Commentary of quarter-final Friday 8 February
Robert Fulford v Chris Clarke
Commentary by Ian Burridge
(burridge.ian@googlemail.com)
The practice has just ended and the referees are setting up the lawn for the resumption of Westerby maugham 2-1 to the Kiwi who is one and peg against 4back alone
Predictably the early start will start late as almost always appears to be the case
The managers hope is for this match to finish and for the semis to be played on lawns 1 and 2 but I would have thought that this will require aaron to win in 4
Robs advice to Aaron would have been to croquetDaves ball to hoop 3 going to partner and roll up towards hoop 1
We are off aaron plays with his peg ball and rushes Daves ball to3 yards W of hoop 4 and takes off back to partner
He is laying a rush out of corner 2
Dave goes to just out of corner 4 on the S boundary
The game doesnt have the tension of last night yet
Only 11 people are watching most of them competitors or officials
Aaron rushes 1 yard N of 1
Takes off to 2 feet and runs it with no rush
He has croquet beside hoop 1 and rolls to corner 2
Aaron lays a rush and Dave moves to N of corner 1
Aaron rushes into the jaws of hoop2
Makes the hoop with no rush, has croquet behind hoop 2
rolls to hoop 3 and lays a rush
Dave moves his ball slightly nearer corner 1
It is a still overcast morning
aaron approaches hoop 3 well and gets a rush pointing at the w boundary level with hoop 6
He rushes to 11 yards N of corner 1
He rolls to Daves ball leaving himself a 4 yarder
which he hits in the middle
Dave and aaron are both playing well in the KO stages
Both are potentially winners of the event and this is a big match for both of them
Aaron croquets dave into the yard line area in fornt of hoop 3 I think Dave thought it was out, aaron has a rush out of corner 1
Dave moves to just S of corner 3
Te pace of play is quite brisk this morning
aaron improves his rush in corner 1
Dave deems with a little wave of his gloved left hand
arron improves rush and dave deems
aaron rushes well to hoop 4
aaron makes 4 with a 3 yard cut to 5
aaron rushes to 2 yards from hoop5 approaches to a foot with partner well W of the centre line
Get are 2 yard rush to a point of te W boundary level withh 5
He is very near a mid lawn wire
aaron is wearing a black croquet new zealand shirt and shorts, dave is all in white
aaron is laying a rush from the middle of the W boundary to hoop 6, no wire
opts to roll a little south to try and get wired using hoop 3, leaves the peg ball open, the rush is 4 feet long pointing between 6 and one back
dave has a quick look at the rush but quickly deems, verbally this time
stephen arrives pulling the smallest suitcase you will ever see with wheels and a handle
aaron improves rush dave deems
aaron improves rush 3 further times before taking it
The grandstand is being expanded for the final but tey are being very quiet about it
a new lawn is to be set up for the final using the existing lawns 5 and 6
The rush is 1' behind hoop 6 slightly to the side, he makes it with a rush south
he rushes to 4 yards N of hoop 1
trying to find the same wire on the W boundary, he rolls across getting te peg ball wired and the other ball open
dave deems aaron improves rush, takes the rush after 3 deems
rush hits the hoop and drops back to an inch directly behind the hoop
probably too far away for a bounce back (and airshot!!)
he is looking at rolling to the w boundary level with 1 back
or maybe just 1 yard to a wire
The crowd has doubled in size since the start
Stephen arrives at the lawn without his suitcase and wishes Dave good luck
He is approaching with a backward take off , the wrong hill will be very bad
gets an 18" 10 degree hoop but parner looks like it is still perfectly behind (in the way??))
runs it rushing partner 3 yards
aaron calls an umpire and croquets his peg ball to 13 yards S of corner 2 with the 2-back ball in corner 2
Dave is shooting at the peg ball the same shot as he hit by nothing last night
as this isnt the bbc come on Dave
missed by a couple of inches
so will dave wait for a nother lift or will it be a suicide shot??
