Good morning from Surbiton.

The club has done brilliantly finding at least 100 metres of cable, so Chris Clarke and I are installed near the 4th corner of lawn 6.  I'll be following this match on lawn 6, plus the one on lawn 7.  Chris is looking forward to covering Aiton & Mulliner.

G1T1  Forster (Black) to just S of 2nd corner.

They're playing my opening, says Chris

G1T2  Fulford (Yellow) peg-high on East boundary

G1T3  Martin Clarke (Blue) shooting at Yellow from end of B-baulk.  Hits (23y). 

G1T3 ctd,  Blue and Yellow are a coupleof yards S of peg-high, with rush toward 2nd corner

G1T4  Fulford (Red) hits Blue from 3rd corner, rushing it to S bdry.  Take-off to yellow is good, rush not so good.  He's 7y S of 2nd corner.

G1T4  Robert's been thinking a while.  Blue is 4y S of hoop 4, Rob (red) rolls Yellow 2y S of 2nd corner, hits Black.  Deliberately croquets Black off into 3rd corner.  Red just E of 2nd corner.

G1T5  Clarke (Blue) shoots at Black, missing to 2'W of 3rd corner.

G1T6  Fulford (red) cuts Yellow maybe 5y WSW of hoop 2, takes off, hits Black

G1T6 ctd  Fulford Red approaching hoop 1 from 5y South.  Runs 1y hoop too cleanly to East of hoop 2.  Hits Yellow (7y).  Yellow to 3, rush on Blue (which is peg-high), and he has all the balls.

G1T6 ctd Fulford Red POPped Blue thru 1 before 5.  Going for second POP after 1-back.

G1T6 ctd Fulford (Red) round to 4-back.  Yellow and Black clips on 1, Blue on 3.  Spread with Blue at peg, Black 1 yard in from West boundary, maybe 12y S of 2nd corner.  Yellow is 8 yards North of 4th corner, with 1y rush pointing a few yards North of 1.

G1T7  Forster lifts Black to 3rd corner, shoots at Yellow, misses, going off 4y S of Yellow.  Crowd thinks Clarke is the better shot so should have played.

G1T8  Lines (Yellow) ignores Black.  Approaching 1 off Blue from 4 yards to West.  1y hoop, reasonably straight.  Fails into centre of jaws.

G1T9  Clarke (Blue) rushes Yellow out of hoop.  Croquets Yellow to hoop 3, hits Black.  Red is 2y SE of 2.  Good take-off to Red, good rush to 3.  A standard TPO beckons.

G1T9ctd  Clarke (Blue) peels Red through 4-back after 3.  Fails to get rush on hoop 4 pioneer, copes with 4 yard roll up.  Christs off Black in hoop stroke, so Red stays where it is for now.  No forward rush after 5.

G1T9ctd  Clarke (Blue) has just made hoop 6 with all balls in vicinity.  Sends Yellow to 2-back, but can't rush Red to peeling position, so decides to make 1-back off Red and try for penult peel after 1-back.  Lining up long (7y) peel.  Red hits hoop, bounces to side, Blue finishes about 1" from Red, unable to roquet anything.

G1T9ctd  Clarke (Blue) plays away 5y S of 2nd corner.  Clips:  Red penult Yellow 1; Blue 2-back Black 1.

G1T10  Fulford Red is 1 yard N of Black, Yellow 3y N of 1.  Red rushes Black 3y WNW of hoop 1.  Croquets Black to rover, rushes yellow to penult.  Looks like he's going to score 2 hoops.

G1T10ctd  Fulford (Red) has fished out Blue after penult.  I anticipate a cross-wire at hoop 1.

G1T10ctd  Fulford's Red clip is on the peg.  Black is 4' NNE of hoop 1, Blue is 4y SSW of hoop 1.  Yellow is 3y W of 3rd corner, with rush on Red pointing to hoop 4.

G1T11  Forster (Black) hits Yellow (30 yards).  Picks up break.  Fulford's Red clip may not be on the peg at the end of this turn...

G1T11ctd  Forster (Black) jawses Blue attempting 2-back peel after 5.  Maybe 2 peels and 2 balls off?  (Yellow clip still on 1).

G1T11ctd  Forster (Black) plays an Irish peel at 3-back.  Maybe he'll get a posthumous 4-back peel.

G1T11ctd  Forster (Black) now for rover.  The Blue clip will be on 4-back.  The Yellow clip is still on 1.  The red clip and we suspect the black clip will not be on the peg.  The Blue ball is 10y East of the peg.  Remember it's a lift but no contact.  The Yellow ball is 3y WNW of hoop 5.

