Commentary on last 16 at United Thursday 7 February
Commentary by Ian Burridge (burridge.ian@googlemail.com)8:51 a.m. 7/02/2008
Last 16 Matches
Lawn 1 Clarke Jackson
Lawn 2 Death Patel
Lawn 3 Aiton Demurgue
Lawn 4 Fulford Skinley
Lawn 5 Westerby Rutger
Lawn 6 Maugham Chapman
Later Lines Davis and Mulliner Wright
All players are warming up Maugham is having hoop 3 reset
Lawns 3 and 4 are in shade and still dew covered, lawn 3 will remain easy all day lawn 4 will be easy until midday
Lawns 1 and 2 are harder than 5 and 6
Clarke Jackson should be game of the day if Jackson can reproduce his form of yesterday
I have a vantage point for all six lawns, the grandstands are empty today after yesterdays public holiday saw maybe 100 spectators on site at the peak
Maugham is having his whole lawn checked
Clarke is having hoop 4 reset
If you have any questions on the commentary please e-mail burridge.ian@googlemail.com
rutger and westerby will be first to start
rutger ball 1 to just S of corner 2
Aiton supershot 1 yard W of peg
Death just N of corner 4
Westerby 1 yard w of corner 4 (from B Baulk)
Sorry it is Demurgues supershot against Aiton
Patel hits from A baulk and rolls both balls 8 yards N leaving himself a rush to his first turn ball which I missed that is in long tice position
rutger and westerby both miss into corner 4 (rutger possibly intentionally)
Death misses from B baul
Aiton to middle of E boundary
rutger gets 4 ft 20 degree hoop
fails it back to where he started easy roquet for westerby other balls in 2 and 4
Patel rushed to tice then to corner 4 and had to roll up to 1 from 10 yards
Demurgue has missed from B baullk into corner 4
Jackson 13 yards N of corner 4 Clarke Duffer
Patel fails one giving death a 3 ball break
Fulford 13 yards n or corner 4 a yard or 2 in the lawn
jackson misses from corner 3 at partner
Aiton hits partner from A baulk
Clarke hits duffer
Westerby makes 1 rushes to S boundary fails to get behind partner
rolls to clveel with 6 on e boundary and lays a rush
skinley misses robs ball from a baulk
chapman 10 yards N of corner 4 mauaghm to corner 2
rob hits from 3rd corner
clarke gets rush to hoop 1 from jacksons join
death hampered after 3 hits his hoop 4 pioneer other balls at 3 and in the middle
clarke fails to approach goes to E boundary level with 6 partner is 7 yards E of the peg jackson at hoop 1 and very near corner 4
aaron left rush with hoop 2 ball to corner 2
aiton has established 3 ball break
chapman goes 3 yards N of corner 4 maugham misses from B baulk into corner 4
death has his 4 ball break back
fulford has 3 ball break
chapman plays with his northern ball and egts a corner 4 cannon
jackson goes 10 yards N of 4 clarke plays his ball on the east boundary and hits the ball near corner 4 (missing the more northern ball
I told you this would be game of the day!
chapman plays excellent cannon has three ball break
clarke plays a good few shots and has 3 ball break
fulford hampered after 4 has to take on hoop 5 pioneer which he rushes away, remember only 3 balls in robs game its a bit tricky now
rutger shoots from corner 2 at aarons balls and hits
9:19 a.m. 7/02/2008
shame i didnt put in the time aarons turn ended!
Death has made a diagonal spread
rob snicks a 6 yarder after hoop 5 both balls by the peg he cant get anything to one back
samir seems to think the peg ball may have a shot at partner
he is taking it
rutger misapproaches hoop 1 and scatters badly one ball 10 yards n of 1 and other on N boundary in frony of 1back arron between 1 and 4 and 3 and 4 misses from near 1 to 5 yards S of corner 3
patel hts the open shot at partner
rutger hits from 1 to the n boundary
rob has his break back
9:24 a.m. 7/02/2008
4 breaks now with patel and rutger trying to get going
samir has to lay up near hoop 2 with james ball at hoop 1 and near the middle of the E boundary
james misses from 1 to 2 with his hoop 1 ball
rutger has a 3 ball break
rob lays up with a rush on oppo from the E boundary to partner in the middle of the W boundry
aiton has a diagonal spread
clarke is making an NSL
samir has made 1 rushed to corner 2 where James ball is and the other ball is in the middle, a good chance.
The lawns are still an easy pace there is a bit more cloud than yesterday but they should be pretty quick in a couple of hours
skinley misses long lift
rutger has to run hoop3 to his hoop 4 pioneer
chaoman has a diagonal spread
samir has his break
9:31 a.m. 7/02/2008
demurgue lifts the ball near hoop 2
strongest (first?) gust of wind of the day gets rob on his rush to 1 which is 3-4 yards short
makes hoop 1 but has 7 yard return and hoop 2 pioneer is stil near the middle of the w boundary
fulford misses to just out of corner 1
rutger has his break back
demurgue hits
maugham lifts ball by hoop 2 and hits the boundar on his long lift (demurgue has hit the in lawn ball)
jackson missed think he took the hoop 4 ball down the E boundary chris already has a break to hoop 3
first applause of the day as skinley hits from the w boundary to corner 4, he isnt going to get a better chnace that this
samir has stuck in 4 james is in with his hoop 1 ball
9:37 a.m. 7/02/2008
skinley is short out of corner 1 and doesnt have a rush to 1
clarke has failed the first peel of a standard TP
james has a standard tp
dumergue has misappraoched 1 off partner
skinley has 18: 40 degree hoop
18"
fails it off robs 4 back ball
maugham misses a 5 yarder after hoop 1 trying to set up his break (tpo?) chapman has hit
rutger is making an NSL with aarons hoop 2 ball in hoop, it can run it
aiton hits from hoop2 at partner on the middle of the E boundary wth his hoop 1 ball with demurgue joined up at hoop 1
9:42 a.m. 7/02/2008
chapman fails a 2 yards nagled hoo1 off partner, daves balls at 2 and 3
fulford lays up in corner 2 with skinely at 3 and in corner 4, skinley misses from 3 at Rob in corner
maugham misses from 2 at Paddys balls, the ball in the hoop will run
chris has one peel done with partner at 2back making 1 back
james is doing a death roll to 2-back
Keith is on hoop 2 with a standard tp ahead of him
aaron lifted ball at hoop 4 and missed long lift into corner 4
9:45 a.m. 7/02/2008
death survives a poor death roll which achieved the peel
chapman makes 1 and must have gone out taking off to daves ball on the S boundary
death fails to apprach 3 back having had to apprach from 3 yards the peel is jawsed he has gone to corner 2
rob is doing a tp with the hoop 4 pioneer in corner 4
daves has stopped a ball to hoop 2 and has to apprach 1 form the w boundarywhich he does gettng a 20 degree 18" hoop that he runs peelee is the ball he made hoop 1 off, he has all the balls
samir hits a 7 yard lift with a ball in his hoop
he has to peel it
clarke has a straight double to do and is on penult
keith has made what must be a bad error after 2 he had everything demurgue now has everything if he can make 1 appraoching from 4 yards
gets a 5' straight hoop
fulford sticks in 5 with a peel done
demurgue fails 1
rutger gets a standard tp rushing out of 2 and getting a cannon in corner 4
Dave is just having a ball round
chris failed to rush in fornt of rover and is laying up rover and peg
keith is in has partner at 4 has taken demurgue out of 1 and now has to rush to 3 from the oter ball at 1
jacksons balls are in corner 2 and the middle of the E boundary chris is in corner 4
Rutgers 4-back peel faile dto reach!!