aaron taps daves ball and croquets it towards corner 3 going to partner
he has a 5 yarder at partner
hits it in the middle again, looks solid at those
Chris and rob arrive together rob has opted for a rucksack which looks rather more trendy than the suitcase, Chris just has his mallet
aaron rolls to 2back, daves ball is on the line of 3 and 4
it is defintely open on the 2 back ball
aaron has to dribble to partner from 8 yards, plays it well has a 2 yard ruch to 2 back
his pick up will be 5 and a half yards if dave shoots
he really doesnt want to shoot iin my opinin, I think corner 2 is favourite
he is walking very slowly to his ball, he really wants to shoot I think
he has reached his ball, still hasnt decided
he is going to shoot i rekon
he is on the line still undecided
he really wants to take it I reckon
he is ceryainly managing to recreate some of the tension from last night now
8:53 a.m. 9/02/2008
he still hasnt moved, he is still lloking at the shot
corner 3 just got a quick glance
he is going to corner 2
if he doesnt shoot at this he is waiting for his lift, aaron is going to get the chance to 2 ball out from 4back I think
Dave is just S of corner 2 aaron rushes to 18" from 2 back
slightly angled hoop may preevnt control
has a 2 yard rush pointing to hoop 6 after the hoop
taps it and rolls oever to corner 4
goes to have a look at corner 4 before playng the shot, the tension is back the play is slowing down
45 people are now here
he lays a good rush and dave moves his ball a little nearer corner 2
rob mutters that he should have gone to corner 1
aaron improves his rush
dave deems
aaron improves
dave deems once aaron has got his attention
aaron takes the rush but decides not to approach and lays up again
dave deems
aaron improves
dave deems
aaron approaches from 2 feet
overhits a 6" hoop stroke when he could have got a forward rush
rushes to a wired spot on the e boundary near hoop 4
60 people here now
dave comes out of his shelter on to the lawn, I think he is going to move
dave deems
aaron improves rush
dave deems
aaron takes rush to 3 inches awayslightly to one side
its all going to be on getting the rush out of penult
dave wanders by saying he is going to look like a twat when aaron finishes
the rush out of 4back is a foot long pointing at the peg
takes it to one yard east of penult
approaches with a full roll putting the peg ball well west
runs it very cleanly has a 7 foot rush to the boundary in front of 1back
plays it really well, first applause of the day as it goes 6 inches south of daves ball
rushes to 8 feet S and 3 feet west of rover
approaches to 20" slightly angld
runs it has a 4.5 yarder pointing due north partner is still on the yard line
This will be one hell of a rush, I think he will settle for hitting it
rushes it gently to the peg
well daves got his extra lift but I dont think he will be pleased with the position
aaron is rolling to corner 2 putting dave to the middle of the N boundary, not one to put off this
rob has spotted it too, he is talking about extra adrenaline in your body
he has made t shot harder daves ball is now going towards corner 3
aaron has a 3 yarder at partner, dave i2 2 yards NE of 4back
he hits partner
rob wants arron to put partner towards corner 1 peggng partner out - WHAT ABOUT THE LIFT TACTICAL GURU!!
he isnt trying to get both off one ball is deliberately sent 2 yards W of the peg
partner is pegged out
the ball by the peg rolled on a bit so is 4 feet west and 3 feet south of the peg
Dave is shooting from corner 1 for the rush rather than taking the shortest shot
possibly a double with 4back
misses, hits 4 back but doesnt run it
aaron cant miss this
he misses to gasps from the crowd
no-one thought that was missing
it might have gone wired
from daves reaction he doesnt have all of it
8 yarder
takes it quickly and misses
aaron will want to get this take off close
2 feet
3-1 westerby
9:23 a.m. 9/02/2008
It will be fulford clarke on lawn 2 and mulliner westerby on lawn 1
clarke is complaining about the lack of wind
rob is ready no-one else is anywhere to be seen
9:27 a.m. 9/02/2008
chris is back
This could be a classic Chris is playing well, probably quite near his best rob is playing fine but definitely below his best
rob takes blue and black for the practice, clarkre red and yello
chris hopes to shoot well I havent been convinced by his shooting all week
It looks more in hope then expectation to me
9:31 a.m. 9/02/2008
clarke has only practiced shooting so far, ok at up to 10 but nothing overthat
a 2 ball break now for Chris rob seems to be doing the same
The crowd are taking their seats around this lawn, I think they know mulliner westerby will be waiting for them later
I take aaron to win 3-0 but the other is more interesting, if Chris turns up and it isnt just 3-0 to rob I think we will have a 5 game thriller
9:36 a.m. 9/02/2008
