2008 World Championship Final
Chris Clarke (Eng) v Stephen Mulliner (Eng)
Commentary by Ian Burridge (burridge.ian@googlemail.com)
The players have warmed up and we are nearly ready to go
It has rained reasonably overnight and there is light drizzle now
Not sure who won the toss but Stephen is going first
supershot 3 yards N and 1 yard w of hoop 5
Clarke to just s of corner 2
stephen hit more or less centre ball from b baulk
I believe this is their first match since Chris won 2-1 in the 2004 Open Championship
Stephen rolls a ball to hoop 1 getting a 3 yard rush pointing straight at Chris in his shelter who he moves
Good rush to 4 feet west of 1
dreadful take off 20" 45 degrees this is very difficult
clips off and a very long press up
Gentle jump shot sticks in the jaws, our first bit of interactivity
Chris hits the 6 yarder at the ball to the west of hoop 1, trivial break opportunity
With the light drizzle falling a gazebo has been erected for the commentators in corner 1
Chris is playing to irish the ball in the jaws down as the hoop 2 pioneer
The crowd is 74 at the moment
You couldnt ask for an easier turn to calm the nerves at the start of a final
There is no breeze and the drizzle has now stopped as the forecast said it would
It is also forecast to be the hottest day since I arrived
The lawn in easy at the moment but I think there is still scope for some pace this afternoon
Chris has got the second POP at hoop 2 and now has a perfect 4 ball break at hoop 3
Chris is playing red and yellow, this break is will yellow and it is blue that has been peeled to hoop 3
The sun has just burnt its way through the clouds
Chris is trying to POP the other ball through hoop 1 with a roll going to hoop 6
plays it very well and gets the peel
Stephen and Chris are using the lawn 5 players hut just 5 yards from the commentary position (the wet weather one at least
Owen Edwards who appears to be the appointed referee sits in the lawn 6 hut near corner 2
Chris has good position for the second peel on black at one back
He gets the second POP on black
Openshaw is whinging that yesterday was the fourth time Burnley have played a team who were bottom of the league this season and not won
I think he is guilty of setting his expectations too high if he thought they were ever going to beat the mightly Colchester
Chris is at 3back approaching from 1 yard with one the other oppo ball just out of corner 4 and partner near the W boundary
He grovels through 3back without a rush back to corner 4
he rolls a ball a yard n of corner 4 but doesnt get a rush
He cuts it the best he can to the w boundary 10 yards n of hoop 1
he roll s it to peg high on the w boundary
Gets a rush on partner to corner 2 and lays a yard line rush
mulliner lifts the ball on the w boundary and shoots from b baulk at chris's balls
The mallet twist on impact but he still hits a lot of the ball nearest the corner
he plays a good rush to corner 4 where the ball is probably 4 feet out
he plays the next shot poorly and has a rush pointing NNE
he takes it to 6 yards SW of 3 and approaches with a roll sending partner towrads the corner
the hoop is not on
lays a rush to the hoop, a nice piece of interactivity
Chris moves the 4-back ball from near corner 4 to corner 1
mulliner grovels through a striaght hoop 3 by an inch
the forward roquet is around 4 and a half yards
Owen Edwards marks the balls
It hits the middle gently and is declared clean
Mulliner rolls to corner 4 not attempting to approach the hoop
Lays a rush and Chris moves the ball from near corner 2 to corner 3
Mulliner rushes to the hoop but doesnt like it and resets his rush in corner 4, he enjoys this interactivity
Chris moves the ball in corner 1 to 4 inches out of the corner
Stephen approaches this time getting a hoop that he grovels through to get a good rush to corner 1
he was playing for a rush to hoop 5 I think
The refree is called to see if he gets a cannon, the rush goes off in front of hoop 1
A good take off gets a rush pointing at hoop 6
Hits it down a great line for hoop 5 and it goes about a yard too far to be ideal
gets a short 20 degree hoop run by very little after a press up
He is making these hoops look a lot more difficult that chris did
The rush is to the middle of the W boundary, cuts it well to 4 yards w of 6 and immediately puts his clip on
Takes off back to partner on the s boundary moving Chris's ball to 3 yards w of hoop 2
hits a 6 yarder at partner
He stand contemplatng his next move
9:38 a.m. 10/02/2008
He is laying a rush from corner 1 to hoop 6
Chris inspects the rush it is a bit long I reckon
chris moves the ball from 1 back to the e boundary 10 yards n of corner 4
I was expecting corner 4 there
probably 12 yards north actually
Stephen rushes to the middle of the N boundary
Takes off to the ball in corner 3
Approaches with a croquet stroke sending the hoop 1 ball towards 2 back
Chris's tactics may change now it is the backward bal in the lawn
he has rolled to the ball on the e boundary rather than approach, that was a tricky shot to take on
He has a 4 yarder which I think he is going to refuse
The hoop 1 ball is 1 yard NW of 2back
He returns to partner leaving a 3 yard rsuh to 1 back
chris moves the ball by hoop 1 to corner 4
Stephen rushes to 1 back and takes off the balls near corner 4
he gets a four foot rush on the northern ball at a slight angle to corner 4
It wasnt as good as I thouht he seemed to play it quite well but it is still 5 yards n of corner 4
He takes off getting a 1 foot rush virtually straight at corner 1
He finds a wired spot on the w boundary and marks it with his mallet unlike earlier in the week when he used a clip
The wire he is looking for is on chris's ball near corner 4, he rushes s of the desired spot
takes off back to partenr which is 4 yards ne of 1back, forgetting about the wire
131 watching now
lays a 3 yard rush pointing at the middle of the s boundary
chris moves the ball on the w boundary to corner 3
stephen is going to try totonk the rush to corner 4
no hoop 6 was on the same line and he hits it gently towards the hoop
rolls back to corner 2 having rushed 8 feet to the side of 6
I think chris will shoot this time
Stephend has a 3 yard rush to 6 from corner 2
Chris is shooting doen the e boudnary with his hoop 1 ball