Patel breaks down at 2 back gifting james the first
skinley fails to approach 1 off partner from 5 yards robs ball as 2 and 3
jackson has lifted the E boundary ball and is shooting at partner 4 yards south of corner 2
9:58 a.m. 7/02/2008
keith must have failed 3 of demurgues ball with other balls at 2 and 4
Death finshes 9:59 a.m. 7/02/2008
rutger has good position at hoop 6 for a delayed TP
jackson hits
rob hits from 2 to 3 with his hoop 5 ball skinley balls are 4 yards s of 1 and on the w boundary level with it
jackosns take off hits hoop 4 when it might have been going out
rutger jawses the peel
no idea what has now happened in aiton demurgue aiton is in with his 4 back ball at hoop 2, partner is at hoop 3 and demurgues other ball is on the S boundary 10 yards west of corner 4
rob has a perfect standard double, should be all over
jackson makes hoop 1 running it N of hoop 2, hits the ball near corner 2 there are ball 8 yards N of hoop 1 and near corner 4
10:04 a.m. 7/02/2008
Death Supershot, patel misses dribble
death takes double from corner 3 missing into baulk
hoop 1 was in the way of the double from a baulk
dave has done 1 pop laid up tight in corner 2 with the 4-back ball in the middle of the W boundary and the hoop 3 ball on the E boundary level with 5
aiton has a sort of 3 ball break but I think I have missed a turn
jackson has made 2 with a ball in the vcinity of hopp 3
rutger has the penult peel jawsed before 3 back
James has just described his last shot as four wides down leg side
still not much pace in the lawns (that is being saved for Mulliner)
aiton has a proper 3 ball break now
chapman hits to more applause with the hoop 3 ball from a baulk
rutger grovels through 3-back hampered shot looks OK
samir runs a very difficult hoop 3 on a four ball break
Jackson has a break at hoop 4
10:11 a.m. 7/02/2008
rutger hits his hampered shot
aiton has peelee at hoop 5 with other balls near hoop 6
he is playing for rushing over after 6
paddy has played a corner 2 cannon for 3 and 4 not as good as his first effort ast the ball going to 4 is nearly on the s boundary
fulford finshes
paddy gets lucky rush after long hoop straight back to partner in corner 2
the rumour is that the block games no longer count in the plate following the players meeting this morning
keith didnt get the peel and appears to have settled for a ball to the peg
chapman has a good break now and is setting up for a delayed TP
rob has asked for his lawn to be reset
10:18 a.m. 7/02/2008
rutgers staright rover peel from a yard with an irish works perfectly
patel makes an NSL
The crowd is growing around 50 people here now
rutger finishes
10:21 a.m. 7/02/2008
chapman gets the peel before 6
james lifts the ball by hoop 4 misses into corner 4 from b baulk
rutger plays his first ball from b baulk to half way between 1 and 5, it looked like a practice shot not a shot in the last 16 of the worlds, no idea what the intention was
aiton has done a straight peel without looking at an STP
the referee is on rutgers lawn checking the hoops, I think he has played the first stroke of game 2 though, this is a little bizarre
Jacksons break has reached 1back
aaron shoots hard at rutgers ball towards corner 2 missing
patel has to run hoop 3 hard on a 3 ball break with a ball in corner 4 and immediately apprached hoop 4 off the hoop 4 pioneer
I think he is going to take on the 6 yarder at the corner ball
he turns this down doesnt really have much at the moment
rutger hits the ball that finsished perfectly s of corner 2
10:28 a.m. 7/02/2008
paddy is setting up a delayed double
samir misappraoches hoop 5 from (10? yards) goes to slightly w of the middle of the N boundary his 4back ball is at hoop 6 James has a guarded 7 yarder at it from hoop 5 the other ball is in corner 4
james predictably rushes his 7 yarder
Paddy is making 4back with a peel to do
skinley goes 13 yards N of corner 4 on turn 1 a couple of yards in (copying his opponent!!)
jackson has broken down at 2-back and clarke has already made rover
clarke has finished
rutger has made 4 with a ball near the peg
sorry he is on 4 with a ball on the s boundary in front of 3-back, he has got a rush to 4
rutger has a braek now
rob has a duffer
10:35 a.m. 7/02/2008
dumergue has missed what was probably a diagoanl spread
paddy has stuck in penult dave is in with his backward ball has to peel penult to get the break going
skinley hits
the hoops are being reset on clarkes lawn
dave has to approach hoop 2 from 2 yards for a standard tp
keith has a 2 yard backawrd take off to penult with a couple of balls near rover
he grovels through and has an easy shot at the escape ball
james has a break at one back
skinley makes a DL and rob misses into corner 2 from a baulk
keith wins game 1
10:41 a.m. 7/02/2008
skinley makes hoop 1 with a ball at 2 and a ball in corner 2
james is making a diagonal spread
rutger has laid up with 3 balls over on the W boundary
10:44 a.m. 7/02/2008
samir lifts his hoop 6 ball which was at the peg and shhots from b baulk
samir hits
dave is at penult with a peel done
skinley is at hoop 3 with a 3 ball break
the big hammer (and I mean big) has been retrieved from the clubhouse to assist with the hoop setting on clarke lawn
aaron shoots from a baulk and hits to the most applause of the day, lawn 5 is the show lawn including competitors there are around 40 people watching this game
samir has made 5 with balls ahead of his break although not very near 6
10:51 a.m. 7/02/2008
dave is at 2back with 2 peels done
samir has made 6 and now has a break
The games today are not double banked (thank you for the first question of the day!!)
