Croquet England AC Open Championships
Thursday - round of 16 by Andrew Gregory
Good afternoon from Cheltenham.
11 Jul 2024 3:51PM (Tournament); 8 Readers
Best of 3 today.
The rumour is Bamford has won, but he hasn't reported his result.
11 Jul 2024 3:55PM (Tournament); 8 Readers
Jenny Clarke has also won.
11 Jul 2024 3:55PM (Tournament); 9 Readers
Taylor v Patel is game all.
11 Jul 2024 3:55PM (Tournament); 8 Readers
Good v Mulliner also game all.
Mulliner would have won 2-0 but for a grievous from 15 yards. A yard of hill, allegedly.
11 Jul 2024 3:57PM (Tournament); 9 Readers
Gabrielle Higgins is game up, winning plus 2 on a 4 hour time limit v Suter (21-19).
She is on a TP now, think she's just peeled penult before 4-back.
11 Jul 2024 4:00PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
James Death us also through.
11 Jul 2024 4:00PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Wilkinson beat Goacher 2-0.
11 Jul 2024 4:03PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Fulford beat Fuller 24tp 24tp.
Not sure how many of David's points were POPs.
11 Jul 2024 4:04PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
I think that is all 8 matches...
11 Jul 2024 4:05PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Higgins' mallet is in the air following an Irish straight rover peel. She copes.
11 Jul 2024 4:07PM (Tournament); 12 Readers
Higgins wins 2-0.
11 Jul 2024 4:07PM (Tournament); 12 Readers
There are just 2 matches still in play, both on lawn 7. (All 8 matches were double banked.)
11 Jul 2024 4:09PM (Tournament); 12 Readers
Mulliner has first break after Good faulted himself after hoop 1.
11 Jul 2024 4:15PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Taylor v Patel game 3 yet to start.
The crowd wants it to be decanted to lawn 8, but the Mangler is not having it.
11 Jul 2024 4:17PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Mulliner has made 9, NSL.
11 Jul 2024 4:23PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Good lifts Black (for 2) from by hoop 4 to B-baulk.
Hits!
11 Jul 2024 4:25PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Sorry, we think blue is for 2 not black.
11 Jul 2024 4:28PM (Tournament); 12 Readers
Good fails hoop 1.
11 Jul 2024 4:29PM (Tournament); 11 Readers
Mulliner misses 25-yarder.
11 Jul 2024 4:29PM (Tournament); 11 Readers
Good fails hoop 2.
11 Jul 2024 4:36PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Taylor pink to east boundary.
Patel just out of 2nd corner.
Taylor White hits pink.
11 Jul 2024 4:38PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Mulliner needs a triple for the match.
11 Jul 2024 4:39PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
3rd turn, Taylor digs the ball out of 2nd corner.
11 Jul 2024 4:41PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Patel misses 4th turn.
11 Jul 2024 4:42PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Patel missed the short shot. For reasons the crowd cannot understand, Taylor ignores Patel's ball.
11 Jul 2024 4:44PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Mulliner peels 4-back after 3.
11 Jul 2024 4:45PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Despite his curious line of play, Taylor picks up break 5th turn.
11 Jul 2024 4:47PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
I'm told Bamford's double banking has been less than exemplary. Once he marked a ball.and forgot to replace it. Then when clearing the lawn at the end of the match, he cleared a ball from the other game!
11 Jul 2024 4:54PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Mulliner's standard triple is proceeding nicely.
11 Jul 2024 4:56PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Mulliner finishes.
11 Jul 2024 5:04PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Just one match remains.
Taylor has made 9.
They must be playing SuperAdvanced.
Both players must agree to play super, else it's normal.
11 Jul 2024 5:08PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
From his contact, Patel green adjusts pink near 2, then takes off from the ball in 3rd corner (white) trying to get a rush on brown near 4th corner. Green goes off the lawn.
11 Jul 2024 5:13PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Taylor pink hits white (22y).
11 Jul 2024 5:14PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Taylor gets a cannon with brown and green. He decides he needs to be sure of hoop 1, and runs it down to partner near 2. He's now trying to rush to 2 from near 4. If he gets it, he has a standard tp ahead of him.
11 Jul 2024 5:21PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Taylor fails hoop 2.
11 Jul 2024 5:22PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Patel ends up rolling to 1 from near 4, successfully!
11 Jul 2024 5:28PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Patel has the balls for a standard tpo.
11 Jul 2024 5:30PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Patel Green has peeled White thru 4-back after 3.
11 Jul 2024 5:34PM (Tournament); 11 Readers
Looks like the penult peel has been done after 6.
11 Jul 2024 5:38PM (Tournament); 13 Readers
Patel doesn't get posi for the rover peel before 3-back.