Misses into corner 4 with a reasonable looking stroke
Chris is now only 5 yards wide in corner 4
Stephen rushes to 13 yards s of corner 3
James has just won the first game of the palte final 26sxp
Stephen croquets partner to 2 back not really getting a rush on the northern ball
A 4 yard take off this time is well short of the ball in the corner
He rolls to 6 from corner 4
Gets a 5 yard 10 degree hoop
partner is stranded half way between 1 and 5
Chris's hoop 1 ball is 4 yards n of hoop 6 the other ball is still 4 yards n of corner 4
Stephen decides to retire his black ball for hoop 6 to 9 yards e of corner 4
Chris is going to shoot with his hoop 1 ball at partner
Is interested in it I would guess it tried to hill on
9 yarder for stephen at Chris's hoop 1 ball
I was on the line of that and it was at the middle all the way
He gets a rush on the other ball to partner
He gets a ball peg high on te line of 1 and 2 and a one yard rush to 6
rushes 8 yards sw of 6
The hoop is nearly a yard long
runs it cleanly with a rush to the 4 back ball between 1 and 2
Its hard work commentating on a game with interactivity
rushes well to 1 back
Time now to continue the Burnley Story, the local paper ran an article on Burnley and its great sporting history
Statto wrote in saying that David Openshaw (a burnley lad) was in town playing in the Worlds and got it published
Mulliner has croquet near hoop 3 with a good ball at 2 back and a poorer ball at 3 back (he is live on both)
partner is at 2 back 2 poor oppoballs at 3 back as he makes 2back
james took 39 mins to win game 1 of the plate final against Chris Patmore and is already on 1 back in game 2
10:05 a.m. 10/02/2008
Looks like stephen is going to try and make a spread from this ragged starting position
The hoop 1 ball will be at the peg
He is going to need a rush out of 3 back which has lloked dodgy on previous play
He appraoches it putting the pilot into perfect NSL position, a change of plan??
well a change of plan but its not an NSL as he knocks it out of position, he croquets it towards the e boundary, he is trying for a reverse diagonal spread now
Needs to move the middle ball 18" getting a rush on partner
The reaction says he has got it
He lays his rush 12 yards s of corner 2
Chris lifts the hoop 1 ball from the peg and is going to take the short shot form b baulk at Stephens balls
Hates it as soon as he hits it
Will he get the benefit of his pops in the next turn?
Chris is again wearing his 2006 Mac shirt
Stephen has an older Mac shirt probably 2003 and a 2008 World Championship cap
his long shorts have a towel hanging from them which he uses periodically to dry his ands
The rush across the lawn is short he has to play a 9 yard roll to get his rush to 3
gets a 4 foot rush at corner 3
its worse than that actually
overcuts it and is now 8 yards s of hoop 3
Chris's hoop 1 ball lurks 1 yard e of hoop2
He is short on the backward take off
partner is 1 yard s of hoop 4
Crowd up to 170
10:16 a.m. 10/02/2008
stephen hits of the s boundary behind hoop 4
an interesting choice for chris now
the 4 backball at partner misses into corner 2 and he is taking this
hits it really well looks up expectantly but it misses
the towel is used to dry the mallet, a genuinely sweaty 5 yarder which Stephen hits
the take off to corner 2 leaves a 4 yarder
a slight mallet twist but hits most of it
partner is 5 yards e of the peg
he croquets the ball out the corner getting a 5 foot rush to the middle of the e boundary
cuts it to 2 and a half yards sw of the hoop
gets a 20: 20 degree hoop
takes a lot of wire running rushes it by a foot
The hoop 4 ball is 2 yards ne of hoop 5
rushes to 6 inches from hoop 4
4 ball break now at hoop 5, partner is the pivot
Stephen has been doing lots of pointing, on most of the critical rushes both the rushes to hoop 3 with this ball, the one to the wired spot during the interactivity and several others
he is setting up for a delayed tp but doesnt get a forward rush out of hoop 5, never looked likely to frankly
The peel going to hoop 6 is from 4 feet pretty much straight
The peel is jawsed the one yard rush to 6 requires some pointing to find the line
press up before an 18" straight hoop 6
gets a useful rush to corner 3
The s and e boundaries are lined with spectators in chairs, the grandstand is behind the chairs on the s boundary
This is where the other competitors are watching from along with the hut the players are not using in corner 3
the w boundary is empty possibly reserved for players and spectators
there are still spaces in the front row on the n boundary
he doesnt get a rush on peelee to attempt a death roll, he taking off to a good two back pioneer from by penult
the 3 back pioneer is not the best
certianly not for a peel attempt in any case being 3 yards sw of the hoop
Stephen is setting up for a delayed double taking off to the poor 3back pioneer from penult
just behind penult as it happens following a poor rush
The crowd comment that he forgot to point on that one
gets a perfect rush to 3 back
The Wimbledon cup has arrived and is on a table with the other trophies behind the boundary boards near corner 1
Stephen plays a poor hoop stroke at 3 back resulting in a perfect forward rush
the penult peel is from no more than a foot
it is deliberately jawsed getting a rush on the close escape ball
rushes to 1 yard directly behind 4 back
gets a 20" 20degree hoop
he should run this
good gentle hoop stroke
his croquet stroke out of 4 back hits the escape ball at penult, perfect position ofr a straight double
the peelee finishes a yard e of rover
the other ball is arguably too far s being virtually at rover too but he has a sort of rush out of penult so everything is fine
The hoop 1 ball goes out to the side, the 4back ball geos deep
the peel is froom 15" straight, shouldnt mess this up and irish looks easy
both balls through
mulliner 1 clarke 0
10:40 a.m. 10/02/2008
stephen retrieves the clip from 4 back and I think they are going to start immediately
Chris chooses to go in stephen chooses red and yellow
black to 12 yards n of corner 4
stephen off to b baulk
the duffer is one yard e of hoop 6
The referee changes to Gordon Smith
Chris hits partner from b baullk
the ROT graeme roberts observes the play from the main grandstand, seems to have been engaged in conversation wixy!