These games are best of three we may have best of 5 tomorrow but I think that is yet to be determined, on todays weather you would play 5s but if it is like yesterday they will need time limits
skinley has stcuk in 5 slightly awkward pick up for rob
dave is peeling before 3back gets it and then rushes to worse than death position (directly behind the hoop)
runs a short angled hoop so should finish from here
aaron is at hoop 2 and appears to be setting up for a TPO
They are still resetting the hoops on jacksons lawn
dumergue put his first pall 10 yards N of corner 4 , aiton to corner 2 , demurgue missed partner from b baulk
rob didnt get going and skinley has hi sbreak back
Clarke to corner 2 jackson to middle of east boundary clarke misses from b baulk to 3 yards S of Jacksons ball
Maugham finishes
11:01 a.m. 7/02/2008
jackson hits partner from b baulk
aiton hits the ball in corner 4 from a baulk
aaron missed the first peel from 2 feet straight on his TPO
samir has made a poor vertical spread for 4-back and peg with the ball at penult open
it is however james hoop 1 ball which he lifts and takes the long shot from b-baulk missing into corner 4. This will be a good finsish as the ball at rover is in the jaws and wont rush anywhere near 4-back
aiton lays up in corner 2 with a rush along the N boundary with ians balls at 1 and between 3 and 4
lost control of fulford skinley, paul is in hoop 6 off partner with rob in corner 1 and 10 yards N of corner 1 and 2 yards in, rob hits
demurgue misses from hoop 1 to corner 2
11:08 a.m. 7/02/2008
we have missed a bitof the clarke game he has balls in corners 2 and 3 with jackson runnning hoop 1 from 4 feet angled
he makes it and has a 10 yard return
aaron is just going round now
Maugham has a supershot ball
chapman hits it from a baulk
he is trying to approach hoop 1
samir made 4 back but not penult james is in with his backward ball
paddy has stuck in one
rob has a break and has peeled skinley to 1 back
maugham hits peeling paddy
keith has made hoop 1 and has already got a 4 ball break
jackson has hit the return and laid up in corner 4
The lawns are still playing easily but for the first time there is a hint that a bit of pace might not be too far away
11:12 a.m. 7/02/2008
james has a standard tp for 2-0, however most of his peeling breaks this week have come to grief in one way or another
Clarke misses jackson from corner 2
maugham has a 3 ball break
westerby is making an NSL with the 4back ball on hoop 4
somehow james has had to try an in-off peel using the escape ball after hoop 3, he got it in the jaws and has a rush south
looks like jackson has got a corner cannon in corner 3, lets see if he can show the brits why you should actually go in corners
the ball going to hoop 2 is good cant see where the hoop 3 ball is but he must have the semblance of a 3 ball break
james rush peel worked
11:18 a.m. 7/02/2008
rutger lifts his hoop 1 ball and is shooting from b baulk
james has the second peel jawsed and is on 1 back
rutger misses into corner 4
james got the roevr peel going to 2 back, should be easy from here
rob has made an nsl with the 1back ball on the w boundary 3 yards s of corner 2
skinley lifts the ball by hoop 4 and is taking the long shot
aaron looks like he has picked up his break and has all the balls
dave has left a rush fromthe East boundary on paddys ball to his ball 13 yards south of corner 2
aaron has an 8 yard retrun after hoop 1
james finishes 2-0
11:25 a.m. 7/02/2008
jackson fails hoop 5 with a break established
westerby hits his return
paddy misses from a baulk to the e boundary
clarke has made 1 and more or less has a 4 ball break
dave has made 1 but still has some work to do
keith has a diagonal spread
skinley has missed the long lift
rob is making 2 off partner with a ball at hoop 3 and another in corner 4
ian lifts the ball by hoop 2 and shoots from corner 3
davis lines will be on the vacated lawn 2
ian misses
aaron is on hoop 4 with a peel done
clarke sticks in hoop 6 on a break
dave is doing a tp with his hoop 4 pioneer 5 yards ese of the hoop
jackosn has a break with his hoop 5 ball
aiton fails 2 off partner dumergue misses from hoop 3
fulford took on the ball in corner 4 having run the hoop and mised
skinley has made 1back with a ball at 2back
So I think fluford clarke and aiton all broke down whilst I was changing the battery!
aiton hit dumerges ball after making 2 and now has a 3 ball break
westerby is on hoop 6 with a standard double peel awaiting him
Dave is on hoop 5 with one peel done
The crowd has now swelled to 80
Keith has just missed so he is 4 and 4back with his 4 ball 8 yards E of corner 4 where dumergue has a ball the other balls are three yards n and s of hoop 5
skinley jumps through 3-back
dumergue hit is 8 yarder from corner 4
aaron has the second peel though, dave is lining his up
11:44 a.m. 7/02/2008
jacksons break has just made 1 back
skinley is having to make his leave from a very ragged position
he ends up in corner 2 with a 2 yard rush with robs balls apparantely in reverse diagonal spread position presumably there was a bit open
rob hits the long lift with the ball from the middle from b baulk at partner
the first applause of the day for a non kiwi
aaron is playing to rush out of 3 back for the final peel, dave has his jawsed before 3-back
dumergue more or less has his break
rob needs to rush to 1 from corner 2 for a standard TP
sorry he is on hoop 5 which he has rushed well to
Ian has over approached 2 and will return to partner in the middle of the W boundary keiths ball at 2 may be wired from these, his other ball is at 3
lines went 10 yards north of corner 4 davis to corner 2 lines shot at partner from a baulk and missed as did shane
jackson has made an nsl with the ball at hoop 4 looking like it is in the front of the jaws
11:54 a.m. 7/02/2008
Aiton missed from 2 to 3
maugham is making rover with the peels done aaron is on penult with a straught rover peel to do
chirs has lifted the ball by 2 and is taking some sort of target from a baulk
maugham finshes
11:55 a.m. 7/02/2008
Clarke misses
lines makes 1 and lays up in a guarded corner 1 with shane still in corner 2 and over by the e boundary
Shane misses from corner 2
mulliner wright is going on lawn 6 where dave has just finished
rob has made 2 back with partner in the middle and a ball at 3back
aarons peel has struggled through and he has no deep ball
he has an 8 yard return for the game
lines has played a good turn and is approaching 2 from 2 yards with balls at 3 and 4
he hits the return cannoning the peel ball out from behind the hoop
jackson makes hoop 1 has 2 8 yarders at balls in front of him, i cant see the other ball
rob is doing an stp the first peel is poor and he has to settle for hitting peelee when running the hoop
aaron equalises
12:03 p.m. 7/02/2008
dumergues break has reached hoop 5
looks like lines misapproached hoop 2, shane has the innings
jacksons other ball was near hoop 3 and i think he has just rolled up to hoop 2 from it! So he has made 2 with peelee in the middle of the lawn and a ball somewhere near hoop 3
lines has the innings back, I cant see hoop 1 on that lawn presumably davis is in it
robs penult and peg leave is his balls in corner 4 skinleys 4 back ball 15 yards south of corner 3 and the other ball is over by hoop 2
rutger and aaron have disappeared so I presuem it is lunch
skinley lifts his hoop 1 ball from by hoop 2 and misses the shot form a baulk
Lines failed hoop 3 davis has the innings - this is a commentators nightmare game!!