70 spectators watching the knock up one other watching aaron sit in a hut waiting for Stephen
rob and chris have both made hoop 1 look quite tight in practice
rob is hitting the ball progressively harder as his wrists loosen
there is no wind at all, breaks are appearing in the cloud but there will certainly be no pce in the lawn until midday at the earliest
clarke is ready
rob joins him and tosses
body language says chris wins
chris has won and gone second rob puts out a supershot ball
rob has clearly decided the lawn is very playable
chris shoots hard (but not overly so) to 2 and half yards E of corner 2
mulliner still keeps westerby waiting
rob hits from b baulk
gets a good 2 yard rush to hoop 1 with a roll
rushes to a foot to the side of 1
has to play a croquet stroke from beside 1 going to a ball 9 yards west of the peg
9:44 a.m. 9/02/2008
rushes it to 2 yards sw of 2
approaches to 2 feet and crashes through to the boundary for a break
9:47 a.m. 9/02/2008
mulliner westerby has cuaght me by surprise and already started, stephen must have been practicing elsewhere
mulliner supershot, aaron to corner 2 stephen hit played a good roll and is approaching from 3 yards
gets a 2 foot angled hoop
press up time
runs it well , was from a yard in fact
has croquet beside 1 with a ball 5 yards NW of 5
rob has a 5 yard return after hoop 6
stephen gets a very good rush to hoop 2
plays it poorly to 6 yards SE of 2
rob hit and has already made 1 back
mulliner gets 4 foot 20 degree hoop 2
runs and has a small celebratory fist
rob gets a lot of wire at 2back, I think it is a tight hoop
will rob do something defensive or just have all the ball on the W boundary
mulliner has to approach hoop 3 from 3 yards NE for a break
1 yard straight hoop for mulliber
runs it, he will have a good chance if his hoop stroke holds out for the whole match
I have a question about Mulliners practice this morning, he certainly had very little if any on the lawn before the game but presumably was delayed arriving because he was practicing elsewhere
rob is laying up on the west boundary at the maximum length spot
This will be a big shot in the match will we get a wild thrash at it or a proper swing
mulliner did apparently practice on lawn 4 after the conclusion of the pegged down game
aaron will not have been entitled to a warm up having played
I think rob was concerned he had left a bit of a target and has played a scatter with his final stroke
I dont think there is a double but ther will definitely be a call in play for a bad shot
chris misses but struck the shot well
stephen is approaching 1 back with a 5 yard backward take off
gets a 4 fiit 10 degree hoop
has a refusal and is now doing a press up
runs it generating another fist, I think we had better get used to this
rob rushes to 8 feet in front of one with everything set up n front of him
it hills slightly but he ruuns the angled hoop, should be 1-0
stephen is laying up with a rush on oppo from the E boundary to partner on the west
the ball on the west boundary is a yard or so in
robs peel ball is slightly goes slightly short and to one side I reckon he will be lucky to end up with it jawsed after 3
aaron misses from b baulk into corner 2
robs takes the escape ball after 4 back rushing it to the n boundary, surely not just a 4 ball break??
10:09 a.m. 9/02/2008
he croquets a ball to 5 goes to peelee and takes off awfully to 4 has a 7 yarder that he hits in the middle
has a 4 yard backward take off
has a 1 yard 10 degree hoop which he runs to the boundary
stephen rushes poorly across the lawn but plays an OK croquet stroke and has to apprach 1 from 2 yards with a ball 1 yard N of hoop 2
I am going to have to move I keep losing my network connection
rob plays a good rush peel from 6" before 6
mulliner grovels through 3, looks like a tricky 3 yarder
hits it
has a ball at hoop 4 and a ball in corner 4
stephen takes off 5 yards from corner 4
asks half a dozen spectators to move before hitting it in the middle
rob is doing a death roll
sorry network problems are stopping me giving a better description of this more intersting TP than usual
peel jawsed good if slightly long rush
takes it well and is approaching 2-back from a foot, the peel is just through
mulliner has croquet on partner on the S boundary a hoop 5 pionner and an escape ball at 4 back
no rush out of hoop 5
dbm is taking over commentary on mulliner westerby I may be able to find a network connection where I can see robs lawn now
rob aproaches 4back with the peel ball 4 feet from rover and a ball 6 feet from penult
he elects to go to the peelee before penult
penult ball is north not great for taking off to, he is short.
8 ffot approach is to 2 feet
network has died again
has to do an irish, from a foot without a deep ball
goes fine
1-0 Fulford
10:32 a.m. 9/02/2008
I think the players have declined to have the hoops reset
my connection is now "low" an improvement of very low!