Chris puts a ball to 2 getting a rush to the middle of the w boundary. He hits it hard (hoping to get lucky??) and centre balls it to the middle of the w boundary
he plays a thick take off approach and knows it is short immediately
He joins Stephens ball on the west boundary
the shortest shot is at the ball by hoop 2 about 14 yards missing to corner 1
he misses this to one yard n of corner 2 as an incredibly loud (microlite?) flies overhead
chris plays a good first croquet stroke and has a one foot rush to corner 1 with a ball at hoop 2
He overhits the rush by a yard but still gets a less than 12" hoop
runs it with a rush back, should be a ball round from here
Stephens delayed TP looked pretty easy there wasnt all that much scrambling required, was luck to get a rush out of 3back but otherwise was pretty much in control and made it look easy
I am sure both players will attempt TPOs if the opportunity presents itself and Stephen will certainlty have sextuples in mind
The sun has disappeared again and it is cooler than an hour ago
Reg has wandered into the players hut and is having a little chat with Stephen who seems more relaxed than he did before the match
Chris is up to hoop 4 with everything under control
10:53 a.m. 10/02/2008
Chris is quite popular at all the clubs I visited with him and is well known in the area, there is no doubt that he will be the locals choice
The crowd can get quite partisan hear which all adds to the atmosphere
Stephen of course will have not earned himself many friends knocking outt 4 kiwis on his way to this final
There is more blue sky than has been visible all day now but the sun is still behind a cloud
10:57 a.m. 10/02/2008
chris is making an MSL
Most of the crowd have now returned with their drinks after the first game
Samir has his impressive looking camera set up on a tripod, also near corner 1, this area is getting quite crowded now
Chris has his MSL, his balls are 13 yards N of corner 4, the rush points at hoop 5
a ripple of applause breaks out
Stephen lifts the ball by hoop 4 and shoots from b baulk
is slightly interested in the fact that it might hit the wrong ball but it misses into corner 4
Good rush to a foot from hoop 1
If this lawn does get fast it will be hoop 1 that provides the most interest
doesnt get the rush he wanted out of hoop 1 and ignores the ball in corner 4
plays a poorish rush out of hoop 2 to the s boundary in front of 3back
It was quite a big cut not sure if he would have it again given the chance of not
stops the ball to hoop4 going to the other ball, which he prepares to roll down to hoop 3
mediocre shot getting an 8' cut with te escape ball well ne of hoop 3
makes a hoop that was longer tan he would have liked
the peel is from 4' it is not easy with the position of the escape ball
It is not jwased but may be rush peelable, gets a cut rush on the escape ball
The crowd is now 230 possibly the highest of the week
although earlier we had not been counting competitors and at least 20 are competitors
the sun is now out and it is hot
chris grovels through hoop 5, it might be difficult
Owen Edwards wanders on
the shot isnt even a yard but it is clearly difficult
chris speaks to the ref who leaves the court in the direction of the club house
are the carrots proud?
yes here comes the hoop hammer
chris asks owen to stop after 2 biffs with the largest hoop mallet I have ever seen
Chris is looking at a left handed sweep through the hoop
now a rigt handed one around the hoop
this is the sort of position you can never set up in practice it is so short but difficult
I suspect this is nearly impossible
a second ref is called, gordon smith
hits
plays it left handed through the hoop and snicks the end
plays an awful roll
not much chance of the rush peel with a 3 yard rush it has bounced back an inch or so sw of the hoop
that sweep shot has increased the feeling of tension around the lawn
It is a competitive world championship final
another rough shot going to peelee after 6 but the rush peel is easier than I thought
the 1 back pioneer is 5 yards s of 1 back following the earlier poor roll, this is not an easy shot from the n boundary
doesnt get a great rush
plays it well to 18" NE
Stephen made a finish from here look easy
he also fails to rush into position for a death roll, plenty of time left
he gets poor position on a well positioned peelee he had intended a rush peel as he put out a proper 4back pioneer, has to settle for no peel and taking off to 3 back
the peelee is in good rush peeling position again
3 back seems to be the tight hoop and he needs a forward rush
gets one with hoop stroke that gripped a lot
again he gets poor position of the peelee and can only rush it gently into the jaws
looks like it will peel with the take off
which it does
chris croquets the peelee to 12" NE of rover
will we have another game before lunch?