jacksons first peel has bounced out
rob has made 4 back instead of penult, skinley has a 5 yarder from penult with his 4-back ball
skinley misses
tricky finish for rob now, unless he takes on the 7 yarder at skinleys ball
he has hit it 7 yarder
dumergue has a reverse OSL
aiton lifts his hoop 4 ball from by hoop 4 and takes the short shot from b baulk
rob makes penult with a ball at rover
mulliner 8 yards N of corner 4, wright duffer. This will be a thriller too I think but at least I can see it
aiton hits
fulford finishes
12:20 p.m. 7/02/2008
jacskon has to cannon a ball out of the way of 6 before making it so he is for 1back with 2 balls at six and peelee just in fromt of 4 abck
mulliner shot at the duffer from corner 3 missing wright miseed the ball on the W boundary from a baulk (15 yards)
aiton misses a 5 yard hampered roquet after 4 off partner dumergue is at hoop 5 and hoop 2
Mulliner joins 3 yards wide on the E boundary
shane blobs 5 off ians hoop 3 ball, there is a ball mear hoop 6
wright shoots at mulliner with the duffer missing
the speed of play in this game is noticeably quicker than any of the others
12:25 p.m. 7/02/2008
dumergue misses from 5 to keith behind 4
lines has to approach 3 from 4 yards for a 4 ball break
mulliner lays up in corner 1
lines makes 3
wright moves the ball on the E bnoundary tyo corner 4
aaron and rutger have returned, rutger to just out of corner 2
aaron to 2 yards w of corner 4
jackson runs an awkward 2back with a ball at 3back and peelee still lurking at 4back, it is a good burridge triple this one
rutger has hit aarns ball frm a baullk and rolled up to the max length spot on the E boundary
lines break is still going
after dumergues miss aiton has stuck in hoop 5 and demurgue seems to have missed him however somehow aitons other ball is inexplicably in corner 1
he is trying to make hoop 5 again with a ball by hoop 2 and partner in corner 1
mulliner seems to have played a very good turn having a cannon in corner 4 and a ball at hoop 3
aaron has missed the long shot
mulliner has a 4 foot hoop 2, he is wiping his mallet and just runs it getting an easy hampered shot
rutger has waht lloks like an impossible hoop1 to me off partner with aaron in corner 2 and 4. he is attempting it, I will applaud if he gets this
misshits it horribly and comes back to where he started
his balls are about 8 yards apart
jackson is on penult and has given up on any peels
aaron is shooting from corner 2 to corner 4
It is a glorious day now lawns 1 and 2 should be getting interesting soon
aiton has a break and is for 3 back
aaron misses
mulliner is at 5 with a 4 ball break
12:40 p.m. 7/02/2008
rutger has a refusal due to wind on his 8 yarder by crisps have blown away
rob has kindly brought me my lunch so we may get some expert comments from him
rutger hits takes off to corner 4 leaving partner by hoop 2
The shot rob missed after hoop 4 was only 3 yards long apparently
jackson has laid up in corner 4 with Chris's balls by the peg and near the west boundary
rutger has made hoop 1 and has a 3 ball break
clarke hits from the w boundary at the ball by the peg
it his hoop 1 ball
lines has a diagonal spread
clarke rushes badly to 2 needs to apprach from 7 yards
clarke makes hoop 2 and has a break, i think it will be a rigall
aiton is 4 back and peg IDs 4back ball is at penult well hidden from bualk the other ball is just in form the boundary near hoop 4, Keith is in corner 2
another gust of wind spills robs coke
dumerge lifts the ball at penult and hits the short shot from b baulk
davis has missed a lift and lines has a 3 ball break for hoop 3
clarke has a 4 ball break
Mulliner has a diagonal spread
12:55 p.m. 7/02/2008
rutger has a break and is on hoop 5
wright lifts the ball by hoop 2 and takes the long shot from b baulk
misses
I think shane must have shot at the peg ball from by crner 3 and is now on the S boundary lines plays a good roll out of 3 to 4 and should have a break now
dumergue has laid yp in corner 4 with keith near corner 1 and 2. the peg ball is near corner 1
rutger has a 10 yard return after 1 back
hits
chris has put out a 4 back pioneer so a rigall it is
rob thinks chris should put his peg ball in front of 3back and his other ball in corner 2
mulliner has a 3 ball break with a ball in corner 4 he looks determined not to let this opportunity of his draw opening up before him slip through his grasp
aiton shot from corner 2 at demurgue in corner 4
missing
1:04 p.m. 7/02/2008
rutger is making an NSL
dumergue has a stop shot approach from corner 1 for a break
needs to run a 5 foot angled hoop
chris has the hoop 6 ball in corner 2
The other ball is in front of 3 back, well called Rob
demurgue ran it by a mm and is now in first corner without a rush
keith shooting with his peg ball from hoop 2 to a ball 4 yards e of the peg
jackson has rolled upto 4back getting position but putting the other ball off
chris has hit the 7 yarder down towards hoop 4
chris joins in corner 2
he has croqueted bobs ball towards hoop 1
jackson has finessed and Chris is improving his rush
dumergue has failed hoop 2 to the W boundary level wiyj it keiths 4 back ball is behind the hoop with a 10 yarder his peg ball is 2 yards N of the peg dumergues other ball is by hoop 3
Keith hits, should be an easy finsih
westerby has lifted the ball at hoop 4 and is taking the long shot from b baulk
misses
jackson is more or less in corner 3 Chris has a good rush to 6 from corner 2
jacksons ball was 3 yards w of corner 3, chris has rushed 3 yards s of corner 3
Chris hasnt got a rush on Jacksons ball
he appraoches 6 with his ball on the N boundary croqueting jacksons ball towards the s boundatry
clarke is concerend jackson will have a lift if he sticks, he is spending a long time looking at it
he is now lieing down, this must be close
his hoop is about5 foot long
rutger has a 3 ball braek with a ball in corner 4
clarke joins up
lines has broken down 4-back and 4-back trying a straght 4back peel
jacksons moves to the middle of the E boundary
Clarke rushes to the middle of the W boundary
aiton finishes
1:21 p.m. 7/02/2008
Thats all the aussies gone
rutger ran 3 hard to the ball in corner 4 and has got a 10 yarder at it
jackson moved back towards coenrer 3 and Chris has rushed for a mid court wire but had to retreat back to the W bundary
Rutger misses aarons ball in corner 4 the other balls are at 3 and 4
jackson moves back to the middle of the e boundary
Chris rushes reasonably to 6 a 4 yard appraoch but decides to retreat to corner 2
Mulliner has another diagonal spread 4 back and peg
1:25 p.m. 7/02/2008
wright lifts the ball by the peg and hits the long shot from b baulk
lines is back in and has made 4back with a ball at penult dint think shane made hoop 1
aaron has got a 4 ball break if he makes hoop 1 approaching from 3 yards behind
jackson moves to corner 3, calrke rushes to and makes 6
no rush and retreats to corner 2
no he doesnt he stays on the W boundary level with 5 potentially wired
aaron has a 4 foot straight hoop
runs it
wright lays up in corner 2 with mulliner at 1 and 8 yards south of hoop 3, mulliner moves the ball by hoop 1 to corner 4
jackson stayed by corner 3 clarke rushes to and makes 1 back again without a rush
rob fancies a 13 yard join on the W bouundary with the 2 back ball near second corner
chris has opted for a 17 yard join (rob was happy to call a 13 yarder a join but not a 17 yarder!)
