to 2.
Rolling up from peg-high...

Good approach, runs hoop 2 to boundary.
Now has 4-ball break.

Very aggressive play, he doesn't consider the possibility of failure

A young Bassett offers the commentary team a pancake.
Well to be accurate she offers Jenny a pancake, but I get half.

T7 Fletcher Blue lining up longish peel of Black thru 4-back after 3.
Escape ball is a few yards West, so there'll be a lot of pull.
Peel not close, but the break is established.

T7 Fletcher Blue now organizing a delayed TP.

I don't normally mention the consolation events, but James Death has set up for a ladies' sextuple.
He's playing Felix Webby on lawn 7. The Salver final, I think.

T7 Fletcher Blue peels Black thru 4-back before 6.

T7 Fletcher Blue takes off to Black after 6. Shy of getting a rush, but a good croquet stroke sends Black to 2-back.

T7 Fletcher Blue now has Black near penult. Red is his 3-back pioneer.
He's rushing Yellow toward the S bdry, but Yellow hits hoop 5.
This will compromise the break.
Croquets Yellow 7y SE of 4-back.

T7 Fletcher Blue is nevertheless attempting the penult peel before 4-back.
With a roll.
Peel fails, but Blue has a 2y rush on Yellow pointing in the right direction.
Makes 4-back.

T7 Fletcher Blue now needs straight double peel to complete the triple.

T7 Fletcher Blue is lining up straight penult peel.
It goes well.
Black appears to be within a foot of rover.

The text features on croquetscores are rudimentary.
You need hashes for headlines.
Jenny can't find the hash-key on Chis's computer.

Fletcher wins game 1 +17tp

Summary:
T3 Fletcher to 4-back
T4 Essick misses
T5 Fletcher fails 2
T6 Essick to 4-back
T7 Fletcher hits, finishes

L7 update:
Death failed hoop 5 with 2 peels done.
Now Webby has had ladies' sextuple leave.

Referees all over both lawns

Here they are using sphagnum moss to pack the hoopholes, when setting the hoops.
Not a bad choice as it breaks down, so doesn't lead to hills being built up over the years, as using soil does.

However in NZ they use clay paste. This acts more as a concrete type. It changes the way the hoop reacts.

Here we've seen a few hoop strokes hit the far wire, then grovel thru. In NZ they may have ended up in the jaws.

G2T1 Essick Red narrow supershot.
T2 Fletcher Black middle of E bdry.
T3 Essick Yellow from 3rd corner, hits Black, rushing it near 4th corner.

T3 Essick Yellow plays good croquet stroke, and he's now made 1. No forward rush.

T3 Essick Yellow has a short backward take-off to 3.
Gets a nice hoop- and-rush.

Under SuperAdvanced rules (used in Championships in England), the supershot is banned.
(Unless you bounce the ball of hoop 5.)
Not so many third turn balls round.

T3 Essick Yellow has his 2-back pioneer well North of hoop (10y?)
Copes.

T3 Essick Yellow has made 9 hoops.

T3 Essick Yellow has three ducks leave.
(all 3 balls in an area SW of 2)
Has Red and Black wrong way round - you want to make 1 off Red so that it naturally goes to 3 for the standard TP.
My expert deems it better than Fletcher's in Game 1, as it has left a longer shot. (Balls are further North.

T4 Fletcher Blue misses Yellow into 2nd corner.

T5 Essick Red taps Black, now needs a 5y roll to get rush on Yellow to 1.
(Had he had balls the other way round, it would have been a short stop shot.)
Anyway, he plays it well enough.

Makes 1 off Yellow.

T5 Essick Red has balls for standard TP.

T5 Essick Red jawses Yellow in 4-back after 3.

T5 Essick Red has ambitious peel of Yellow thru penult before 1-back.
Peel fails, break still OK.

T5 Essick Red peels Yellow thru penult going to 2-back pioneer ("death roll").
Yellow is just E of peg.