Stephen whinges that his ambition of a round of golf this afternoon is looking frustrated
12" sraight peel
no deep ball
gets both through
Clarke 1 Mulliner 1
11:27 a.m. 10/02/2008
game 3 coming up
they have a brief chat Chris describes the shot at hoop 5 as "very difficult"
Mulliner puts the supershot ball 3 yards n and 1 yard west of 1
They are not giving the commentators much time to get a drink
Clarke is nearly in corner 2 only an inch or so out
he was going very close to the corner against rob yesterday too, I suppose that is what you do when you are as good at aiming as he is
Stephen hits the short convincingly from b baulk
The roll is very good one ball 1 yard n of hoop 1 and the 2 yard ruch pointing straight to hoop 1
the rush is 2 feet short but down the right line
he sticks in a 15" 20 degree hoop 1, I wasnt really expecting that
chris can only make a target if he goes for the ball in the hoop
he is just taking the 6 yarder that misses into corner 2
seemed to strike it ok but misses to 2 yards E of corner 2
Stephen elects to play with the ball in the hoop
I thought it was an odd choice which Chris wanders over and confirms
makes 1 croquets a ball to the peg getting a 1 yard rsuh pointing at the middle of the w boundary
cuts it to 8 yards s of corner 2
the players hut is now in the sun so chris gets a chair and sits on the edge of the commentary tent
Chris confirms that hoop 4 is a "complete rock"
stephen croquets partner behind 2 without really attempting to get a rush
He sends chris to hoop 1 trying to get position
gets a 15" 40 degree hoop
runs it with a gentle jump
The ball to hoop 1 from the N boundary stops bang on the line of 1 and 4 in 10.8 secs, so probably not quite a 12 sec lawn, it is speeding up though
He takes off short to this ball which he roquets and plays a poor split to the ball in the middle
the rush is over 3 yards
the hoop 4 ball is good
pretty good shot rushes it 3 yards west of 3
gets an 18" 20 degree hoop 3, no harder than the hoop 1 he failed
gets a 4 yard return, still struggling for control
rushes it 8 yards e of corner 2, the ball there lloks like it is 1 yard se of the corner, he should get a rush
he does
should go round from here but the rock coming up
Stephen is on hoop 5 with a controlled 3 ball break
he stick in it from 18 in straight stephen wants the hoop checked
if hoop 4 is the rock hoop 5 is not far behind.
Stephen calls Owen on, Chris is not happy
The ball looks more than half way through from here
There is a bit of looking then the clip is put on without any checking occuring
Chris is at hoop 6 with a 12 yarder which he missed by nothing
"oh dear" suggests that there may have been some hill
he returns to his chair shaking his head
Stephen plays with the ball in the jaws and gets a rush back to the ball on the S boundary
A TV crew has arrived, transworld sport??, NZ TV?
he rushes 3 yards N of 6 not clear if he was rushing to the ball on the boundary in front of 1 back or hoop 6
plays an excellent roll getting a rush on the ball near the boundary straight at 1 back which he cuts to 2 yards sw of 6
gets another 20" straight hoop and sticks, that shot wasnt running anything
Could the hoops be baking in and becoming more difficult as the match progesses?
chris has a 4 yarder at a ball only just in the front of the jaws which he hits his ball boucning off and hitting owen Edwards just below the knee, he takes it like a man
Chris gets a good rush to1 and is approaching from 4 feet
make it Stephens 1-back pioneer which is 2 yards west of 2 is going to come in handy now
The hoop3 pioneer is good this is a 4 ball break
If Chris does not make a hoop error in this match it will be a good performance
The TV crew is TV3 an NZ channel
here comes the rock
runs it to the boundary
chris playing quite slowly now, slower than yesterday
hoop 5 sounds tight again
Chris has a deep ball behind hoop 6 on this 4 ball break
He takes too much wire and has to take near ball
patmore wins the second in the plate +1TP
chris rushes to the hoop 5 ball to corner 2 (for the leave I presume), takes off to the ball deep behind hoop 6 and is now playing a 3 bal break
Got a failable 1 back but made it look easy
putting out the 3bakc pioneer out from N of 2 is an important shot
gets a good rusg to 2-back but the 3 back pioneer is 4 yards NW
The lawn is looking quick now, I think we could be in for a feast
3back is from 18" 10 degrees
runs it to partner which is deiberately deep
Chris is definitely modifying his play for the conditions
he stops partner back to corner 4 going to the hoop 1 ball
His ball goes 2 yards N of corner 4
Chris plays a good rush from by 3 back to corner 2 where the hoop 6 ball is
he moves the corner ball a few inches out and rushes the hoop 6 ball to the middle of the E boundary
the hoop 6 ball is 15 yards S of corner 3
Chris has a 1 yard yardline rush
Stephen has been good at 13 yards so far
A tiny ripple of applause for a pretty good turn as the clip is put on 4back
You have got to start fancying Clarke now
the hoop 6 must have a bit of a target it is a 16 yarder
he hits the northern ball
the crowd has stabilised at 230
he rushes well from corner 4 to corner 2
the sun has gone in again, the flags are fluttering slightly
The rush to hoop 6 hits it an bounces to a dreadful spot 4" behind the hoop
