Another new day, and with USA 9-6 up, the Aussies have an uphill battle to win from here.  The day is overcast, but with brighter weather forecast for later this morning.  Lets hope so. 

U is sent to anti-duffer position just off W boundary.

Y lays standard tice, about peg high.

K shoots at U from A baulk, misses.

R shoots at Y, misses to C2.

U (the in-lawn ball) plays, hits K and takes off to Y.  Why not R??  Gets a rush on Y to N boundary , which he takes to about 5 yds out of C1 on S boundary.  Rolls off hoop, gets rush back to K, which he takes to about 3 yds S of K.Y goes towards H3, shallow - only a yard or so off boundary.  Gets rush which he takes to 2 yds S of R.  Plays thin take-off, gets rush to H2.

runs H2 with no useful rush on R, and shoots at K instead - 6yd shot.  Snicks it.  K goes to H4, with rush on R which he takes straight to H3.  Looks like an easy enough break from here.

Well, hes made it to 4b, but he made that 'easy break' look hard.  He ends with a reverse B-spread, R at peg, K 2 yds S of C2 with a rush on U to H1.

R is lifted and shoots at Y, missing to 1 yd out of C4 on S boundary.

K rolls U to H3 getting no rush on Y.  Takes off from Y, rushes R to behind H4.  Plays roll to H1, too short.  Returns to U, but sticks on H3, leaving a double for R at H1.  R shoots and hits K.

K goes half-way to H2, with cut-rush on U which goes to mid E boundary.  Thick take-off puts U 4 yds into lawn,with a rush on Y which is pointing at H2.  Cuts it short of H1, and approaches putting Y 3 yds SW of H1.  Runs by 3", and hits Y.  Plays big pass-roll, putting Y behind H4, gets rush on U to H3.  Takes off for rush on K - not good, but approaches H2 well and runs.  Looking like another 'easy' break.

R declines easy tpo opportunity.  Looks like an ordinary break to 4b.

R goes to 4b with a spread, K is at the peg, U goes 3 yds off W yardline opposite H6.

K shoots at Y from A baulk.  Misses.

Manages to get K out to H4 with a rush on R to U.  R goes to H2, rushes U to H1 and makes it.  U goes to K, gets a rush on K towards R.  Sends K to 4 yds ahort of H3.  Makes H1, sends R to 1.5yds in front of 4b with a rush on K.  R is jawsed with a rush on K to U, which is about 7 yds N of H4.

Gets a rush on U to mid E boundary after H4.  Rolls to H6 going to R, which is rush-peeled.  Plays a pass-roll, sending R into U so that it holds about 3 yds in front of H6.

Peel attempt after H6 leaves R on a wire of penult.  Not sure if it will rush-peel.

Rush peel is successful after 1b, R goes nicely 2 yds in front of rover.  Leaves it there while he makes 2b.  Gets no rush after 2b.

Lovely shot sending U an inch or so off 4b, and getting a close rush on peelee.  Peels rover going to 3b.  Looks all over.

Bast wins +17tp

They switch colours.

K goes 2 yds off E boundary, about 1 yd S of H4.

R goes 1 ft S of C2.

U shoots at K, misses.

Y shoots at U/K, misses.

Y is sent out a bit, rushes K to H1.  Makes H1 but misses K after the hoop to N boundary in front of H3.  Shot was probably 7 yds.

R goes to W boundary by Y, leaving a long rush to H1.  I'm guessing he had no shot at Y because of the peg.

K shoots at R/Y, misses to 1 yd S of R.

K is sent past the peg towards H2.  Rush on Y goes to boundary in front of H1.  Rolls off hoop and gets rush towards K.  Rushes a bit close, 2 yds from K.  Sends Y in front of H6 getting rush to H2.

Sends K well up to H4, rushes Y off N boundary 1 yd from U.  Should be away from here.

I missed what happened here, but he has just made 2b with U 1 ft in front of 1b.  I assume he popped it.  K is left in the jaws of H1 as he goes to make 3b off partner.  Leave Y just off E boundary, and rush-peels K down to 2 yds off N boundary.  Sends K towards W boundary, about 3 yds off boundary level with H6.  Rushes U back to H4.  Sends U 5 yds N of H1 and leaves rush for Y towards C2.

U shoots at R/Y from mid N boundary.  Misses into C4.

Y has angled H1 with K behind hoop and R at H2.  U still in C4.  Makes it for a 3-ball break.

Website difficulty there for a bit.  Clarke just made H5 with no rush on K.  R is 2 yds in front of 4b, U is 3 yds in front of H6.

Rols K to 1b, puts R in better position 2 ft in front of 4b going to U.  Makes H6 with rush to C3, takes it to 3 yds S of corner.  Sends U to 2b, and taps R.  Peels R almost to boundary going to K at 1b.

Rushes K back to N boundary after 1b, and sends it to 4b.  Rushes R back towards 1b, and splits it to 3b.  It goes deep, just off S boundary.

Rushes U back to rover after 2b, and manages to get rush on R to 3b.  Perhaps it wasn't quite as deep as I thought.