rob has taken a comfort break
dave cant get a connection at all and I can hardly see the other lawn, Mulliner is still in play
not any more he isnt he has failed 2 back
rob has had a supershot ball
chris is going just S of corner 2
aaron has made 1 with a ball at 2
rob thought he had his shot from b baulk but it just misses
this is a big shot in this match
he only just missed the corner so doesnt quite have a 2 ball target
seemed to strike it well again but it didnt look that close
must have been fairly close as it comes back on in contact
dont think it was quite in contact rob doesnt play a cannon
Aaron is at hoop 3
rob has to run an 18" 30 degree hoop which he does for a break
stephens 2back was apparently easy
I dont think any of the reports have mentioned te chiccadas yet, they are loud today
dave is apparently up and running on the other game now
rob has a solid 4 ball break at hoop 4
The crowd is now split roughly 50:50 between the two games
daves commentary is on
http://www.worldcroquet2008.com/commentary2.shtml
rob has played a bad hoop stroke at 1back, hampered stroke has some difficulty
plays it as a sweep and hits it easily
rob runs 2back hard and hits the escape ball (unlucky?) doesnt seem that upset about it
chris is taking his jumper off - I always think if you cant hit anything it is a good idea to add or remove clothing
Both players now in their 2006 GB Mac shirts
Rob ran 3 back without much control and is settling for just making an OSL with the middle ball actually on the E boundary 16 yards N of corner 4
the ball by hoop 2 is 5 yards W and 1 yard N of the hoop
may be the shortest shot
robs balls in corner 4 are only about 15" apart
chris is shooting with the ball on the e boundary at robs balls he is a foot in the lawn so has a slight target it is probably 15 yards
Rob cant get his balls quite in the right place but it is "close enough!"
chris misses by absolutely nothing right under my nose
11:04 a.m. 9/02/2008
rob has a good rush to 1
it is 2 yards short
good ball at 2 (partner) and one 2 yards N of 4
1 yard straight hoop
there is some movement in the crowd, is it raining?
runs it and has an 8 yard return
hits it smack in the middle
false alarm on the rain I think the sun is still trying to break through
rob has croquet in corner 4 with balls at 2 and 3, roll or take off?
He goes for the Hogan roll
plays it well will be approaching 2 from 3 yards straight with 2 balls w of 3
strange I am sure he coached me to have one on each side so it doesnt matter where your rush out of 2 goes
maybe thats just what he advises people who are rubbish
runs 2 to the boundary and has a good rush
he has put peelee tpo a similar position to the first game, probably slightly better but he will need a 6" hoop to get the peel
is going to play a cannon withe the approach shot
plays it perfectly should be 2-0
knocks it slightly to one side and only jawses the peel, that was poor
rob doesnt go back after hoop4
11:15 a.m. 9/02/2008
the lawn shows its first sign of pace as Rob doesnt get his forward rush out of 5 when it looked like he had it
the roll across after the rush peel is not great, another death roll required?
just noticed where he has his one back pioneer 2 yards se of 2 can probably peel going to this
no not enough control for that setting up for death roll
no rush out of 1back it is looking awkward again
attempts a rush peel from 6" rushes it through off the S boundary
peelee goes to 3back as he couldnt put out a good one and get in position for the rush peel
chris has come out of his hut now and is pacing around knowing he is going 2-0 down without having croquet - will he put Rob in again?
rob doesnt get the rush across after 3 back but croquets peelee to 15" in front of rover
rob has all the balls at rover it is going to be anoter irish
peelee only stays in by 4 feet but I dont think rob was ever worried
he has a good rush on it back to the peg
7' peg out
2-0 fulford
11:33 a.m. 9/02/2008
chris looks like he might play a lunch card
yes they will resume at 12 robs advises some spectators they may be better off watching the other lawn
They take his advice, will they return
11:34 a.m. 9/02/2008
26 mins for Chris to decide if he is going to put rob in
westerby has made 1 back with balls at 2 back and 3 back
dave has found an extension cable and will be back on in a minute
im getting one too! That should be the power sorted and the network is holding up better now we have moved the receiver
rob expects to be put in again
he is eating a braeburn apple for lunch
I have my cheese and spring onion sandwich and braeburn
chris is in conversation with Jerry Stark in the bar
i have kept the commentary guarded from rob I dont want him picking up any of my tips
chris and rob are back
curtailing my research chris has not beaten rob from 2-0 since 1997, possibly ever
chris goes in and plays to 10 yards n of corner 4, he will be desperate for the innings out of this opeining
duffer 4 feet s of hoop 6
chris is shooting at partner from a baulk
another goods stroke hits pretty much in the middle
looks like his shot to the duffer is down a fastish line
fastish is relative the lawn still doesnt have any real pace about it
plays an excellent 4' cut to one getting it 8' straight in front, we might have a match yet
20"hoop
12:04 p.m. 9/02/2008
runs it has croqyet 3 yards n of 1 with partner 6 yards s of 2
an approack from 2 yards to the side gives an 18" 30 degree hoop
has to take evasive action as it comes back at him
rob has a 7 yarder from b baulk at the ball by hoop3
rob hits in with 2 balls at hoop 2
rob has to approach from 3 yards straight for a break
gets an 18" 15 degree hoop
had two middle balls ran it past them to the hoop 2 pioneer
rob has got his break back
will we get a pop?