probably the most unlucky shot so far
He calls on a ref for the backward take off
he sticks in it dreadfully from 20" more or less straight
His hoop stroke looks too gentle to me
Chris shoots with the hoop 1 ball from corner 2 at the escape ball and hits it in the middle
thats his best shot of the day I think he senses his chance, Stephen isnt looking good at the moment and he does want any interactivity to allow him to regain his composure
Chris rolls the ball from the east boudary to hoop 2 and is very short of the ball in hoop 6
He will have to go for the wrong side of it
He goes for the northern edge with a firm stroke and rushes it to the south boundary 11 yards east of corner 1
he approaches getting a nearly 2 yard hoop which he runs to near the ball at hoop 2
He rsuhes this to 14 yards N of corner 4 and gets a due W rush on the ball 3 yards ne of corner 4
he rushes it to 5 yards in front of 1, plenty of room to get it to 3
plays it pooorly gettng a 2 yard rush to corner 2
rushes it to 2 yards s of corner 2
The roll up is good
He fails the 2 foot 30 degree hoop with a hard stroke
shame that would have been one of the best picks I had ever seen
It is off teh hoop 6 ball and it looks difficult to hit
he has called on an umpire but I dont think he is going to take it
it looks like it will run
stephen is going to shoot at partner 6 yards n and 2 yards e of hoop 4
the 4 back ball is at 4back
Either stephen was wired by hoop 6 or it was an appauling misshit
chris is shooting from 4 back at the in lawn ball which misses to corner 4
he misses it
I am really getting into this now, this is a great match
stephens rush is SW and he takes it to themiddle of the south boundary
Chris says the ball at hoop 2 will run but will need reffing and it doesnt really rush to 6
stephen settles for a leave croqueting the ball from corner 4 to hopp 1
he leaves a rush to hoop 6
chris is shooting from hoop 1 to the ball at hoop 2
watches it all the way and it hits only moving it 6 inches, this gets a cheer not just applause
the lads doing good
he croquets partner towards the w boundary going to corner 4, is he making any hoops?
no he moves a ball 4 yards s of 4 rushes the hoop 6 ball to 4 yards se of 3 and lays a rush to hoop 2 from just N of the middle of the west boundary
chris returns to tell us the shot hilled on
I think Mulliner should from 3 to 4
apparently it is wired
mulliner moves the ball from 3 to corner 2
chris makes hoop 2 and refuses the ball in the corner having run it to the boundary
he rushes to 4 yards from the ball by hoop 4
gets a rush to corner 2 about a yard long which he take perfectly
Time for a cannon
The crowd has grown to 248 which is more than at any of the Welsh premier league fixtures today/yesterday
he just gets a rush to 3 which he plays well getting a rush out the hoop, the ball at 4 is good
The lawn only looks fast when the sun is out which it is fairly frequently now
I cant believe that it actually makes all that much difference
he deliberately runs a 15" hoop 5 to the hoop 6 pioneer which he snicks from 2 yards
he approaches it with no ball at 1back and gets a rush to corner 3
I think he is counting each point now
I thought rob over judged the difficulty of their lawn yesterday is chris beginning to do the same today?
he puts out a 2back pioneer getting a rush N, he take it to 10 yards e of corner 2
he takes off short of the ball near the corner approaches from it putting the other ball betwee 1 and 2
a four foot hoop is run to the 2 back pioneer which he rushes to the hoop and makes it another point in the bag
he has a rush N with balls near the N boundary in front of 1back and between 1 and 2
I think hoop 2 is probably one of the easier hoops on the lawn
he rushes to corner 2 croquets partner to hoop 2 going to the ball near the n boundary that he gets a sort of rush on
he gets a 20" rush to 3 bakc puts it 2 yards in front of 3 back
evans observes that this guy knows how to play
he runs it and hits a 4 yard return, it is nearly a break now
the 4back pioneer is 3 yards west
he makes 4back with a perfect ball at penult, the hoop 6 ball
he croquets partner towards the e boundary going to the pivot which he rushes n and puts to rover (badly)
the penult approach is quck and he gets what looks like a 1" hoop
one more hoop for a good turn Im not sure many people would have approached 1 back with the shot he chose
the hoop 6 ball is rushed to the middle of the E boundary
he makes rover with a rush on the hoop 1 ball towards corner 2 where partner now awaits
he is playing well
rushes it into the corner and rushes partner towards corner 4
he is going to roll them both off just N of corner 4
the 4 back ball is one foot n of corner 4 and te other ball is 5 feet furtehr north
its seems quite hot but chris doesnt look all that hot as he comes off
Stephen lifts the hoop 1 ball and is going to take the short shot from a-baulk
he hits it in the middle again, he has been good at those today
hoop 5 is in the way of the rush to 1
chris's balls are at 3 and 4
he overcuts the rush to 3 and half yards NE of 1, this looks like a quick approach
he rolls back to the corner without tryng to get in front
the peg ball is 3 yards se of 3 the 4 back ball is 3 yards se of 4
i think he will shoot at partner
he is doing
I am calling a few more things right today!