T5 Essick Red has ref on near peg.
I'm guessing an old peg-hole is in the way.

T5 Essick Red is trying to peel Yellow thru rover from 3y in front, before 3-back.
Peel fails, break still OK.

My fellow commentator keeps asking "Which grip does [so-and-so] use?"
She is trying to fill in gaps on Statto's database during longueurs in her match.
I have no idea for anyone, even for players I know well.
Half the time I can't remember which grip I use.

T5 Essick Red needs straight rover peel to finish.

T5 Essick Red irish peels Yellow thru rover.

Essick wins game 2 +26tp v Fletcher
Fifth turn.

Fletcher v Essick 1-1

More fettling.
More coffee.
More fruitcake!

G3T1 Fletcher Blue sueprshot.
T2 Essick Red lags nearby
T3 Fletcher Black hits Blue.

Fletcher Black taking off to 1 from Red, 2 or 3y away to the east.
Angled hoop.
Fletcher fails 1.

Black has bounced back.

T4 Essick Red hits Black (6y)

Commentary team is momentarily distracted.

The following gentlemen went for a 5k park-run at 8am this morning.
Avery Burridge Chang Fisher Galpin.
.
In what order did they finish?

("Was it handicapped?"
"No - advanced!"
"Surely taking a lift is cheating!")

We take random guesses, Burridge tells us how many places are correct.
Lot of zeroes to start, but we're not writing the answers down.
What's 5 factorial? (120)
Now using spreadsheet to record guesses.
We've got there.
Perhaps you at home would like to guess?

G2T4 Essick going round. Has reached 1-back.

G2T4 Essick has left Black v close to 2, wired from B-baulk.
This should be an MSL (Maugham Standard Leave, as if you didn't know)

G3T4 Essick Red makes 9 hoops.
MSL.
(Our expert likes the leave, but thinks Red and Yellow a bit too far South.)

Fletcher considering options. Black is by 2, Blue at 4.

G3T5 Fletcher lifts Blue to B-baulk.
(My expert's opinion of Essick's leave improves, he thought Fletcher would have taken "short" shot.)

Blue misses Red to 4th corner.

G3T6 Essick Red rushes Yellow to 1, slightly angled 2' hoop, makes it, no rush, very good croquet stroke.

Expert wants Blue extracted before 3 for the standard TP.

G3T6 Essick Red does not go to the Blue.
Now he has severely angled hoop 3.

Error!
Essick fails 3.

G3T7 Fletcher Blue at Black (8y).
Rushes Black near hoop 2.

G3T7 Fletcher Blue takes off to Red, knocks it thru hoop 3.
Blue rushing Yellow to 1.

Sorry I've spotted an earlier error by myself. I wrote:
T4 Essick Red hits Black (6y)
That should have read:
T4 Essick Yellow hits Black (6y)

G3T7 Fletcher Blue is 4 or 5' from Yellow, needs a bit of cut.
Blue rushes Yellow to 1st corner.
Approaches 1.
Overhit, retires to 1st corner.

G3T8 Essick Yellow hits Black (7 or 8y).

Will he make some hoops (Red is at 4-back)

G3T8 Essick Yellow croquets Black to (about 2y East of) hoop 4
Has leave in 3rd corner.

Clips: Fletcher 1 & 1, Essick Red 4, Yellow 4-back.

Expert suggests Fletcher should play Black to 2nd corner.

G3T9 Fletcher Black hits Yellow (25y)

Yellow goes 4y W of 3rd corner.
G3T9 Fletcher Black takes off to Red (in or near 3rd corner).
Rushes Red 2y NW of peg.
Thick take off to Blue in 1st corner.

G3T9 Fletcher Black rolling to hoop 1 from 1st corner.
Looks good - no more angled than I thought.
Thirty degrees plus.

G3T9 Fletcher Black smashes it thru by an inch or two.

