Morning all, and welcome back to Roehampton for the final day of the Australia v. USA test. Today there are six singles, and those of you who were tuned in at the end of our broadcast last night will know that with the USA leading the test by 9-6, they only need two more matches to clinch the win. It will require a comeback on the scale of Lazarus for Australia get the five they need to pull this one out of the fire.

In the wider context of the battle for the Shield, given that GB are in an even stronger position, leading New Zealand 10-5 as they do, a USA win will probably give GB the luxury of not needing to win their final test in order to retain the trophy.

Weather is currently trying to decide whether to be sunny as yesterday, or overcast and showery as for the first three days. Lawnspeed not measured, but unlikely to have changed much from the consistent 11 Plummers it's been all test.

GAME 1

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1 U 15 yd supershot

2 R to 1 yd off E boundary level with peg

3 K centre balls R from B baulk, rushing to E boundary level with 4. Approaches 1 from 2 yds to the side, runs it and has a three ball break ahead of him

Croquet stroke sending U to 3 going to the hoop 2 pioneer lands in the jaws of the hoop. Calls a ref, but runs it trivially

Everything under control as he runs 5 with a forwrd rush. I'm not offering odds against the 3 Ducks leave

K has a N bound rush after 2b. Can't tell if that's deliberate for the Ducks, or overhit for the DL

Rushes to 5 yds W of peg and takes off to 3b. Must be the Ducks

Rushes U towards W boundary after 3b, but U centre balls R sending it there instead. Sends U off trying to roll it to the boundary. So on the E boundary from N to S we have U, K & R, 1 yd & 6" apart respectively, all around level with 6

4 Y shoots at 3 ball target from A baulk and hits R

Approaching 1 from 2ft straight in front with a 4 ball break and full choice of tactics ahead

K, oppo 4b ball, arrives at 4b before 2

4b peel jawsed after 3: tpo it is

Looking more like sun than showers now

Goes back to complete peel after 4: in these conditions, a risk in name only

Having said that, Danny shapes to pass roll to 6 & 5, but then wisely IMHO changes his mind to a take off

Penult being peeled after 6, escape ball just E of the hoop

Firm peel gets lots of wire. Looks like it completed but is still in the jaws. Not ideal but shouldn't matter

Rushes peelee back through 6 after 1b and rolls it to rover going to 2b. Peel attemptgoing to 3b rejects to beside the hoop

Ignoring K now until the straight rover peel

R rushed to E boundary level with 4-ish directly after rover. K pegged off and Y to C2

5 Ian attempts to approach 1 with U directly off R. Fails position so runs to N boundary immediately behind 3. They really don't like the corners these people. Some kind of croquet claustrophobia I suppoe

6 Y hits 16 ydr at R and lays up on S boundary behind 1. Can't tell if it's wired, but don't suppose U will shoot anyway

7 This claustrophobia is really severe as U goes to mid-point of E boundary. Can't help feeling the Brits are just going to lap this up if the Aussies try it against them

8 R makes 1, 2 and 3 off Y and rushes to E boundary 4 yds N of U

Didn't see if he could have rushed to U after 2, but failure to do so means it's taking a bit to dig the balls out

Indeed he ends up approching 6 from 7 yds E putting U to 1b, but has the balls once this succeeds and he runs 6

Finishes. Harsh maybe, but Ian got everything he deserved there

Dumergue loses to Lamm -13tpo

Test Score
	6	9

Match Score
	0	1

GAME 2

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1 K peg high supershot

2 R misses trickle from C1

3 U misses trickle at target from C1

4 Y hits U shooting at target from C3, rushing it to S boundary

Easy break to 4b, looking like it's going to be an NSL, K 1 yd off W boundary 2 yds S of hoop 2

NSL it is

5 K hits long lift from C3

Standard tpo after running 3

From easy position peel only jawsed after 3

Peel completed after 4

Lost the link for a while there

Lamm completes tpo U on E boundary just N of 4, K in C2

6 R takes contact from U, sends it to 1 going to K, but goes off

7 K lays up for U in C4

8 R misses U from just out of C2

9 U pokes R beyond 4 but doesn't get a rush to 1. Lays up on N boundary 3 yds E of C2

10 R hits K from 30yds rushing it into C2. Excellent chance now

Runs hoop 2 with a perfect 3 ball break for the equaliser

1b pioneer is 3 yds S of the hoop as he approaches 6

But now approaching 1b from 2 ft dead in front

Finishes, pegging out K for a final flourish

Dumergue beat Lamm +13otp

Test Score
	6	9

Match Score
	1	1

Lunch

U supershot.

R hits, lays up wired across peg.

K hits and starts a 3-ball break.

K is approaching H5, with 3-ball break under full control.

Has now run 3b and rushed U to W boundary level with 6. Has to take off back to the peg to pick up R, but gets a 1 ft rush on it to U. 3 Ducks

Has now run 3b and rushed U to W boundary level with 6. Has to take off back to the peg to pick up R, but gets a 1 ft rush on it to U. 3 Ducks

4 Y shoots from end of B baulk and misses

4 Y shoots from end of B baulk and misses

5 U has made 1 and it's all there for a standard tp for the match

4b peel goes a yd through after 3

With balls on blades of grass hoop 5 takes too much wire, this time it needs a sweep to make contact with the escape ball, but he does

With balls on blades of grass hoop 5 takes too much wire, this time it needs a sweep to make contact with the escape ball, but he does

4b peel goes a yd through going to 6. Apart from those two stutters at 3 & 5, this has been a very accurate turn

Oops. Haven't done that for a bit

The Immediate Past President of the WCF, David Openshaw, has just told me that the 2nd and 3rd (It'll End In) Tiers have got under way successfully. Early highlight from Hurlingham was the Digger playing a firm hampered stroke after 1 through the hoop, and smashing his shaft to smithereens on the cross bar. Wish I'd been there...

The Immediate Past President of the WCF, David Openshaw, has just told me that the 2nd and 3rd (It'll End In) Tiers have got under way successfully. Early highlight from Hurlingham was the Digger playing a firm hampered stroke after 1 through the hoop, and smashing his shaft to smithereens on the cross bar. Wish I'd been there...

Penult peel goes 5 yds through after 6

Rover peel through a yd going to 3b, and is collected and sent to penult after 3b

Finishes to clinch the match and keep the slender Aussie hopes alive.

As I summarise the score, I see the peg out of oppo ball at the end of the second game was to maintain the symmetry of the scoreline. Tres elegante, n'est ce pas?

Dumergue beat Lamm -13tpo +13tpo +26tp

Test Score
	7	10

Match Score
	2	1