misses probably by a couple of inches
stephen approaches from 18" and runs the hoop from 9 after a press up
has a reasonable rush
he puts a ball to 3 going to chris's balls if I was him I would make sure I took the peg ball to hoop 2
this is the boundary ball unfortunately so it is hardly the sensible line of play
so it is a 4 foot straight rush to hoop 2 off the 4back ball with a pioneer at hoop 3/4-back
the rush is 3 yards sw of 2
the approach rolls on and the hoop is less than a foot a 20 degrees
he runs its off the boundary
he needs to take this round
the rigall looks attractive given the other clip on hoop 6
it could be a long night chaps!
given the previous couple of turns taking this round would be an achievement
stephen has deliberately put partner to hoop 6, if he gets two peels in this turn he will have played a blinder
the hoop stroke has looked ok so far this turn
the approach to the rock hills a little right 9" 20 degree
didnt look too difficult that time
first controlled break for some time
another 9" 20 degree hoop
just get it through, he has to start hitting his hoop stroke harder or he is going to stick again
i dont think there is going to be a peel at 6
hes getting nice and close now just 6" at hoop 6
the 2 back pioneer from the north boundary to 3 yard n of 2 back takes 10 seconds exactly
I dont think this is a 13 second lawn (yet!)
2 back is from less than 6" I think Stephen is back with us now
the 4 back pioneer poor about 5 yards S of the hoop
a clarke mulliner pegged out ending on here should be good fun
will chris shoot at everything in the belief stephen wont be able to play a break or will he wait for all his lifts like Dave did against Aaron yesterday morning
gets a good rush on the dodgy 4back pioneer
clubs it one foot backward takeoff this will be the longest hoop of the break
less than a foot but 30 degrees
probably nearer 20 and he runs it well
any chance of the lunch break before the end of this game?
I am sure Chris wont want to but Stephen might if Chris doesnt finish from the contact
there is no queue for the hot dogs at the moment, it is tempting to get in early
the peg ball is at penult the other 2 balls are either side of rover
penult is from 2 or 3 inches you cant argue with the average hoop running distance in this break
a rigall is pegging out the opponent ball
he hasnt really got a rush to rover
cuts it quite well but a yard to the side is not a formality on these lawns
this one is about 15" looks pretty straight
fist having run it with a good stroke off one wire
the peg out is from a yard
he calls on a referee
that reminds us we are 12000 miles from home
he has a rush to the w boundary level with hoop 2
he takes it to corner 2
We believe that this is turn 17 of this game
he puts the peg ball in corner 1
chris takes contact from corner 1
well he rushes it 2 feet north first
rolling to 4 bakc
peg is in play
no he is going to corner 2 with the strikers ball
its not great he has an 8 yarder
hits it
the ball by 4 back is 4 feet sw
he is going to play a roll to 4back
time for a good one
he wants it to stop
8 feet straight hoop for the game
come on chris
it hits the outside of the left wire bouncing to the middle of the N boundary
that was not convincing
the ball on the n bouandary behnd 4 back is the hoop 6 ball which has a 10 yarder for a "break"
he goes for partner at 8 yards and hits it, not sure if that was the right shot he has been solid at 10 yards today
he is rolling to corner 1, I think chris will take this on
think he has left it open today
chris is shooting nto the guarded corner 1
looks like he strikes it badly but watches it for a long time
mulliner has croquet with the hoop 6 ball on the boundary in front of 1 and the other ball 3 yards in front with hoop 1 in play on the rush
puts chris to 2bakc and rushes 4 yards n of 6
he rolls to in front of 1 back and lays a guarded rush
more interesting what chris does this time, I wouldnt rule out a shot
chris goes to a foot s of corner 2
stephens rush is the best part of 3 yards
he tonks it to towatds the e boundary and is looking for a wire
it is on the boundary level with 5 and he needs to roll there from 9 yards
I dont think the players are thinkning about lunch
its good that we have some interactivity
he is very close to the wire
he lays a 3" rush cant really see where it is pointing
stephen hoevers by his balls
chris wants to shoot
it must be totally wired stephen is staying on the line
chris is playing a golf jump shot!!!!
it misses by less than a foot, I am sure he will appreciate the applause
stephen ignores chris's ball the rush is a good one
chris says it was straight but bounced off
no-one called that shot
stephen egst a 1 yard 10 degree hoop 6 with partner well place if he gets throught to the boundary
he looks at retiring
if that jump shot had hit it would probably have been the loudest noise ever recorded at a croquet match
he is going to retire to the boundary in front of one back
he is only 5 yards e of corner 2 is he guarding the corner?
his "rush" is maybe 6 yards long
chris goes 4 yards sout of corner 2
stephen misses partner to 10 yards s of corner 3
chris has an 11 yarder
hits it centre ball
the crowd are happy again
it goes 9 yards east of corner 3
an approach from the boundary for the game
he will want to be within a yard of the hoop
its awful
2 yards 20 degree
runs it
perfect 3 ball break
1:48 p.m. 10/02/2008
mulliner applauded the hoop stroke along with most of those present
has an 18" penult which I am worried he might stick in
forces it through by a foot with not the best of strokes
the carrots are proud again and we are off to find the hammer
this one is difficult too 8 feet the ball is through by a foot
it is Stephens hoop that is being banged in
right handed sweep I think
the ball at roevr is perfect he just need to hit this
i think it is going to be a stab with hampered backswing
he hits it
wasnt that difficult
he is rolling the ball deep behind rover
he can run it hard now
9 inch hoop
through to the boundary Im sure he says I cant play the game when I do that sort of thing
Clarke 2 Mulliner 1
1:53 p.m. 10/02/2008
mulliner is certainly having lunch
Chris looks pretty pleased with that
Time for a hotdog
they have all gone that is why there is no queue!