jackson is going to take his lift from corner 1
wright lays up in corner 3 with mullier at hoop 2 and a couple of yards out of corner 4
aaron has a break
liens is making a diagonal spread for 4 back and peg
mulliner misses from corner 4 to hoop 2
jackson misses to corner 2
I think lines has left the cross peg open
clarke has palyed a good stroke getting a rush to 2 back getting some applause from the partisan crowd
The rush isnt great he has a 5 yd backawrd take off that is short, he lays a rush on partner which is the ball at 2back
Jacksons ball is at 3 back, rob doesnt think he will shoot in a million years
sure enough he moves to the middle of the w boundary
chris rushes to the SE of hoop 1 and takes off to Jacksons ball
mulliner has got in with his peg ball
clarek is approaching from the boundary putting jackson to 3 back
gets a 1 yard 20 degree hoop which he runs easily
lines laid up in corber 2 and shane hit with the ball on that side of the lawn from where it lay
mulliner has a rush to 4back from corner 3, wrights balls are at hoops 2 and 4
1:41 p.m. 7/02/2008
wright misses from hoop 2 at mulliners balls
aaron has had a hoop hole repaired before appraoching 5 on a 4 ball break against 4 and 4 back
He is NZs best hope at the moment
clarke finishes
1:44 p.m. 7/02/2008
rob has just jumped out of his seat they are putting the hoops in new holes on lawn 4
He is grinning from ear to ear
davis has laid up at hoop 1 with lines at 2 and 3, lines hits from 2 to 3 withe the peg ball
mulliner finishes
1:47 p.m. 7/02/2008
liens is laid up in corner 3 with davis by hoop 1 and in corner 4
aaron has reached 1back
davis misses from corner 4 to hoop 1
aaron somehow managed to get himself hampered on the stroke he need to use run 1-back by another ball and he has failed the hoop
rutger played with 4 back ball that had a one foot roquet it looked like the hoop 4 ball had a 9 yarder
rob thinks rutger should make some hoops 2 or 3 depending on how it goes
2 if it was easy to make a leave having done so
it looks like lines has missed his rush to penult
shane has a lift with a ball 2 ayrds off b baulk and balls at 5 and 6
rutger is settling for a leaveaarons hoop 1 ball i2 2 aydrs nw of hoop2 and his 1back ball is 20 yards south of corner 3 and 2 yards in the lawn. Rutger is in corner 3 and 4 feet south
rob thinks corner 1 was a better option
aaron has a realtively free shot with a ball at his hoop and a bit of a target
The crowd go wild
he hit the ball in the corner should be able to continue where he left off
All 85 spectators are watching this game
shane has a break with his hoop 5 ball and is now on hoop 6
2:05 p.m. 7/02/2008
everything has slowed down here, we need Mulliner back from lunch
aaron is thinking about his leave befroe making 2back
rob would have his balls in corner 2 the 4 back ball in the middle of the w boundary and the other ball n of corner 4
the leave dave conveniently borrowed for his game with paddy
a reverse spread with the 4 back ball at the peg rob thnks is a good alternative
It will be a few minutes before we find out what aaron has in mind
mulliner is back beaming from ear to ear, he knows a good draw when he sees one
michael is back too
wright lags down the east boundary to 13 yards N of corner 4, he is not far in the lawn
shane is rigalling against penult and peg
rob doesnt like it as an idea
I think it looks great
long duffer from mulliner
wright rushes it towards hoop 4 there is a chance of splitting behind the other ball
no he is just laying up
there are 100 spectators here now (not including players) and two have just chosen lines v davis
mulliner misses the long shot from b baulk into corner 4
looks like aaron is making a reverse spread he is now approaching 3 back
he has grovelled through and has an easy hampered shot
wright has grovelled through one and has a more difficult shot there is a ball at twoa nd another in corner 4
aaron hits
micahel misses partner
the hoop setters are on to their second hoop it seems to have taken some time to set the first one!!
2:21 p.m. 7/02/2008
shane has his rigall and has rushed partner to corner 4 and gone in corner 1 with the peg ball
mulliber hit from 2 to 1 and has a break
good job I got my seat early the grandstand now has 29 people in it capacity lloks like about 60
aaron has his reverse spread
2:25 p.m. 7/02/2008
lines takes contact in corner takes off to penult and takes position
all of nz want this shot to miss
mulliner has a break
davis moves from corner 4 to 6 yards N of corner 1 - rob likes it
lines finishes beside rover
rutger lifts the ball by 4 and takes the short shot from b baulk
lines misses the ball in corner 1
rutger has a restaulk and misses, a buzz goes roudn the crowd
davuis has corqueted lines into the jaws of 4 back and had to go in corner 4 with the other ball somewhere north of corner 1
westerby has a 4 yard staright approach
he has got a one foot slightly angled hoop whihc he ruins easily
he has all the balls peelee is in the middle
lines takes bad position at rover with his lift shane hits from corner 4 to the E boundary
2:34 p.m. 7/02/2008
mulliner has put his NSL ball betwen him and 3bakc and had to jump it and has a 10 yard return
he has hit it
shane has put ian succesfully to corner 3 this time and joined up in corner 1
lines has taken position at rover
davis join must be wide
it is his peg ball is in corner 1 and the hoop 1 ball is on the e boundary N of the peg
davis has missed into corner 1lines has a 4' straight hoop
he runs the hoop
aaron has a standard TP at hoop 3
mulliner has to have an OSl and michael misses with the middle ball froom where it lies to mulliners balsl
lines misses shanes balls after rover
shane has plaeyd with his peg ball moved ian to corner 2 and laid up in corner 1. Ian will be close to wired from the peg
aaron has the first peel jawsed
mulliner has made hoop 1 with a couple fo scrappy balls by hoop3
ian is moving to the middle of the east boundary
I think the hoop settiing on lawn 4 is finished hoop 1 will obviously be hoop of the day given how long it took
mulliner has failed hoop 2 off parter michael at hoops 3 and 4
micahel hits from 3 to 2
shane is laid up with a rush to 2 for hoop 2 not guarding ians shot at the peg
ian misses by nothing given his reaction
micahel has a 7 yard return after hoop 1 with a ball at hoop 2
hits
shane makes 2 and rolls to the middle of the e boundary guarding ians shot
2:48 p.m. 7/02/2008
rob and I dont think he will shoot in a million years
aaron has tried to miapproach 6 still 90%
fails it with a relatively gentle shot
6 and penult plays 4 and 4back
michael has a break
ian is still thinking
he has deemed or moved his ball slightly
rutger is nowhere to be seen
shane improves his rush
rutger peels aaron through 6 with his hoop4 ball three is another ball at 6 and another at 1back
shane has got a hampered rush out of 3 and taken it 5 yards from hoop 4
I have moved to the shade and it is quite cool which explains why many of the players still have jackets on
shane has 2 balled 4 and 5 has croqueted partner twoards corner 2 and is moving ian to corner 4
rutget has made hoop 4 and has a 6 yard return for everything, will he be tempted by the double on oppo?
hes missed so we will never know
aarons penult ball is at hoop 4 with a 9 yarder a rutgers 4back ball near the peg, his 1back ball is 3 yards n of 6 rutgers other ball is 3 ayrds east of corner 2
the balls in the middle appear to be wired by hoop 6
he has to play with the ball by hoop 4 at the ball by the peg but it is guarded by the ball in corner 2
we have a wind refusal
It goes still for a moment and aaorn takes the opportunity to make a solid looking roquet
hes rushed it the middle of the n boundary
it looks like lines has missed the peg from neaer corner 4 and davis has adopted a line of play leading to a stoppo appraoch
rob fancies a cross wire at 1back and go in corner 4 he says the lawn is too tricky to try anything fancy
sorry shane is on hoop 6 he was just moving ian away towards corner 3 and joining up in corner 2, he appears to have managed to wire him from the peg
ian goes to corner 3
aaron has a 4' backward take off
palyed it well and has a 2' penult with a ball at rover and a ball at 1back
wright has an OSL mulliner lifts the ball by hoop 2 and hits the middle ball from b-baulk, he is playing his 4bakc ball
aaron has a 7 yard return or a 5 yarder at the rover pioneer
he is going for the ball at rover
it is very windy again
shane has 2 balled 6 and one back has a 6 yard forward roquet out of 1 back
aaron has hit the 5 yarder to 2 yards off the south boundary
he could lay up now
sorry mulliner is in with his hoop 2 ball ahs a simialr hoop to the one he failed the first time - runs it
peelee is 8 yards from 3 there is a ball at 4 and he has a rush out of 2
aaron has taken off back to partner at penult there is an air of tension developing around this game now
shane laid up about 16 yards N of corner 1 (refusing the 6 yarder) ian has hit the lift from a baulk
lines finishes
3:10 p.m. 7/02/2008
mulliver has misapproached 3 off micahel 4 bakc ball, partner is there too michaels other ball is at hoop 4
shane is taking lunch
I think it is technically toolate for lunch under the rules but a tea break is available!
