Ian and Paul have lunched, and are warming up on Lawn 4.

This is the dampest of the four.  Chairman Rigge would - I'm sure - be happier if Lawn 1 had finished first, but this one's still running at about 12 Plummers.

They start.  Dumergue (Red) goes standardly, Skinley (Black) takes the second corner, Dumergue (Yellow) misses the long shot at partner into corner 4.  Skinley (Blue) misses the Corner 4 ball on the left, leaving Dumergue a rush up towards partner.

Black remains in Corner 2, with Blue on the east boundary.  Yellow has blobbed Hoop 1 off Red, and Skinley has called the umpire to watch his hit-in with Blue.

A narrow miss.

Red plays, and punts Blue back into play.  The approach doesn't work, and Ian is left with Red dead in front, and Yellow behind, Hoop 1.  Paul shoots with Blue from alongside Hoop 6, and misses.

Ian (Red) has dug something out, and is approaching Hoop 2 with an acceptably good Black pioneer at 3, and Yellow down near 2-back.

At last.  A proper MSL.

Black's four inches from Hoop 2, Blue's symmetrically placed at Hoop 4, Yellow has a rush to Hoop 1 from the east boundary level with Hoop 5.

Yellow blobs the first hoop, and Paul hits Red with Black.  Paul's now running the hoop himself.

Some while later, and Skinley's done the Heaton Park Standard Leave (NSL).  Dumergue refuses the offer of a lift, and plays the west boundary ball from where it lies.  He misses partner into Corner 4. 

Skinley gets to 4-back, and starts his triple.

Paul's clips are now on the side of Penult.

Dumergue gets in, and produces the following:

Black in front of 2

Red between 2 and 6

Blue between 1 and 2

Yellow wedged halfway Hoop 1 from the wrong side.

He attempts to scatter Red from 15 yards, and leaves Yellow on the north boundary.

Paul leaves Yellow and Red at Hoops 1 and 2, and leaves a rush to Penult from beyond Hoop 3.

Of course, that was the leave after getting Black to the Peg.

Ian misses, and Paul has the chance of a finish.

Skinley beats Dumergue +17

Game Two

Another corner 2 opening - Skinley hits with Yellow from B-baulk on the third turn.

Ian misses fourth turn.  Skinley is in play.

Skinley is having another NSL.  I'm told that this was an interrupted break - a failure at Hoop 2, a miss from Dumergue, and a resumption from Skinley.

Dumergue again takes the long shot from where they lie - Black at Hoop 2 at the Red and Yellow.  He's found the gap, so Skinley has another possible finishing turn.

Paul has just run Hoop 4, with the Red peelee nicely jawsed at 4-back.  The smart money rests with the New Zealander.

Skinley is last man standing, as all five of the other matches are now done.

He's running 4-back, with Red a foot in front of Rover.

The five idling Australians are huddled on Lawn 2 with Steve Jones, the team coach.  A disappointing result for them so far, as they threaten to lag 8-4, with the New Zealanders needing just another three match wins.

...and so it is.  New Zealand lead Australia 8-4 after three days.

Paul Skinley beats Ian Dumergue +17 +26TP

Charles Jones and Aaron Westerby look very cheerful, after three days' good work.  The Australian mascot, a plastic crocodile, sits on the table beside me disconsolately.

That's it from me, folks, as I leave you in the hands of Ian Vincent for the next two days.  I'm back to the other side of town for the last two days of the Bowdon match.

The forecast is light rain for tomorrow, and showers for the final day.  Weather reports so far have been of variable trustworthiness, so we can expect both sun cream and waterproofs.