I have found Reg
he thought last night chris would win 3-1
and he hasnt seen anything to change his mind
he thinks Stephen is struggling with his hoop stroke
Reg was on the line of the jump shot and it missed by and inch at the end, nearly the best shot he has ever seen
his parting comment is that he thinks chris has got it
Joe Hogan thinks that things havent moved on much since 1989
You still gets as many twists and turns as you did then
it is a very good game to watch
having a bit of trouble extracting Rob
FWIW while I wait for him I would be shocked if Chris lost from here he is playing really well and Stephen looks fragile
he also has the advantage of having won before if Stephen does manage to force a 5th
i have rob now
he is surprised by how good the jump shot was
he was surprised that stephen didnt shoot at chris after chris failed 4back the first tiem
in game 1 he was surprised stephen turned down approaching hoop 6
rob thinks basically stephen is playing too defensively
he thinks chris will win unless he misses more or less every shot
chris is back from lunch
the cicadas are getting louder now
stephen is back, chris is going in
stephen has chosen blue and balck is he paranoid about the red that grovelled through hoop 6
chris to 10 yrads north of corner 4
mulliner overhits the duffer to 4 yards s of 6
chris misses partner from a baulk
stephen is shooting at partner from b baulk
no hes not he is taking the double of chriss ball from 5 yards e of corner 3
bad miss into corner 4
chris has had some interaction with the crowd, is he autographing something??
no the spectator comes over chris has picked up the score cards from the edge of the lawn and asked for the scores to be corrected.
Roger Lane decides the scores are correct and puts them back
not sure what that was all about
chris rushes to corner 4 then gets a good rush to 1 from by the peg. It goes 3 yards straight that was genuinely quick
he approaches to 15" and runs it
gets a good ball at three and a good rush to 2, has total control already
he rushes short from corner 4 to the north boundary he isnt going to have a hoop 4 pioneer now
he is going to try and get a rush on the ball that is 5 yard s of the hoop
he leaves a deep ball to run the hoopp too
rushes to 1 yard due south
20" 10 degree hoop
runs it to the boundary
I am glad he has learnt something from me over the years ;-)
james wins the plate
4 ball break now at 5 with the hoop 6 ball 4 yards s of 6
as the wind get up the organisers decide to be concerned for our welfare as they have not pegged our gazebo down
approaches 6 from a yard, no deep ball
makes it
perfect control at one back off partner
hes played every shot well since making hoop 5
he puts a ball over 4 yards w of hoop 2 after 2back
presumably it is a defensive leave again, he has good position for an NSL if he wants it
he plays for the NSL but doesnt run 3back from a foot by a couple of mm
stephen rushes the ball out of the hoop
it is now 5 yards s of 4 and he take off short to the other ball by 3back
he cuts it fairly well to the n boundary 11 yards e of corner 2
needs a good 8 yard roll now
4 foot rush straight at corner 1 perfect ball at hoop 2
great shot runs on te 4 yards straight
it will be a good shot to get this close
it is off partner
drifts a little right 20" 25 degrees
only 20
should run this he has put the escape ball deepish for the first time
runs its by 4 inches the forward roquet is just over 3 yards looks dead centre
owen edwards marks te balsl
goes very gently and hits it in the middle, maybe he saw what happened to my mallet when I tried to rush one of those
another 10degree hoop 2 thnk it is pretty short
dreadful rush out of 2 to 13 yards n of corner 4
the hoop 3 pioneer is 3 yards w the other ball is 5 yards s of hoop 4
our gazebo is being pegged down (rather noisily)
takes off to hoop 3 ball has to approach from 2 yards NW
gets the line right otherwise it was overhit
gets a forward rush, 2 really ropey balls at 4
gets a rush on the first to the ball near the s boundary
the hoop 5 pioneer is 2 yards sout of the hoop
unlike clarke he doesnt leave a ball deep but croquets it out towards
the rush to 4 off the 3back ball hits the hoop
he gets a 12" straight hoop after a backward take off and makes it
he isnt quite playing with the same control as chris but his game is holding up well
another side approach from 2 feet this time
20" hoop again
no deep ball
really poor hoop stroke is only just in the jaws off the hoop 1 ball
chris rushes it outand gets a rush on stephens hoop 1 ball to hoop 1
not the best of sot 1 yard side approach on the fast stuff
overhits it a little
should still make iit
does
the hoop 2 pioneer is Stephens hoop 6 pioneer
hes in a strong position if he takes this round
hoop 3 pioneer is 1 yard south
18" rush to 2
puts its a yard sw
the gazebo takes off
robin brown and evan newell are the anchors now
peelee goes to 3back ;-)
makes hoop 3 with no rush and 2 balls at hoop 4
he didnt look at a delayed tp against rob in the 5th yesterday surely there will be no attempt made here
he probably will want to be on 4back not 3back at the end of the turn though
runs the hoop a bit hard i dont think he can keep it in position
he tries the rush peel and it bounces back to a tempting position
mulliner is out of his chair for a look