pretty sure having continued the research that Clarke has never beaten fulford from 2-0 down
robert hasnt lost from 2-0 since the westerns in 2005 when he threw away a 2-0 lead against kibble
there is no pop, rob has a secure four ball break at hoop 6
rob is making the same OSL type leave that he had in game 2
the hoop 2 ball is the ball by corner 2 which this time is about 5 feet south of the corner and a foot off te yard line
as far as I can see clarke has never come back from 2-0 down to anyone
he is taking the e boundary shot again probably a yard shorter than last time
14 yards
strikes it well as a mobile phone goes off, thin it nearly hilled off
he has rushed it 3 yards west of corner 4 so a tricky first take off
gets a short rus straight at hoop 5
misses the peg and hoop 2 to find corner 2
in the plate there is a five way tie on 6/9 for 3 places in the KO play off
dixon, patmore, lowe and lines are through and james is the only losing QF playing
clarke rushed two yards from hoop 1 and ran a 20' hoop
has rushed back to corner 4
the tie break sound like it is going to be quality of opponent based on their world rankings!?
has to approach from 2 yards east again
runs an 18" hoop getting a 4 yard return
hits it in teh middle, should have a break now
has croquet on the w boundary and is playing a roll I think he wants a TPO peelee is the hoop 3 pioneer
TPO it is
robs has doen 2 TPS without making them look trivial
the peel is jawsed
there are no time limits on the play today
chris is going back to the peelee after 4
rushes it to the N boundary, this is a tricky roll the hoop 5 pioneer is OK
the peelee misses penult the strikers ball is more or less perfect
patmore says the chiccadas are hissing like the sausages on the barbecue
The crowd is just over 150 now
poor peel attempt after six looks to have ended up somewhere from wheer it wont rush peel
peelee is an inch back not straight but should rush peel
chris is playing for the rush peel
perfect position for it, gets it
2 feet straight in front of rove can try it going to 2back
2 back pioneer is 1 yard w
peel bounces 2" to the side, poor rush to 2back
18" backward take off
20"straight hoop
4 yard return
rushes it into the front of 1
can only roll across both balls to the 3back pioneer
approaches 3 back
is he laying up
2 balls at 3 back one at rover
non stopping
he is going to make 4 back off the peelee
partner is the penult pioneer
good 12" rush to 4 back
rusges it 2 yards sw
approach is shorter than he would like
gets quite a lot of wire running it to the boundary
3 yard return, could do with rushing it
goes 4 yards e and 2 yards s of the peg
over hits roll to peeling position it is at about 2' and 45 degrees
two off would be a good result from here
poor rush to penult approaches from 2 yards to side
another 2foot hoop
no rush out of penult
this is tense
rolls partner down as the side ball
there is no deep ball, 2 side balls
15" 10 degree peel
maybe nearer 20 degree
cant line it up
good irish
he can get a leave from here
rushes partner 14 yards S of corner 3
hoop 5 must be in play to some degree if rob tries to approack from there
5 foot peg out
peg ball goes to corner 2 remember his other ball is for 2 rob is for hoop 1
the officials have begun to lay out the lawns for the final
lawn!
rob plays a roll to hoop 1 from the e boundary
5 yard dead straight hoop
he is taking it on
bounces bakc to 4 feet straight
pretty good squeeze
chris moves the middle ball to corner 4
he is coming towards the commentary position, we might get a whige about the squeeze
no he just returns to his seat
rob runs the hoop by 11 yards
hits centre ball into corner 2
hopefully the final lawn will be set better than this one where the balls in corners 2 and 4 are open on each other
the roll up from corner 2 is short and hills
I think he can take wired position from where he is
seems to get more hill not sure it is wired or runnable
clarke moves the ball behind hoop 2 to corner 1
rob can run the hoop it is about 30 degree and short
sounds very loose as he runs it to te boundary
this is a good game now
rob goes to the middle of the S boundary, 1 yard east slightly nearer chris peg ball
the peg ball moves from corner 1 to 2
rob shoots into corner 4
misses on the nortehern side, control to Mr clarke
the crowd might be just under 200 if you count those watching from outside the fence ;-)
chris rushes to 3 yards west of 3 and takes off to partner in corner 2
the roll up from the corner is poos giving and 8' 20 degree hoop. He places a good hard hoop shot as opposed to a thrash and it rejects to 11 yards S of corner 2 he cant complain about the squeeze now
rob is looking at the hoop 2 ball
HE IS TAKING IT
misses it
it was 20 yarder from 3 to 2 was about a 12 yarders
the first croquet stroke is good getting a rush on the ball that was only a yard in
he should win from here
rob is coming in for a loy of stick for shooting at the hoop 2 ball
not sure I agree with "it is not a shot he would have finished off if he had hit it!"