This is the sort of hoop we were discussing earlier (comment before Game 2).
ie, wouldn't have gone thru in NZ!

G3T9 Fletcher Black has hampered 3-yarder at Blue after 1. Ref is on.

No he can't see Blue. He's shooting thru hoop at Red.

G3T9 Fletcher Black hits Red (17y, hampered)
Makes 2 off Red.

After 2 Fletcher Black rushes Red between hoop 1 and 1st corner.
Stops Red to 4.
Rushes Blue past Yellow (which is just off B-baulk by 3).
Stops Blue well into lawn. (so no TPO) ["Boo!"]
Makes 3, has 4-ball break.

G3T9 Fletcher Black has reached 2-back with full control.

The earlier "Boo!" was not a criticism of Fletcher's strategy, just 3-ball endings are more fun,

Clips: Fletcher Blue 1 Black 4-back, Essick Red 4, Yellow 4-back.

G3T9 Fletcher Black has made 9 hoops.

Spread with Red at peg.

G3T10 Essick lifts Red to B-baulk.
Hits Blue.
Rushes it near 4th corner.

G3T10 Essick Red is thru 4 with a break.
Can he arrange the balls for a delayed TP?

Excellent roll of Yellow before 5.
Essick may be able to attempt first peel after 6.

G3T10 Essick Red makes 5 off Blue.
Yellow and Black are by 6, Black v close to hoop.
Red is rushing Yellow toward 4-back now.
I'd definitely prefer the attempt after 6.
Also Blue (the 1-back pioneer) is a bit deep.

Error!
Essick fails 6.

That was out of the blue.
But off Black, if you see what I mean.

G3T11 Fletcher Blue misses Black (7y).

Also surprising.

Am unsure as to the exact location of Red.
Ref is on.

G3T12 Essick Red at Yellow, 7y, v slightly hampered.
Hits!

Yellow is rushed a few yards North of Blue on the E bdry.
Take-off to Blue, rush, now Red can resume break.
Albeit with Yellow out of play for now.

G3T12 Essick Red goes to Yellow after 6..
Black is 2 or 3y SW of 4-back.
He is repeating yesterday's shenanigans v Webby (G4 I think), and persisting with TP attempt.
He will be attempting his 4-back peel before 2-back, then rushing Black to 2-back.
Sort of thing you have to do with when sextupling.
Currently bereft of experts, but I think they'd disapprove.
Solid ball to the peg is called for.

While I was typing all that, Essick either didn't attempt or failed peel before 2-back..
Good rush to 2-back tho, still has a break.
Rushes Black toward 4-back, now Yellow is rushed South.
So it should be ball to the peg now.

A player from a consolation evens declares this perfect croquet weather.
Warm, sunny, slight breeze.

event

G3T12 Essick Red is making penult off Yellow with Blue and Black near rover.

Clips: Fletcher Blue 1 Black 4-back, Essick Red peg, Yellow 4-back.

Leave: Blue level with 6 on the W bdry, yard or 2 in-lawn.
Black 7y E of peg, maybe a bit north.
Yellow 4y N of 4th corner.
Red 1y N of Yellow

G3T13 Fletcher lifts Blue to A-baulk. Shooting at Yellow (13y)....

Fletcher misses.

G3T14 Essick Yellow runs 4-back to the boundary.
99% to finish.

Essick wins game 3 +17

Essick leads Fletcher 2-1

There'll be a pause.
Short if they're just waiting for refs to check hoops.
Long if they're having lunch.

In the meantime, here is a tale of ill-luck from the Plate at Williamstown the other day.

Wily old Canadian Brian Cumming is playing up-and-coming Australian Kerri-Ann Organ.
In a 3-ball ending Kerri-Ann is penult and peg, Brian is penult alone.
Kerri-Ann has a rush out of 2nd corner.
Brian eschews the shot, and goes to the middle of the North boundary.

