With the first full round of doubles matches done and a second round in various stages of completion, the Solomon Trophy test score stands at 2-2, with the USA having won the first game in both of the unfinished matches. One of those has been pegged down in the second game, with Alain Giraud having just scored hoop 1 with the prospect of a standard triple peel ahead to level the match against Essick and Watson.

Resumption of doubles round 2 will yield precedence to Friday's scheduled first round of singles matches. We don't yet know each side's singles team order, the two captains having chosen to keep their hands close to the vest, but according to the test regulations the first singles matches will have 1 v 2, 3 v 4, and 5 v 6. Six single-banked courts will be used, a luxury afforded by the Sarasota County Croquet Club's very impressive recent expansion.

All of Thursday's matches were played on the northernmost bank of courts (numbered 5, 6, and 7), all of which are either entirely new or newly expanded in just the last few months. These lawns, along with portions of courts 1-4, were sodded with bermudagrass as recently as three months ago, yet they already look and play like long-established and nicely-maintained turf. Some irregularities here and from settling soil will need to be remedied, but they have no more impact on the course of play than the slopes and bumps found on other top-class venues in the US.

The speed of the lawns has been moderately fast but not exceptionally challenging. I will try to get some lawn speed measurements posted on Friday, but my rough estimate is something like 11.5 Plummers. One can see that the grass could be cut lower by 1 to 1.5 mm, but given the amount of relatively new turf that is still being established it is understandable why the choice has been made to keep the height of cut where it is.

Atkins Quadway hoops, which the SCCC regularly use, are being set to no more than a 0.8mm gap from the largest ball on a court. In the club's sand-based lawns they perform well but are not impressively challenging.

Today's singles, starring 9:00:

Mulliner vs. Balding, court 6
Giraud vs. Essick, court 2
Higgins vs. Rothman, court 4
Lines vs. Watson, court 5
van Loon vs. Maloof, court 1
Wade vs. Morgan, court 7

The singles team orders:

GB:
1. Mulliner
2. Giraud
3. Higgins
4. Lines
5. van Loon
6. Wade

USA:
1. Essick
2. Balding
3. Watson
4. Rothman
5. Morgan
6. Maloof