poor rush to 3 has to approach from 18" to the side off the hoop 3 ball
maeks it
chapman, bassett and watkins were the lucky 3 in the plate
clarke has made hoop 6
there are 220 here now, reasonably accurate count
if it is any consolation to rob wixy would have taken the same shot as him
im still on the fence, I think black was much more hittable but the argument must be thaht the lwan is difficult enough that he thinks he needs an easy chance of break
he must have expected chris to finish if he missed
chrsi has a 5 yarder out of 3back, hits it
the lawn has a tiny bit of pace at last
he is on penult now
partner is at rover but he has got a rush should be all over
makes rover
4 foot peg out
2-1 fulford
1:26 p.m. 9/02/2008
clarke and fulford both leave the arena
both are coming back with a glass of water
will rob put chris in now the conditions are getting more difficult?
no it is going to be rob to go first 9 yards N of corner 4
clarke duffer is 4 feet w and one foot s of 6 I reckon more or less where he would have placed it
rob is shooting at a slight angle, into corner 1 presumably
hits it centre ball
it is on the yard line 3 yards e of corner 1
his approach finishes a foot to the side the other ball is 5 yards in front of 2
he is shooting back at partner, almost certain to leave a double if he misses
changes his mind 2 foot join, might have hit if he had hit it badly!
clarke shoots from a-baulk
centre ball ish and promotes the other ball 4 yards n and in a couple of inches
discussion continues on the tactics in game 2 should clarke have tried his hoop 2
I enjoy "I have a feeling he went for the left hand wire to make sure he bounced away"
approaches 1 from 5 feet behind
gets a 4 foot hoop
hits it ludicrously gently gets through with an eash hampered shot
reminiscent of some of the shots we were watching on video from the 1991 final the other day, except this one got through
he has a break now
this lawn for the final is going to be the most precisely set lawn in the history of the game
about 15 bisques, 11 corner flags, a tape measure and a piece of string
four ball break at hoop 5
if you guys in england dont e-mail soon we will think you have all gone to bed, which one of you has the stamina to see this through
did I count the crowd for nothing?
no hammers or noise from the hoop setters yet another section of grandstand was erected in silence earlier in the day
indeed I think lawn setting has stopped as they have got to the noisy part, no sign of anyone
chris is at 2-back
still overcast not even the slightest of breezes the chiccadas continue
diagonal spread coming up
just tried to catch up on the other game, following these commentaries is tough if you join mid game!!
the spread is made I think rob will take the long shot I think chris can come S
he is looking at getting hoop 4 in the way of the short shot, that is a fair way south
chriss balls are about 11 yards n of corner 4
i will get a good view of robs long lift as I am sat near corner 4, dave is similarly placed on the other lawn
he has lifted the ball by hoop 2, it was always missing
dave is more or less between lawns but I have virtually no view of his as there is the smaller of two grandstands bwteen the lawns and a row of people in chairs
the rush to hoop 1 is poor to 4 and a half yards in fornt
he runs a one yard angled hoop with a much better stroke than last time
he is still only 18 inches through
he calls a ref and tells him he hasnt got a clue what he is doing but thought it would be best for the balls to be marked
the ball he approached off is 8 yards n
he has a good prod at it but misses, I think it was on hoop 2 for some of the way
he has gone off the n boundary gurading robs 8 yarder from 1 to 2
rob takes it anyway and snicks it towards hoop 6
not much on here
the new lawn is being erected in front of the larger grandstand I assume the smaller one will be moved too
rob rolls the 4back ball to hoop 1 going to partner in corner 4, blue goes out 2 yards e of corner 1
rob is 6 yards short of partner
chris shoots from corner 1 to the more northern of robs balls
he misses I think ron is forced to take on the 7 yarder from the corner
1:59 p.m. 9/02/2008
he looks at it and then take the 3 yarder withe the other ball wit few break prospects
It is an 8 yard take off to corner 4
is 4 feet shot
has a look at whether or not he has wired chris's balls from each other
my runner tells me chris's balls are open on each other
rob rolls up from corner 4 and is short
chris's last shot was not great but he still has a fairly fluent swing this will be the one to hit
his backward ball is on the north boundary in from of 1 back partner is 5 yards east of hoop 4 rob has a sort of rush in corner 1
chris shooting at partner
shakes his head as soon as he hits it
there is a good pace about this game they could almsot be having a knock about at Colchester but just every now and then a shot gets given a little extra bit of care
talking of care rob would have done well to take a litlle more over his first shot which he snicks maybe they are feeling more pressure that they are showing
although they wont admit it they must both be thinking that this is the effective final
rob has croquted partner to hoop 2 and got a rush to 1 from by hoop 4
puts it 5 feer straight in front
a runner has been sent to tell dave to use the players names more and not 'hes', rather him than me
rob has a break would have needed some difficult shots to get the TPO and he las elected to just play a break
the pop this time with chris already on 4 back might get more commitment I think
i hope the runner makes it make alive I want a beer
he is still alive apparently dave is still struggling with his connection
rob has two oppo balls at 5 and partner at 6
clarkes hoop 2 ball is the 1 back pioneer still looks like a 4 ball break otherwise
hoop 1 is a bit tricky rob might fancy the 4 back ball in it? probably too difficult to make though
is there any chance of forcing chris
just testing out the bold tag apparently it will help some old men reading in england rob randonly rushed the 4 back ball into 2 back and it stays clos but he still doesnt look at a hoop leave
has 2 ropey 3 back pioneers
mulliner westerby is still 1-0 to mulliner
rob has partner 6 yards n of 4 the hoop 2 ball four feet north and is approaching form a yard off the 4back ball
2:21 p.m. 9/02/2008
after the hoop has both oppo balls 4 feet n and no useful rush
cuts the hoop 2 ball off the w boundary 8 yards s of corner 2 maybe he thought that was useful!