11 Jul 2024 5:45PM (Tournament); 12 Readers
Patel tries rover peel after 3-back.
Looks like it's jawsed.
11 Jul 2024 5:45PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Don't think white is in the jaws.
Should be OK though.
11 Jul 2024 5:48PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Straight rover peel required to complete the tpo.
11 Jul 2024 5:49PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Irish peel at rover. Now rushes partner (brown) to South boundary 3y east of A-baulk.
Takes off to pink.
Rushes white near peg.
11 Jul 2024 5:52PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Patel completes tpo.
Pink is for hoop 2.
Patel wondering where to leave green.
11 Jul 2024 5:53PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Green is heading to 3rd corner.
Needs to find it!
Does so!
11 Jul 2024 5:55PM (Tournament); 12 Readers
Taylor takes off from brown to green.
Goes off lawn.
11 Jul 2024 6:02PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Patel Green takes off to brown. He's looking at a spot near 1st corner.
11 Jul 2024 6:04PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Taylor takes on 40-yarder.
Hits!
Hits brown, which was technically wired!
11 Jul 2024 6:09PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Taylor rushes Green NW of 2.
Approaches, fails hoop.
11 Jul 2024 6:11PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Oops, not looking.
I guess Patel missed Taylor's ball in hoop, bouncing off to mid West boundary.
11 Jul 2024 6:14PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Taylor makes 2, misses 15-yarder.
11 Jul 2024 6:14PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Again, Patel is in with his peg ball.
Another leave near 1st corner.
11 Jul 2024 6:17PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Taylor's mallet is up.
He's claiming a wiring lift.
11 Jul 2024 6:18PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Chris Clarke fails to look the other way.
He finds two other balls.
Puts them in the relevant places, Taylor accepts he's not wired.
11 Jul 2024 6:20PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Taylor does not shoot.
Goes off 2 yards east of A-baulk.
11 Jul 2024 6:21PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Patel has not left himself a rush to 1.
Having a leave near 2nd corner.
11 Jul 2024 6:22PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Taylor finesses to 4th corner.
11 Jul 2024 6:24PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Patel is laying presumably wired rush near 2nd corner.
11 Jul 2024 6:25PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Taylor shoots, not close.
11 Jul 2024 6:25PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
"Bonkers!" opines my expert.
11 Jul 2024 6:26PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Patel has good rush to 1.
Opportunity to finish.
11 Jul 2024 6:27PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Patel fails hoop 2.
Off pink.
Can pink see brown?
Green is near 3 (pink's hoop).
11 Jul 2024 6:30PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Taylor's demeanour suggests it's not a trivial roquet.
11 Jul 2024 6:31PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
An umpire is on.
11 Jul 2024 6:32PM (Tournament); 17 Readers
Taylor hits ball through hoop.
11 Jul 2024 6:33PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Brown is left West of the peg.
My expert wanted it nearer 4 than that.
11 Jul 2024 6:34PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Taylor pink makes 3 off green.
11 Jul 2024 6:34PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Taylor needs a good croquet stroke after 3.
Overhits it.
11 Jul 2024 6:35PM (Tournament); 17 Readers
OK rush yields a 5-yard roll up.
Angled hoop 4.
Fails hoop.
11 Jul 2024 6:36PM (Tournament); 17 Readers
Patel rolls off 2 from 10 yards, runs it with the right amount of wire to give a rush to 3.
There's a ball waiting at 4, so he should finish now.
11 Jul 2024 6:42PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Patel's 3-ball break has reached 2-back.
11 Jul 2024 6:47PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Now he's at penult.
11 Jul 2024 6:49PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
Patel wins game 3 +10tpo.
11 Jul 2024 6:51PM (Tournament); 14 Readers
Just one seed failed to negotiate the round of 16, David Goacher, who lost to Robert Wilkinson.
There has been some speculation as to whether Wilko is the worst Opens quarter-finalist ever.
But we think Collin Southern in 1997 had a lower grade. To achieve this, Collin had to beat the powerful triumvirate of Frances Ransom, Ian Vincent and one Andrew Gregory.
11 Jul 2024 6:58PM (Tournament); 16 Readers
There's no one left on the lawns now, just a flock of seagulls. Literal birds, nor the '80s new wave band.
11 Jul 2024 7:02PM (Tournament); 10 Readers
10am start tomorrow.
I've been on my phone today, but will see if my underused laptop works.
It's a lot easier to cut and paste!
11 Jul 2024 7:05PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
Bye for now, Andrew
11 Jul 2024 7:05PM (Tournament); 15 Readers
At 08 Oct 2025 1:11AM (Tournament) there are 2 people reading commentaries.