Kerri-Ann plays a good rush to penult.
Makes penult.
Hits partner.
Rolls to rover.
Runs rover, hampered.
Has a 25% chance of hitting partner, but sees a better option.
Lays wired rush to peg.

Not completely wired, oppo can see between half and full ball (depending whom you believe).

Oppo lines up. Is he going for hoop or ball?

Shoots, runs penult, lands up next to Kerri-Ann's balls for a trivial finish

Kerri-Ann shakes his hand, then asks what he was aiming for.
Brian smirks, sheepishly admits it was the ball.

So nearly a good scalp, but Kerri-Ann will soon be a minus-player anyway.
She beat me in the qualifier with a nice irish peel finish, about the only peel I witnessed that week.
Then won 3 games in her Block in the main event.

Five women played in this tournament (out of 80).

G4T1 Essick Blue 2y W of peg, maybe a bit south.
T2 Fletcher Red peg-high W bdry.

An expert gives that ?! (in chess that means interesting choice)

T3 Essick Black misses Red from B-baulk.

T4 Fletcher Yellow misses from A-baulk.

T5 Essick Black makes 1.
Should soon have break.

T5 Essick Black thru 2.
Hoop 3 pioneer is 5y west of hoop.

T5 Essick Black thru 3.
Has break.

After yesterday's quarter-finals, Essick is now USA #1, ahead of Rothman.

T5 Essick Black is making 2-back off Blue.
Yellow has been left 5y WSW of 2.

T5 Essick Black has made 9 hoops.
All other clips on 1.
NSL with Red at 4.

G4T6 Fletcher lifts Red to B-baulk, shooting at Blue (23y)....

Fletcher misses into 4th corner.
Could be his last shot of tournament.

G4T7 Essick Blue rushes Black 3y SE of 1.
Runs hoop with useful rush.

My absent expert advocated extracting Red from 4th corner before 3, for standard TP.
This was in an earlier game in this position.

G4T7 Essick Blue has made 3. Red is still in 4th corner.

Now for the "hardest shot in the game".
Taking off to ball in 4th corner after hoop 3.
Not so hard if you can hit 5-yarders.

G4T7 Essick Blue has 5-yarder at Red.
Hits.

G4T7 Essick has made 5 but only has a rush East

G4T7 Essick Blue peels Black thru 4-back before 6.

Separated at birth:
Callum Hyland and David Maugham are spectating.
Or is it the other way round?
Identical ponytails.

G4T7 Essick Blue has Black as his 2-back pioneer.

G4T7 Essick Blue has no rush after 2-back.
Will be trying penult peel before 4-back.

G4T7 Essick Blue jawses Black in penult before 4-back.
Has 4' 4-back which alarms the crowd, but no problem.

G4T7 Essick Blue irish-peels Black thru penult.
Black is 2y in front of rover.

Yellow is the deep ball.
Deep balls have gone out of fashion.
Expert explains that you don't need them if you're going to be irishing: have two side balls instead.

But Essick is not irishing.
Black is thru by a foot
Blue trying to run rover, jumping over Black.
But he roquets Black in hoopstroke!

G4T7 Essick Blue trying 15y peg-out.
Black misses peg, is 2y NNW of peg.

Yellow is 4y WSW of 2
Red is 3y ENE of 4.
Blue is off the lawn.

Clips: Fletcher 1 & 1, Essick peg alone.

G4T8 Fletcher Yellow at Black as it lies (12y)....

Fletcher misses.

G4T9 Essick hits peg from two yards.

Essick wins game 4 +26

Essick beats Fletcher 3-1

Matthew Essick is the third American to reach the Worlds final.
Ben Rothman lost to Bamford in 2009.
David Maloof lost to Mulliner in 2016.
(Both at the National Croquet Center, Florida)
Can Essick go one better?
And whom will he be playing?

vowels

Sorry that was a test comment.

Bye for now, Andrew