Good morning from Surbiton.  Touch of drizzle in the air, but it should brighten up.

This match is on lawn 5.

G1T1  Forster Balck just S of 2nd corner

G1T2  Maugham Red middle E bdry

G1T3  Clarke Blue shoots at Red from 4y W of 3rd corner.  Hits.

G1T3  Clarke rolls balls South, leaving rush to Black.

G1T4  Rutger Yellow misses Red from A-baulk

G1T5  Clarke Blue makes 1 off Red. Croquets Red to 3, no rush on Yellow.  Yellow is now 2yN of 5.  Takes off to Black.  Takes off to 2.  Runs 2.  Hits Black (5y).

G1T5  Clarke now has 4-ball break.

G1T5  Clarke Blue has broken down at 2-back.  We think he was trying to leave ball in back of 1  and underhit stroke leaving ball blocking the hoop.

G1T6  Maugham Red hits 3-yarder for laid break.

We have several spectators down here on the far lawns.  As the arithmetically astute of you will have realized, GB may win the Mac today.

Maugham runs hoop 2, then wanders off the lawn.  He's removing his sunglasses, as it's clouded over again.

G1T6  Maugham Red round to 4-back.  Spread coming up.

Samir taking over from Andrew

Long lift from Forster with K, misses to aboyt 1yd W of corner IV

Should be a TP for Rutger now to take the first game

Under control at hoop 1.  Gets a longish (about 2.5 yards) rush pointing towards corner IV.  Good shot, rushes to a yard from K, but may not be able to get blue back out much.

No rush after 2, but sends a good hoop 4 pioneer just S of hoop 4 (good to approach off the ball just out of corner IV), and has a 3 yard hoop 3 approach.  Approches to 1 yard, which he runs to 3 yards past black.  One good take-off to corner IV and he should have a delayed TP entirely under control.

That should have been "just" one good take off.  Ends up within the South boundary yard-line, but no disaster.

Great rush after 4; should be able to peel now.... Yes, and gets a rush back to U at hoop 5.  Should get this TP back to standard at hoop 6

He has set up for peeling 6 to 1-back, and runs 6 deep to which he rushes to near corner III.  Gets 4 yards from peelee which he needs to move a foot.  Unsurprisingly, over rushes.  Manages to put it just in front of the jaws.  Doesn't look to be in it.  Sends U down to 2-back anyway, so presumably confident of rush peel

Makes sure of the rush peel - clubs it through to south boundary!

Should be all over now; under control at 2-back; jawses red before 3-back

Looks like red wasn't perfectly in the jaws, since Rutger turns down the rush peel despite a pefect side ball for the purpose.  Plays for a straight rover peel; just needs a careful tap into the jaws... doesn't wan't to rush-peel it.  No problems.

So, tidy enough (from GB's perspective) 8th turn TP in the first.  A quick check of the hoops by the RoT and we should be ready to go again.

Game 2; Rutger playing first with Yellow.  Corner II opening.

Martin and Stephen standing on B-Baulk taking a long look at it.  Stephen has Black, Martin Blue.

Hmmm... Stephen takes a long walk back to A baulk, and goes to corner IV.

Oh, wait; dribbles it to just out of IV.  It's a yard NW of corner IV.

Dave shoots at R from B baulk; misses into IV leaving Martin with a range of 13 yarders to pick from.

Blue takes the shot from A baulk at Red in corner IV.  Hits.

Just plays to get a rush to hoop 1 on partner, makes the hoop but now needs a good rush back to IV or he'll have to approach hoop 2 from corner II.

Rushes to about 8 yards from IV.  Gets a rush back to hoop 1.  Dave will probably notice if he makes hoop 1 again...

Doesn't try; instead rushes to E boundary next to hoop 1, takes off to corner II and rolls out to about 2.5 yards straight in front.  Still a lot of work to do.

Murray control; "forced" to rush straight to hoop 3; but slightly hampered and over cuts, so doesn't get  very far.  Rolls-off the hoop; another 3-yard hoop.  Fails this one.  Yellow (Rutger) looks to have a shot at it, and red's next to hoop 1.

Rutger hits U with Y takes off to K;  great shot - gets a tight rush to R.  Should go round from here.

No control after hoop 1; has a big scoop; ends up about 4 yards from Y (for hoop 2) and red is closer to 6 than hoop 3.   U is on N boundary near hoop 4.

Gets a rush after hoop 2, so should get this under some sort of control soon.  Send black to hoop 4, gets a rush on red to blue, which he plays well.

Expecting hoop and roquet after hoop 3, but doesn't get it.  Runs to 8/9 yards past, and misses.

Expecting hoop and roquet after hoop 3, but doesn't get it.  Runs to 8/9 yards past, and misses.

Black is for hoop 1, and is 2 yards towards the peg from hoop 4; U 2 ft S of hoop 3, Y on N boundary N of 3, and slightly East and R 3 yards N of hoop 3.  Blue has a 7 yarder for a trivial break....

Blue misses, giving Yellow back an easier break than the one he put down.  Should go round from here, but I've said that before.

Long debate after running hoop 5.  To late to be thinking of POPs, so presumably deciding on the preferred parity for the leave (unless he's thinking SXP???) 

Three more strokes, and another long think.  I'd suggest rushing U (the hoop 6 pioneer) to hoop 6.

Looks like we're taking advantage of the auto-popping to hoop 3 and having a defensive leave.

Very defensive.  We have Martin's Blue pretty much in corner IV, probably a few inches out.  Stephen's Black on east just south of peg high.   Red and yellow joined on West boundary just South of coner I.  Looks like about 18 inches apart.

Stephen lifts black and shoots at R from B baulk.  Let's see how effective this defensive leave is.

Meanwhile - a great promotional pick up for a break by Greg Bryant on lawn 4 - but you'll have to look at that commentary to find out what!

Rushes yellow to blue in corner IV, gets a rush to NE of hoop 1, but stick in the hoop.

Dave takes the shot with R from near corner II at U; nicks it.  Takes off to K in hoop 1 and takes croquet with K still in the jaws. 

Attempted stop shot to send K to hoop 2 and get a rush on U to yellow in corner IV is a bit short, but plays a great cut-rush to corner IV anyway.

Standard TP is there for the taking.

4-back peeled by about 5 yards after hoop 3

A few spots of rain beginning to fall.  There may be an interuption while I find cover.  Dave has his standard TP under control.

Just run 3-back with a straight rover to do.

Maugham finishes, +24tp

That's the first of the 3 matches GB need to win the shield.

Good performance from Dave and Rutger, only one error between them, and some good shooting.

Correction to score - Dave Maugham has confirmed the score as +23tp(M)