The Red and Black balls are off the lawn.

G1T12  Lines lifts Yellow to end of A-baulk, misses Blue.

G1T13 Clarke (Blue) misses Yellow (9y)

G1T14  Lines taking croquet from E bdry level with 3.  Fair attempt sending Blue 2y NW of 2, Yellow not in front of 1.  Takes posi.

G1T15  Clarke overhits position at 4-back.

G1T16 Lines makes angled hoop 1.  Takes posi at 2.

G1T17  The Aussies are thinking.  Clarke Blue to middle E bdry, refusing to take posi.  CC thinks this is wrong.

G1T18  Yellow runs 2, takes longish posi.

G1T19  Blue sent to 5y SSW of hoop 2.

G1T20  Lines Yellow improves his posi at 3.

G1T21  Blue piddles to 10y WNW of 5.

G1T22  Lines Yellow improves his posi at 3.

G1T23  Aussies now looking at hampered spot in B-baulk.

G1T23 Blue to 3y WSW of hoop 2.

G1T24  Lines improves posi.  Very close to hoop now, slightly angled.

G1T25  Blue to 10y W of 3rd corner.  Yellow can't see it.

G1T26  Lines calls on referee.  Colin Irwin emerges.  It's more angled than I thought.  Runs it by an inch or two, can't see Blue.  Goes off E bdry, level with hoop 3.

G1T27  Clarke Blue to 3y NNW of hoop 1.

G1T28  Lines Yellow gets runnable posi at 4 - 1y, 25 degrees.

G1T29  Blue attempts posi at 4-b - 8' short.

G1T30  Lines runs 4 to boundary.  Underhits stroke taking posi at 5 - maybe 2y, 10 degrees

G1T31  Blue improves posi at 4-back.

G1T32  Yellow takes 1' posi at 5

G1T33  Blue runs 4-back.  Lift pending.  Blue goes 15y N of 4th corner.

G1T34  Yellow runs 5, misses peg, ends up 1y E of 6.  Takes posi.

G1T35  Clarke Blue goes 10y S of 3rd corner

G1T36  Lines runs 6.  Goes toward 1-back.

G1T37  Blue to 4y W of 3rd corner.

G1T38  Lines improves posi at 1-back.

G1T39  Blue to 8y W of 3rd corner.

G1T40  Yellow into jaws of 1-back.  The cognoscenti applaud.

G1T41  Blue adjusts to 9yW of 3rd corner

G1T42  Yellow runs 1-back to 4' posi at 2-back.  Rejects to 1' posi.

G1T43  Blue takes 4' posi at penult

G1T44  Lines Yellow runs 2-back. Attempts posi at 3-back.  2y short, and you don't want to be short.

G1T45  Blue improves posi at penult. (?!)

G1T46  Yellow attempts difficult hoop.  Nightmare result - on far wire, wired from all points East.

G1T47  Blue runs penult, takes posi at rover.

G1T48  Lines Yellow to 3" posi at 3-back.

G1T49  Clarke Blue runs rover by 4y.  Does he take on 7-yarder at Yellow?   No, he's going 11y W of peg.

G1T50  Lines runs 3-back to level with 4-back, takes posi.

G1T51  Tony Hall is umpiring the peg.  Martin Clarke hits centre-peg from 11y.

Aus.  1-0 up +4

I gather CC has also been commenting on this game.  His view on tactics more robust than i like to be.

Lunch.

I have an email from Jonathan Kirby re Game 1 tactics:

I guess Martin Clarke thinks that a 1-ball game with 4b v 1 is not a
fair game, so he is kindly hiding in corners, not attempting to make
any hoops until Ian catches up. Then it will be a fair game and he can
start trying again.
 

And a second email

A darker thought crossed my mind - are there unusual betting patterns?

And we're back

G2T1  Lines (Yellow) 11y N of 4th corner, 3y in lawn (the anti-Duffer)

G2T2  Forster (Black) just S of 2nd corner

G2T3  Fulford (Red) off East boundary level with Yellow

G1T4  Clarke (Blue) misses Red from 3rd corner into 4th corner.

G1T5  Fulford (Red) cuts Yellow 5y ESE of 1.  Good approach.  Sticks in 18" hoop.

G1T6  Forster (Black) misses Yellow (17y) to S bdry.

G1T7  Fulford (red) makes 1, rolls to 2-yard hoop 2.  Sudden breeze makes him restalk.  Rejects to side of hoop.

G1T8  Clarke Blue misses Black (20y) intoo 1st corner.