aaron has croquet by penult with rutgers 4back ball by 1back
he is rolling to corner 2
3:12 p.m. 7/02/2008
stephen has scattered fairly well his 4 back ball is 3 yards e of corner 1 and his peg ball is 14 yards n of corner 4
michael misses from hoop 4 to hoop 3
aaron has changed his mind and it taking off to the ball at 1back he still wants to make rover
stephen shoots from hoop 4 to partner in corner 1 missing
micheal misses his 6 yarder bakc from the n boundary leaving a ball at hoop 3 stephens hoop an easy start for stephen
aaron has changed his mind again and is now rolling to the e bundary 10 yards s of corner 3
his balls finish 2 feet apart with the one back ball to the north
the ball by the s boundary may have a target
rutger has collected his mallet and walked past without even looking at it
he is shooting from 1 back at aarons balls
13 practice swings a poor sounding contact and a near miss
stephen has got a three ball break at hoop 5
make that a 4 ball break at hoop 4!
3:20 p.m. 7/02/2008
aaron has rushed to the ball on the south boundary leaving partner on the e boundary
shane is still sat by his lawn maybe it is Ians lunch break
aarons rush to 1 back goes through hoop 2 maybe taking a yard or 2 off it he has an 8' approach
he has a 4" hoop and gets a rush to partner the 2 back ball s 4 yards e of 2 back
mulliner is rushing out of 6 for a delayed tp he has a perfect rush
clubbed it
aaron is approaching 2 back from 5' to the side
poor approach only 80% hoop
runs it hard to the boundary
mulliner has faield 2 back badly
it is off the hoop 2 ball that has a 5 yarder at the ball taht has bounced off 2-back, probably the worst hoop stroke of the day
aaron isnt going to get the rush acorss after 3 back so it is a staright rover peel fo rthe match
a very strong gust causes a refusal on a 4 yard return after 3 back, hits its
hoop setting has now started on lawn 1
he has rolled peeleeinto the back of the jaws could be good could be bad
wright has made hoop 2 with a ball between 1 and 2 and the other between 3 and 4
rob wouldnt go back to the peelee after 4 back
an awful take off from 30' to the side gives a 2 foot 40 degree hoop this is difficult
the wind is very gusty at the moment
runs it off the north boundary, that even gets applause from rob
a 6 yard retrun now
micahel has a break
hits the return rob thought it was worthy of applause but copped out when no one else did!
it has gone between roevr and the peghe is ignoring the peelee
davis has played turn 1 to 10 yards n of corner 4 ian is in corner 2
shane shoots at partner from a baulk hitting
aaron has got a better deep ball than last time ie he has one!
here is the big rush on peelee he is in perfect position
shane leaves a rush and ian misses from a baulk
it is probably a 2' staright peel
the side ball is not well placed for an irish that struggles through
3:39 p.m. 7/02/2008
shane makes hoop 1 without a rush
this peel line up how he wants it
you have to say this is worth spending some time over
i dont think he can get the balls together let alone on the right line
rutger fidgets with his beard
the wind continues to gust strongly
here it comes
no the balls are apart again
3:42 p.m. 7/02/2008
here we go again
its jawsed he is far enough back for a jump but a bit angled a half jump may fail
got lucky half jump hit the corwn and wnet through
its all over
the excitement turns to micheal wrights rigall
he has got a straight peel so is penult himslef, dont know what I am talking about mulliner is 2back and 4back
shaen looks like he has rolled out of corner 2 for a break
the rush to peg is poor it is 99% from 3 and a bit yards
he breaks the peg to much hilarity
aaron wins
3:48 p.m. 7/02/2008
shane has missed his return after 2 into a baulk
ian claims a lift with his ball by hoop 2 partner is by hoop 4 shane s balls are in a baulk and at hoop 3
i think ian has decided himself there is no lift
he dribbles with the ball by hoop 4 to hoop 2 joining up rather than shooting to make sure he is not corss wired
michael wright has a reverse rush on the west boundary with the 2back ball in orver and the other ball 9 yards NE of it
stephen is taking the 9 yarder from where they lie he must have 90% of the ball in rover
shane shoots from a baulk to hoop 3 missing
stephen hits keeping it very near the hoop
3:54 p.m. 7/02/2008
stephen takes off to micahels balls and gets a ball to penult and his rush to 4 back maybe we will get that rigall after all
his rush is 4 yards past 4 back
very good approach
ian has what looks like a very fast apprach from 5 yards in front of 1
finishes beside the hoop
mulliner stick in penult from nowhere on a break
michael has a 6 yarder for the game but has taken his one yarder for the innings
ian has another chance to rush to hoop 1 from the e boundary
he tonks it into corner 1 we may be here for some time. to be fair it is the fastest lawn
has 4 foot angled hoop and decides to attempt it rejecting to 2 yrads north of corner 1
michel has a rush out of corner 1 to stephens 2 back ball which is 6 yards n of hoop 4 the penult ball is 5 yards n of penult
mulliner hits from 4 to 2back we might have been wired from a fist by his body
shane hit from hoop1 to 5 and is approaching 3
makes it and has a sort of 3 ball break not sure it will be enough on this lawn
stephen has to approach 3back from 5 yards in front with everything in fornt of him he might be able to construct a finish
gets a rush out of 3 back so the finish is on now
shane is on hoop 5 with no ball at 6
mulliner is setting up a straight double
4:10 p.m. 7/02/2008
shane has split off the lawn after 5 giving ian the innings with bad balls at hoops 1 and 2
mulliner has good position for the penult peel but only gets it through 4 yards
ian misses his 3 yarder which i had credited him with in my last comment
the rover peel is from 5 yards
it misses completely he still has a rush to rover with two ball 5 yards south
he could do anything from here
he rushes partner off the east boundary so it looks like rigall
the peg out is from 3 yards
rob wants stephen to have a 7 yard join
stephen has gone for a 4 yard join
michael will shoot from a baulk
micheal hits
shane has a tricky hoop 6 with lines joined up in corner 4
micheal has rushed to 3 yards in front of penult the other ball is still on the boundary
shane has made hoop 6
he has made penult with a short rush straight at corner 1
he has rushed it to 4 yards at 45 degrees
2 yard straight hoop
more like 30 degrees
runs its
gets at two yarder
more like 4
hits it in the middle
wright wins
4:23 p.m. 7/02/2008
time to go and watch the cricket, sorry all you mulliner fans
shane hasnt got a break but has kept the innings and is for 1back
4:35 p.m. 7/02/2008
Dave Maugham taking over...