he takes off back moving it in a couple of yards, he has a phantom roquet on the 3 yarder rushing partner off. I was typing but some of the crowd definitely thought it missed.
he has croqueted partner to the yard line 12 yards n of 4 and rushed the other ball 5 yards n are 3 yards w of 1
this is an 11 yarder, chris will be taking it
wont do his street cred any good to do otherwise
rob has taken the most aggressive shot of this match thus far
chris has lifted the hoop 2 ball and will take the short shot into corner 2, he snicks it
while he was taking it rob wandered over to explain that he had wanted to rush the first ball much nearer corner 2 so that the ball by hoop 1 could be 3 yards further north
this really doesnt look like a good leav now as peelee is sent to 3 and clarke gets a rush to 2
rushes it 2 yards SE of 2
gets a 20" hoop
runs it and gets a rush to hoop 4
standard tp now
this is what we wanted when we turned up this morning a 5 game thriller this should be good from here
rob is here again, he thinks hoop 1 is harder than the rest of the lawn and would have liked a pioneer
kirby doesnt mix his words telling rob that his leave did just give chris an 11 yarder for a finish
chris rushed more or less straight in front of 3 and ended up having to peel from 2 yards at an angle which has bounced out
chris has put his hoop 6 pioneer very near hoop 6, he played to jaws the take off going to 5 and missed again
He glances off 5 at dead weight and inch away from a park there
he grovels through 5 trying to get a forward rush, hampered shot is easy but not rushable
i think we are getting a ball to the peg now
peelee goes to 1 back
rob thinks the lawn is difficult
hard for him to say whether or not it is the hardest he has played on all week due to the pressure
Rob hasnt played after this time all week
chris had his round game with johnston start in te heat of the day
chris nearly over approaches one back
rob says that chris is approaching nearer than him but that chris probably hasnt had one hill as violently as one of robs did against keith yesterday
peelee is the middle ball as chris makes 3back
the lawn is not as fast yet as on previous days in my opinion but is getting there
chris has a slightly long 3back after a backward takeoff
runs it expecting a hoop and roquet which misses is lucky to only have a 3 yarder that he hits
the hoop 1 ball is the rover pioneer, partner is at penult
looks like he wants the 4back ball in penult
he has got the ball by penult in a good spot, looks like it rushes to 4back and not to 1
this is getting pretty exciting now, I am close to making Clarke favourite
going to bed now in the UK really is for wimps
the hoop 1 ball is 5 yards w and 2 yards n of 2
chris is laying a rush 13 yards n of corner 4
rob has a bit of a target with the ball at penult
he cant get all his mallet on the ball
if he takes this you really do have to question his decision making
much hilarity now as news of the mulliner error breaks on our lawn
rob lifts the ball at penult and misses from b baulk at the ball near corner 2
chris rushes across and puts partner to penult need to rsuh from the w boundary to 4back
it goes to 1 yard se of the hoop
makes sure of it to the boundary
so clarkes toss in the 5th
fairly tricky lawn game 5 fulford clarke, dont go to bed
chris has a rush out of penult
runs rover with partner by the peg
2-2 Clarke fulford
2:59 p.m. 9/02/2008
I think rob has gone
rob wanders off
chris follows him
a referee checks the hoops
will clarke dare to go second again the lawn is tricky enough to justify it
I think he will
both back now 2 more hoops to check
here we go
clarke to 9 yards n of corner 4 (what do I know!)