G1T9  Lines Yellow misses Red (5y)

G1T10  Forster (Black) misses Blue (7y)

G1T11  Lines Yellow misses Red (15y)

G1T12  Blue and Black in contact.  Clarke Blue plays.  Takes off beyond red, 4y short of Yellow.  Hits Yellow.  Makes 1 off Red, and he has 3-ball break.

oops, notation went awry there.  We are of course in Game 2.

G2T13  Clarke (Blue) has rushed Red back to S boudary after 5.  Takes off for rush on Black.  Should be round to 4-back soon.

G2T13  Clarke (Blue) has just made 3-back.  The Red ball is 5y S of hoop 2.  Yellow is in the front of hoop 4, maybe a quarter of the way through hoop (i guess they were trying for NSL) but anyway seem to be forcing Red.  Red has been adjusted maybe 7y SW of hoop 2.  Black is 8y N of 4th corner with 4' rush toward Red.

G2T14  Fulford lifts Red to end of A-baulk.  Really windy just now.  Red hits Blue centre-ball.

G2T14ctd  Fulford (Red) rushes Black to 2, makes it.  Now has balls for standard TPO.

G2T14ctd  Fulford (Red) attempts 3y straight peel on Blue after 3.  Bounces off to side of hoop.  Now setting up for delayed TPO.  Overhit take-off means no forward rush after 5.  Excellent croquet stroke earns applause  ("I'm only clapping to keep warm" CC.  It is indeed chilly - those of us who chose shorts this morning are regretting it now.)  4-back peel goes through before 6.

G2T14ctd  Fulford (Red) is on delayed TPO.  Trying 2y penult peel with square split to 1-back pioneer.  Fails peel.  2-back pioneer is 4y N of hoop, so I expect a death roll...It goes well.

G2T14ctd  Fulford (Red) restalking an angled 2-back in gusty conditions.  Copes.

I've just got back from hut, where i've bought a Surbiton fleece.  That and a coffee should keep my fingers typing...

G2T14ctd  Fulford (Red) has just done the straight rover peel.  Yellow is rushed off East boundary.  It is now 4yN of 4th corner, 6" in lawn.  Blue is pegged out.  Red goes to 2nd corner.

The Black and Yellow clips are both on 1.

G2T15  Forster (Black) takes contact off Yellow.  Rolls Yellow halfway between hoops 1 and 2.  Takes 1' posi at 1.

Maugham walks past with a message for Hugh Carlisle: "Yes I have pegged out before thanks very much."

G2T16  Lines plays Yellow to 4th corner

G2T17  Forster is not in fact in front of hoop 1, he's angled.  Runs it by 1'.  Shoots at Yellow, misses into corner.

G2T18  Lines (Yellow) taking off from Black.  Yellow is 1y W of hoop 2.  GB pair looking at whether Black is wired on Red.  Yellow is played 4y S of Red.

G2T19  Forster (Black) is shooting at Red...  it misses the peg .... and misses the ball into 2nd corner.  He replaces it on W bdry.

G2T20  Lines (Yellow) hits Black (maybe 10').  Has second corner cannon.

G2T20  Lines (Yellow) cannons Black 4yNE of 2, Red rushed 2y short of 1.  CC clubs those off S bdry apparently.  Takes off, runs 1, could have cut rush further North.  He is taking croquet 11y N of 1st corner.  Excellent roll obtains rush on Black.  Red 4y SW of 3.

G2T20ctd  Lines (Yellow) makes 2.  Approaching 3 off Red with short backward take-off.  Black waiting at 4.  Makes 3, can cut Red fair bit south.  Can Lines hold his nerve and finish this 3-ball break?

G2T20ctd  Lines (Yellow) sticks in 4 from nowhere, and emits small scream.  Forster is ready to play and Lines still staring in disbelief.

G2T21  Forster (Black) roquets Yellow, peeling it.  Takes off to Red at 5, little short.  Reasonable cut maybe 4y S of his hoop 2.  Makes hoop, has rush back into lawn.  Rushes between hoops 4 and 5.  Needs 5y take-off to get rush on Yellow.  Short.  Cuts Yellow to middle of East boundary.  Pass-roll approach.  1y 30 degree hoop.  Walks all over it.  Should finish now.

G2T21ctd  Forster (Black) has reached 2-back.  Looking good for Australia.

G2T21ctd  Forster (Black) is playing at a good pace: unhurried, fluent.  Still in full control as he makes 3-back.

G2T21ctd  Forster (Black) finishes.

Australia win match +4 +10otp(F)

The test match stands at 3-3.