Shane's finished his break and is having an OSL.
Stephen & Michael have just started the third and with Michael hitting his duffer after Stephen had missed down the EB.
Ian has lifted the ball between 3 & 4 and hit partner from A-baulk, taking off perfectly to Shanes balls near IV.
Michael has had a leave, laying up with partner near IV with Stpehen's balls near 1 & 2.
Ian has a 2 yard sidey take-off to one which he has played pretty well.
...but failed it
Stephen mised from 1 to 2, ans Michael has rushed to 1 from near 2.
Shane has hit from 1 to near 4 with the hoop 4-b ball
Michael is making hoop 2.
Shane has roqueted yellow, but left it in the jaws so he played back through the hoop to leave yellow a couple of yards of the SB
Michael has had to rush to 3 from somewhere near 4, and has just approached to well from about 2 yards out of the corner.
The other oppo ball is near the boundary next to 2, and he has just rushed to it. Partner is a couple of yards SW of 4.
Ian has hit in again, and has just taken off to shane's balls again in a similar position to after his lift, Shane's balls are about 7 & 10 yards up the EB this time though. He's just taken off to get a good rush to 1.
Michael has made 4 with a goop hoop 5 pioneer.
Ian has rushed poorly, ending up about 2 yards out of I. He has under hit his approach slightly and ahas about a 1 yard angled hoop.
The ball rocked going through but has managed to run it (staying in the jaws).
Michael has made 6, although his 1-b pioneer looks a bit ropey.
Ian has hit his hampered shot and is now about to make 2
Michael is about to make 3-b with a couple of balls floating about near the peg.
Ian is taking off from near IV to his hoop 3 pioneer, he hasn't done it very well.
Michael has failed 3-b, Stephen is marching on.
Ian has run 3 and now has his break ahead of him.
I think that Stephen has put Michael's ball into the peg, trying to put it to 2.
He's put the other ball near 2 and rushed partner to 1 though, and has just run it.
Ian's just run 4.
Stephen's hoop 4 pioneer is a bit short.
Ian has just made 6, no obvious intentions for a leave at the moment.
Stephen has dealt with his rough hoop 4 pioneer, and is about to make 5.
Ian has rushed his 2-b pioneer into the hoop, but approached so that he could run the hoop past that ball. Looks like a spread coming up.
Stephen's got to 2-b, both oppo balls are floating about near 3-b. Maybe an NSL coming up?
Ian rushed quite close to 3-b and has a slightly angled hoop.
He's run it though.
Nope, I was wrong. Stephen's having a spread as well.
Ian's just placing his last ball for the spread.
Stephen's looking a long way down the EB, near IV, so maybe he's not got the oppo balls cross pegged.
Shane's looking at his hampered backswing shot from the peg at Ian's balls, but has sensibly decided to lift it, to B-baulk.
Stephen has laid up with his balls near IV on the EB.
Shane looks shocked as his ball slides past Ian's.
Michael has lifted the ball near 2 and shot at the peg ball from b-baulk, missing to the end of a-baulk.
Ian has rushed to a couple of yards NW of 1, and has a backward take-off, which he has left desparately short.
He joined up near 2, and Shane shot at partner in IV, missing.
Stephen has put partner to 2 and got a rush to the ball on the south boundary.
Ian hit his 3 yarder and took off to IV, and has just hit Shane's balls, getting a cannon.
The cannon hasn't gone very well, but Ian has approached 1 from about 4 yards away.
He's managed to run it into the same hole as last time, (i.e. in the jaws), but can't hit the escape ball this time so has had to join up near hoop 2.
Shane's shhoting from 1 to near 4
Stephen has made 1 & 2, and has partner near 4, so no real effort made to pick up a standard TP.
Shane's hit in, with the hoop 1 ball.
Stephen's making 4, but still hasn't really got the 4th ball into the lawn and its only a few yards of the south boundary
Shane's overhit his roll to get a rush to 1, and can only chop it down to about peg high in the WB.
Stephen's looks like he's happy just playing a 4bb to the peg.
Shane didn't get in front of 1 so he's gone back to partner.
Ian has hit back in, with the 4-b ball.
Sorry, slight technical hitch, we don't seem to have been updating for a while. Oh, well plenty for you to read now...
Ian has had a leave with U (the 4-b ball) near 4 and K about 5 yards out of III near the EB.
Shane's shooting K at U.
Stephen's got to 4-b in his dour ball to the peg.
Shane missed and Ian has just rushed to 2 with partner from the west boundary.
Stephen's standing in the middle of the lawn with his hand on his hip. I'm not sure why.
Just thinking about the leave, I guess.
Ian's just rushed to 3 from near 4, about 2 yards to the side.
Quite an angled hoop. he's turning it down, and joining up with partner on the SB.
K has about a ten yarder from in front of 4, but U is next to 3, Ian's hoop. Shane's taking his 10 yarder.
Looks like Stephen's having a reverse spread. He's made rover.
Shane's hit in.
and has rushed fairly well to hoop 1.
Michael's lifted the ball at the peg and is shooting at Stephen's balls from b-baulk. And has hit.
I think that was the hoop 1 ball, but I'm not sure.
Shane's made 1 with a rush back to the ball on the SB. If he chooses to take it to 2 he'll have a standard TP (U is at 3), and he has.
But his rush has hit the peg, so he's rolling over to 3 hoping to get a rush to 2 on partner.
Michael has made 1 and is about to make 2.
Shane has got his rush to 2. and has taken it to within a couple of yards of the hoop.
Michael has all the balls for a quad, but I doubt he'll be going for it.
Shane's made 2 and managed to rush partner about 6 yards from 3, so he'll be trying t put it in peeling position with this.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to sign off now to go to the cricket. Maybe John will be able to find someone else to take over.
5:57 p.m. 7/02/2008
John Yarrall here. I will make a few notes when I have time.
Shane has made 5 and is not attempting a tp.
Michael has made 3b
Michael has rushed his partner ball almost through rover and called the ref to make the hoop with blue. He ran rover and has a hampered shot and has missed the short roquet give Steve an shot.
Steve has made 4b with red
Shane has run penult. He tried putting yellow in the jaws but it rolled back and is approaching rover.
Steve has pegged out.
Steve has put R near E boundary north of 4 and his balls on W boundary peg high.
6:21 p.m. 7/02/2008
Ian has hit his lift
Oppo balls near 2 and 3 and setting up West peg high
Shane shooting with blue near 4 at R & Y - almost a double - and misses
Ian rushes R to 4 but hits 5 and stops. Takes off to K at 3. He has an angle hoop and makes it.
Back to update some more results
Ian stuck in 5 and Shane is in with a break set up
Shane pegs out making it 1-1.
6:58 p.m. 7/02/2008
Missed the opening. Ian R & Y, Shane U & K
Shane mssed approach to 1 and returned to partner in C2.
Ian shoots at B&B double - misses.
Shane has angle hoop and misses, but almost hidden from R.
Ian roquets (just) through hoop and makes 1
Ian misses retun 4yard roquet
Shane retuns to partner in 2.