Y is hampered after 3b.  Plays sweep at R which is 3 yds away.  Misses.

U hits Y - perhaps 4 yds.

With K at 4b, and U for 3, he has an easy break.

U is taking his break round.  Not looking at the DPO.  Just made H5.

Looks like he's planning a reverse spread.  R and K are at the peg, making 3b off Y.

Yep, reverse spread.  Y is a yard or two off E boundary, R at peg, looks like it can see Y.

Leaves K a rush to H2.

Y is lifted and shoots at R from B baulk....hits.

Rolls R to 3 yds in front of penult.  Gets rush to 4b and makes it.  Rushes R to 2 ft in front of penult and irish peels softly.  R goes 2 yds through.  U is 1 yd S of penult, K is 3 yds S of peg.

Hits U, and rushes R just past peg-high.  Peel attempt getting rush on K, peelee bounces off to 6" to side of rover.

Sends K W of peg, 7 yds off boundary.  Rushes U back towrds R, and sends it about hallfway between peg and H4.  Rushes R to 3 yds W of C4, and croquets both balls off E boundary leaving 1 yd rush N.

U is lifted and shoots at K from B baulk.  Misses.

R rushes Y to 8 yds E of peg, and takes off to K, getting a rush towards U on the boundary.  Rushes to 1.5yds S of U.  Takes off too far, and cut-rushes U to 5 yds behind rover.  Takes off and gets 1yd hoop which he runs.  No rush on U.  Takes off to Y and gets his rush to the peg.

Clarke levels the match +16

Lunch.

They switch colours again.  Clarke plays K to 2 yds W of peg.

Y goes just out of C4.

U shoots at Y.  Hits.

Rolls too far.  Good Y but he has a 6yd roquet on K which he plays softly and hits.  Declines hoop approach, rolls to E boundary.  Y is level with H6 on line between H1 and H2.

R shoots at K, misses 1 yd W of C4.

K rushes U to Y for a 3-ball break.

K sticks in H1, leaving a 5 yd shot for Y.  Not sure how much of K he can see though.

Y opts to shoot at R instead.  Hits.

R is inexplicably left behind in C4.  Y makes H1 and H2, has a 3-ball break.

Y has just made H5 with all the balls now.

Laying up for a spread.  R and U are by the peg, making 3b off K.

U/K are spread quite vertically across peg, with K only 2 yds SW of H2.  R is rolled to boundary about level with H4, with a rush pointing at C2.  U is lifted and shoots from end of B baulk at R/Y.  Hits.

Sends Y 2 yds off E boundary about level with peg.  Rushes R short of K.  Rolls it to H2, gets rough rush on K which goes off W boundary about level with H1.  Rolls off hoop and is away.

He has Y and K at H3 as he makes H2.  Could be looking at the tpo here I think.

Yep, but Y bounces out of the jaws on the peel attempt.  It may still rush-peel.

Rushes R back to Y after H4.  Sends R to H6.  Goes for the rush-peel but it bounces back 6".  Takes off to K at H5.

Rolls K to 1b going to Y.  Y is rolled across, tpo sensibly abandoned.

Puts R into jaws of H1 after making 2b.  He'll need to go back and complete that peel later.  Rolls K across behind 3b going to Y.  Makes 3b and sends Y 2 yds NE of peg, rushing partner back to 4 yds N of C4.  Takes off and rushes R through H1, leaves it wired across the peg on the line between H1 and H2.  Returns to 2 yds N of K.

After much thought, R is lifted and shoots at the U/K double from B baulk.  Hits U snicking it off the boundary.

Plays split shot getting U 3 yds in from boundary level with H4 and a rush on K.  Sends K to 3 yds SW of H3, gets a rush on Y which goes 4 yards in front.  Plays a good approach and runs with rush pointing roughly at K.  Hits rush poorly, it doesn't reach H6.  Rolls it 3 yds in front of 4b.

Makes 3 with a longish rush on Y back to the hoop.  Rushes it to 1.5 yds in front.  Y is jawsed, with rush to U.

Makes H4, rushes U only half-way back to R.  Rolls U to H6, gets good rush position on Y and peels.  Takes off to K at H5.

Makes H5 and has a long rush on K, which goes nicely to 1b.  Takes off to behind Y, which is now behind H6.  Rushes to 3 yds ebhind H6 and rolls to 1 yd behind.  Makes H6 and hits Y in hoop stroke.  Jawses from 2 yds.

Makes 1b and sends K nicely to 3b.  Rush-peels Y to just past the peg.  Plays roll going to U at 2b.  Y goes 2 yds past rover.

Gets no rush after 2b, but plays a good shot getting U to 4b and a nice rush on Y.  Rushes Y short - it may have gone into the back of rover.  Jawses it from the wrong side going to K at 3b.

Rushes Y on through rover after 3b, it goes 2 yds from peg.  K is nicely at penult.

Puts U and Y by rover, Y 2 ft in front, before going to make penult off K.  Takes off short and roquets K 7 yds past hoop.  Good approach and recovers.

Bast wins +17tp, -16, +17tp, to seal this test for the Americans to scattered applause.  Didn't they realise?