duffer one yard se of 6
clarke shoots at partner from corner 3 poor looking stroke misses to corner 4
no eye contact from chris a couple of yards away, he is in the zone
rob hits centre ball rushing it to a yard short of the sout boundary perhaps he is in the zone too but I am dubious
i promise that this commentary is genuine and I am not stringing you along to keep you all awake
he is trying a big play here partner to 2 getting a rush on the northern ball
this is aggressive
having second thoughts
it looks like a fairly natural split
he is going to bottle it
takes off to the ball in corner 4 hills in when he would have had something he fancied cutting
I got all excited for a minute then I thought I was going to get to touch the ball but someone else has grabbed it!
he puts the ball to 2 hitting the other ball in the corquet stroke
I guess the lawn speed is 13 seconds would be surprised if it was 14, basically flat
gentle shots generally take a reliable line certainly nothing too harsh in this game
rob croquets the ball to 7 yards s of hoop 3 and retuns to partner on the s boundary
chris shoots from 2 to 3 a nod tells us it is a good one, it hits centre ball
has a ball at 2 and is rushing 2 1 from 8 yards
"the best aimer in the game" according to the crowd makes hoop 1
gets a rush back to the s boundary, he should take this round
the hoop perfect hoop 3 pioneer from the west boundary took exactly 11 seconds so I think 13 is probably about right, some mathematician can correct me
rob has just heard the best aimer in the game quote, he can hardly contain himself
chris has made hoop3 with with a perfect 4 ball break with the middle ball in the perfect fast lawn position half way between 3 and 4
rob is trying his equivalent of the clothing trick he is watching this break without his glasses when he has put them on for all chris's other breaks
it is going to be a diagonal spread for chris
3:28 p.m. 9/02/2008
chris has his spread and is 11 yards n of corner 4 with his balls
we need a hit to make this match but I am not particulalry convinced we will get it
chris takes longer than goacher would have for his final stroke
most people reading this think that is harsh but he did walk to the end of a baulk, shockingly enough it looked the same as always
rob lifts the peg ball and goes to baulk
hits it quite hard and misses into corner 4
I think chris will finish
I am certain he will try
the lawn shane did his tp on against reg was comparably trickly maybe the hoops are a little harder today
He rushes back to corner 4 rather than hoop 1 from the west boundary
I GET THE BALL
the rush to 1 is slightly hard goes 2 feet past
approaches to 20"
runs it with a rush
hogan roll coming up I reckon
no he is rolling to 2 and 3
the ball in corner 4 is 1 yard N and 1 yard w of the corner
he runs 2 to the boundary and has a reasoable rush
he is just going round, I will call something right soon
the hoop 4 pioneer is 2 and a half yards s of 4 and chris has croquet 12 yards n of corner 4
I might get the ball again if I am lucky
no he gets good position on it and only has to tap it
chris hits the nearer escape ball when running 4 to the boundary that will ensure no TP, I would have been proud of that myself
chris still playing at quite a quick pace but still appears to be taking considerable care
he is playing well, will this be the match of his life?
I think he will reject it because of the error at the start of the TPO game (or possibly becuase he goes on to lose!)
the flags are fluttering for the first time today, the wind has increased considerably in the last 5 mins
chris is making no mistakes as all the pioneers are put out perfectly
I think rob will hit the lift
I hope he does, a rigall now will be fantastic
(I was heckled into inserting that comma)
rob has been and got a drink
he makes 3back with the peelee at 4back but I still dont think peelee has been there enough for this to be considered a burridge TP this is without any doubt at all a ball round
will it just be a spread
doubt it now partner has gone to rover
he is appraoching penult wit the other ball 7 yards n of hoop 4
chris stops and reflects after penult (why is partner at rover!!)
he runs rover with one oppo ball 8' NE of rover, the other 18" south of the peg, I remember him telling me once what a good way this is to make a spread!
he palys a poor hoop stokre at rover but can still rush partner 11 yards N of corner 4
chris has got the oppo balls right now has to dribble back to partner
it is more or less perfect 7 foot rush
he doesnt like it think he wanted it about hlaf that length
the ball by hoop 2 has a target very small gap
misses badly
he knew as soon as he hit it
shake of the head from rob
rob thinks his last two shots in the final at fontenay were worse than these two
chris has got a short rush but the penult pionee is 4 yards s
he s approaching 4back from 3 inches
perfect ball at rover rushing to penult from 4 yards
hits the hoop but boucnes to the side
wixy wants to know if chris is going to do any form of celebration
marcus wants to know what time chris will stop grinning this evening
he has made penult
approaching rover from a foot
Clarke 3 Fulford 2
4:01 p.m. 9/02/2008
he certainly is grinning
that is me signing off - enjoy the other game