Ian shoots at UK and misses
Shane makes 1
Goes to R in C2, croquets R to 4 and approaches 2 and runs 2.
Rushes Y to 3, makes 3
Shane runs 4 and is getting break under control.
Northeastery is fresh and temperature is dropping. Empty chairs being blown over.
Shane makes diagional leave
Ian lifts peg ball to C3 and hits
Paddy Chapman has taken over the commentary position from level two of the scaffolding house, assisted by Jane McIntyre, tournament treasurer
Lines has blobbed hoop one - thut's just buhd
Lines says he's struggling to string two good shots together at the moment
7:36 p.m. 7/02/2008
Davis shoots ball from hoop 2 to hoop 1 and misses
IGL makes hoop 1 with yellow
Shadow enveloping 1/3 of lawn (or maybe it's just the solar eclipse)
Lines taking much care over croquet shot
Plays it well
Has rush to hoop 2 with ball at 3
Greg Bryant (the Australian Open Doubles Champion) and Paul Skinley have just entered the commentary box
Greg Bryant has just discovered that Wixy has eaten his lunch
Greg Bryant is eating his lunch, which is more interesting than the croquet at this stage
Nelson Morrow is eating sour cream and chives flavoured Grain Waves and Ready Salted Ripples. He says they are very good
Lines has established break and is slowly going round
Probably another hour of good daylight left
Lines is hampered after hoop 4
Greg has discovered Shane Davis' lunch, and has proceeded to eat it
Lines bringing in the fourth ball to the break now, loading hoop 6, approaching ball at hoop 5
Lines gesturing towards yellow ball, telling it that it should have stopped
Lines about to approach hoop 5 from 5 yards south
Lines STILL about to approach hoop 5 from about 5 yards back
Lines has longish, angled hoop
Lines runs 5, but yellow decides to do a 'Bryant' and rolls back into the jaws. End of turn. Davis in
Greg Bryant about to start smoking, which is not condoned
Davis hits Lines' ball out of 5: clippage Blue (Davis' striker ball) for 4b, Black for 1, Yellow for 5, Red for 2
AJ Reid apparently condones littering, having left his Steinlager bottle on the lawns.
Davis having a leave, yellow at H2, Red at H6, wired. Laying up in C1
Bryant is being difficult on the sidelines, accusing innocent people of alcoholism
Lines taking shot with yellow. Misses badly to the right, looks disappointed. Not having fun in the sun
Your reporter, Paddy, still bemoaning loss to David Maugham earlier in the day, after sticking in penult with partner waiting at rover for completion of delayed TP.
Shane Davis weighing up options of making hoop two (red wired from rush to H2).
Shane going the long way around
Shane Davis very lucky to not put the take-off to yellow off the lawn, by running into it
Shane has failed to gain a rush to H1 on red
Apologies, Shane Davis is for hoop 2, approaching 2 (or at least he thnks he is)
Greg Bryant still misbehaving
I won't elaborate on that
Shane approaching hoop 3 with his black ball
Paul causing trouble now too, creating mayhem with Paddy's camera
Looks very proud of himself
Paul says he's terrified of modern technology
Ian Lines pacing slowly and can't believe I'm still reporting "this nonsense". Threatens to inflict injuries with mallet
Shane has run hoop 4 with black, and no ball at hoop 5 (two balls at hoop 4)
Gains good rush to hoop 5
Temperature dropping a lot now, as Shane rushes to hoop 5 (and spectators start leaving)
Shane runs hoop 5, and gains backward rush to red
Greg Bryant is resting his lips on the edge of laptop (computer laptop that is)
Seems bemused by modern technology
A flurry of player-spectators are now seeking shelter in a shelter (and dinner at home) while these two hackers are hacking their way around
Ian Lines standing on one foot, holding mallet in right hand, looking rather sad, and scratching his head with his left hand
Shane has made 6 and gained a sort-of rush on the ball near the south boundary, towards red at 1-back
Lines looks spiffing in his Emsmorn polar fleece, but only really wants to go home
Tournament deputy manager, Rodger Lane has joined the commentary box, making a spectacular entrance, banging his head on the scaffolding
Shane has run 1-back, and now has break nicely under control
Rodger questions clip placement out of curiosity
Jane McIntyre has bought a new cellphone, though only a bottom-of-the-range LG Vodafone. Am trying to convince her of her mistake
Back to croquet now, and SHane has run 2-back and is sending yellow to 4-back. No thought of peeling at this stage
Just concentrating on break, taking off to 3-back pioneer
A tad short, but has played the little rush quite well
Ian Lines questioning what time the eclipse occured - Jane McIntyre confirms 4:37pm
But covers her tracks by saying "could be wrong - could be 4:39pm"
Shane sends blue to Penult, and it falls short. Has good rush on pivot
Wind picking up now, quite chilly
But it's not as bad as when Greg Bryant was in the commentary box
Shane rushes 4-back pioneer to a nearly-death spot, but is a bit to the side, so should be ok
Has slight angled hoop
Runs cleanly
Ian Lines has just yawned
Tournament Manager Kevin Fellows has just entered the commentary box, eating a large New Zealand Braeburn apple
Shane approaching penult now
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Shane making vertical spread, placing red behind penult
Manages to plant it on the west wire, looks ok. Gains rush south
Striding confidently now, has second wind
Might have to turn on the floodlights shortly, as the light is fading
Shane approaching rover with black, and has rather tidy setup for completion of vertical spread.
Shock - yellow sent too deep
No worries, gains rush on it anyway
Rushes is back 2 feet north of rover, at 45deg. Lining up leave
Plants it on the East wire of rover. Nice leave. Rushes blue to near the East boundary
Thinking..........
Fingers getting too cold to type at a nominal average speed of 90 w/p/m
Greg Bryant approaching commentary box once again. Entering commentary box
Thinks I'm a computer geek. Yep, the wind has come back again
Rodger Lane causing trouble behind your reporter, being childish and jumping on the scaffolding
Lines taking long lift for some reason. He's a risk assessments manager, so is probably right. Swinging..
MISS!
Doesn't even reach the south boundary. Needs to workout more
Looks a tad disappointed, hand in pocket, not having fun in the sun
Davis rushes a good rush to 4-back, and is approaching
Underhits approach to 4-back, longish angly hoop
Runs it fairly cleanly
8:23 p.m. 7/02/2008
Approaching penult pioneer now
Comes up short on it, nearly wired. Rover pioneer is on hoop 1 line
Taking off for position at Penult
Does fairly good takeoff, and is swinging at hoop
Runs nice penult, and has rush to yellow (which is infield slightly)
All very boring really
Plays a good rush to yellow
Ian is mentally surrendurring
Shane gains rush to rover ball
Shane hits rush to rover ball
Shane scratching his nose
Gains rush to rover. Jane is condemning Paddy's spelling, despite not knowing how to spell squirrel
11 spectators now
Most of them have to be here anyway
Shane runs rover cleanly, has 2-yard rush back on partner
To win the match:........
Rushes partner back to a yard from peg, it should be all over now
Davis lining up pegout. Swinging and....
HITS with both balls. Classy! Davis through to quarters now. Congrats.
Caio from your reporter, Paddy.