he turns it down it is going to hoop6
mulliner sits down, he has another turn - as if that was ever in any doubt
approaching 5 from a foot to the side with a perfect break
again he puts a ball deep behind 6 he is playing the condidtions far better than stephen
everything is still perfect the pivot goes to half way between 1 and 2 he is playing the conditons perfectly
the middle ball is slightly nearer after 1 back and he takes it
the man "who is about to become the best croquet player in the world" gets some absue for turning down what was only a 3 and a half yarder
the strongest gust of the day hits but we are pegged down now
he has all 3 balls as potential reception balls as he runs 3 back from 18 inches
gets a hoop and roquet on the near when he was going to the middle ball
he learnt that one from me too ;-)
he is a bit psyched by 3back I think and I dont fancy that we will be seeing the best of hoop strokes next time he is there
total control at 4back
the hoop 5 ball is the rover pioneer he is making penult off partner
looks like he is making a reverse diagonal spread
the hoop 5 ball goes towards the east boundary
it is 6 yards n and 2 yards e of hoop 4
the hoop 1 ball seems to be in good position at the peg
looks like it will rush to 3 back
chris is going about 19 yards n of corner 1
last shot time
stephen lifts the ball near 3 back and is shooting from corner 1
the noisy plane is overhead again
doesnt miss by much, I dont think it was ever hitting
goes off in corner 2
he rushes on top fo the middle ball no 4back pioneer
gets a 10" rush
it drifts to 3 yards straight
the other ball is well e of the peg if he needs it
approaches to 20"
fails it
he isnt in it, it rushes to 1
stephens hoop 1 ball is joined more or less with the peg ball in the middle
he hits the 5 yarder to hoop 2
he is looking at the ball by 3 back it would be a brilliant shot to get a rush on it from where he is
he tries to get a rush on parner near corner 2
gets something playabel
it stops 4 yards ne of 1 that was 10.4 seconds - this more a less a 13 second lawn I would say
he rolls to ball by 3back
he gets a good rush but 2 yards long
this looks missable
cuts it into the far wire and bounces to the end of abaulk
roll approach, partner is 3 yards ne of corner 4
overhit down the wrong line
has to return to partner
2 balls at 3 back, chris will shoot
15 yarder at partner near hoop 2
not particularly close
another rigall would make this a classic
the first rush hits hoop 4, stays on the line of 3 and 4 taking off to the 3back ball on the boundary
hits it from 4 yards convincingly
gets a good rus to 1
goes 5 feet east
the sun is in it doesnt look difficult without te sun
take off approach is overhit
12" 25 degrees
runs it gently well
I think he looks up for this turn
the hoop 2 pioneer is perfect
cast iron 4 ball break
243 people still watch on entranced by a game of croquet
make that 251 I have just spotted another vantage point
not sure that we havent seen the last of the sun for the day
he is making 4 off the 3back ball
he is striding purposely and confidently now
he is going to get this riggall
10" 20 degree hoop 4
lots of care and goes through by 4 or 5 inches, he needs to start hitting these a little bit harder, not hard just firmly will do
you have got to admire how he keeps coming back from his errors he is putting up a real fight
has to send out a second two back pioneer after the first is short
dont know whether chris would prefer to be on 3back or 4back at this point with the riggall pending
I am not convinced that he going to make 3back this game
the 3 back ball is one of two balls at 3back as he makes 2 back
it is almost chilly now in the wind
3:30 p.m. 10/02/2008
it is 3back of the 3back ball
he has a ball deep this time
it is 5" straight
the penult pioneer from 4 yards s of 4 to 3 yards in front of penult takes 10.8 seconds this lawn is still quicker than 12 seconds
grovels through a very short 4back
the polarity is all wrong for him
the hoop 5 ball is at rover he is making penult off the 3back ball
the penult approach rolls w, this is trick he has some deep balls
jumping 8" 30 degree
fails it to the middle of the hoop
off the 3back ball
chris takes contact from the ball near rover and puts it to 4 back getting arush to 3bakc
it is pointing at the end of a baulk
rushes to 4 feet west
approaches to 15" staright
runs it pretty gently with a solid looking stroke
takes off getting a cut on the ball 4 yards from 4back
approaching from a yard
runs it off the boundary
has croquet from 13 yard s of corner 3 there is a ball stuck in penult the other ball is 2 yards ne of 3back
rolls out a rover pioneer going to partner near 3back
gets a rush would have liked th pioneer to be a bit better
rushes to the peg
he should win from here
he avoids peeling stephen at penult
he is putting out a deep ball from penult
he wont want to have to hit that it is 3 and a half yards in
approaching from 4 inches w
9 inch 10 degree hoop, gets a hoop and roquet
he is going to be the new world champion
Clarke 3 Mulliner 1
Chris Clarke World Champion
3:43 p.m. 10/02/2008
he acknowledges the crowd and shakes stephens hand
the best player doesnt always win a croquet tournament but he has won this one
the cup is on the lawn by hoop 4 already
Thats it folks