Good morning from Nottingham...and for once, it is a nice morning. I've got my shorts on and it's 18 degrees.

From my personal perspective, Mulliner is taking advantage of very lenient management by practicing on lawn 5 at 9.30. This should be banned. It is not in the spirit of the game.

A good day for GB yesterday, puts them in sight of the winning post today. However, readers will also remember that GB were 8-4 up after 3 days at Bowdon and lost all 3 matches that day.

James will be commentating on what should be the slow game today - Rutger +Maugham v Bryant and Clarke on lawn 4. I'll be taking the other two to start with.

This game will be on game 2 and the players are now practicing.

T1 K 14y narrow supershot

T2 Y 3 yards ENE of K

T3 U shoots at K............misses

One fact that I haven't reported is that I think all the hoops are in new holes this morning

R has made hoop 1 with a 4-ball break

Robert fails to pop U through 1 before hoop 4 and will be trying again after before hoop 5

A pneumatic drill on the road outside indicates that we will not be allowed to enjoy a peaceful day.

No pops from Rob - just a ball to 4-b with a diagonal spread.

K is at the peg

K lifts and shoots at R from A-Baulk.................misses

Y has 2 foot 30 degrees hoop 1. Bounces off to near end of A-Baulk

U (3y N of hoop 1) shoots at R 2y SW of hoop 2...............hits

Aaron has made hoop 1 with a break. If they want a TPO, R is at hoop 2

R has been sent to hoop 4, so are we going to see a 1-b leave followed by TPO or just a ball to 4-b?

Aaron is going to 4-b with no pops - he sort of tried after hoop 5, but to no avail

This is a diagonal spread with Y at the peg. R is on the W boundary.

UK are 11y N of C4

Y lifts to B-Baulk and shoots at K...............misses

Paddy has to approach hoop 1 from 3y N of C1

He has a 4 foot straight hoop. Hits it straight into the wire and finishes a foot E of the hoop

Hoop 1 on lawn 2 has not been good to the Kiwis

R has a 6 yarder at K....................hits

U is 3y NNE of C1

K is 3y E of hoop 2

Y has a rush on R at K from just E of C4

K shoots at RY................misses

Lines turns down a stoppo for a standard TP and is playing a precision pick-up

He now has a 3y backward take-off to hoop 2. Both the other balls are nicely in-lawn, but nowhere near hoop 3.

2 foot straight hoop.....very wibbly. It's through, but no rush back South

Takes off and gets a 3 inch rush on K to U at hoop 4. It should be a break, but the TP will be delayed

Chris has lost his connection so I will fill in for now.

R is the hoop 5 pioneer

No sign of TP, R gone out as 1back pioneer

Vertical spread coming from Ian,  U just in the jaws of 6.

K is going to 4yds S of corner 2, R&Y are 11 yds N of corner 4 rush pointing at K.

U 4back

K 1

R 4back

Y peg

Paddy lifts K and is taking the short lift....

....hits red half ball

Making 2, U still in the jaws of 6, Y 5yds SE of peg. rushed straight to 3 after 2.

Has a delayed TP, rushes U past the hoop before 6, sends it to 6, rushes back after 6 getting a 2yd 30degree peel opportunity.

Gets the peel

2back pioneer by penult, no rush on peelee by 4back, take off gets a rush South

Rush finishes 9yds short,  7ft hoop, runs to the boundary.

Balls are in the right place for the delayed double.

Rover peel from 1ft straight

Paddy finishes +5TP

Ian (Y) supershot 8ft NW of 5

Paddy (K) from corner 1 misses right finishing 4yds E of peg and 5ft N.

Rob (R) shoots from end of B baulk at K hits rushing it to just SE of 4, found a cracking spot there!

Had to take off, rushes to 2yds NE of 1

Rob doesn't have his usual control, turned down a 4yd rush to 4 and took his 6yd return roquet after 3 instead

The players were informed lunch was ready between games but they decided to start game 2 anyway

Crowd upto about 30 now

Rob having made 2back is putting K on the back of hoop 1 and then rushing to 3back.  Having made 3back laid up with a rush for y 12 yds N of corner 4, horizontal rush.

Aaron taking the short shot from A baulk at R&Y

Centre balls R

Aaron has rushed Y to just clear of the back of hoop 2. Paddy is trying to help line up the shot to bounce U off the wire in the jaws to come back into a runnable position.  Time for a ref to join the party.

Change of plan, irish it through going south and turn round and run the hoop, R is 5yds as well for an alternative roquet.

With getting tied up round 2, no chance of a standard TPO, swapping balls around, R still N of 6, Y now at 4,rush on K 4yds short, backward takeoff required.

Aaron's failed 3, 8yarder for R (4back) , 20yarder for Y(1).

Rob hits his 8yarder

Rob puts U 3yds out of corner 2 and wires K from R&Y across hoop 4. R&Y 3yds N of corner 4

Paddy jumped over 4, cleared R and flicked Y on the first bounce.

Paddy is digging the break out, rush to 1 4ft NW of the hoop.

Paddy has all the balls in place for a TPO,

(Ian Vincent filling in while James gets some lunch).  Paddy got first peel after 3, rushes it back into the hoop when trying to rush it south to put to penult after hoop 4, but it stops in good position to put it there with a thick take-off.  Now about to attempt the penult peel after 6.  (Back to James again: he has a plate of roast ham).

Penult peel goes through, gives himself 6inch 35degree hoop, CLANG. Fails giving Ian the world

Has a laid 4bb but ends up with an angled hoop 2, runs it along the ground

Peel being done after 5, just needs to play a break for 1-1.

Ian finishes +18

1 game all

Test Score GB 9-4 NZ

Players are at lunch

Paddy (K) supershot 3yds N 4ft W of 5

Rob (R) plays to 3 NE of K

Aaron (U) shoots from the end of A baulk at K....

Misses giving Ian a 5 yarder and 2 balls in the middle

Ian hits

Rolls out of corner 2, U hitting and holding on hoop 2, Y within a yard of R

Ian upto hoop 3 with a 4 ball break

He has had all the balls round 5 and having shuffled them is recreating a recognisable break,  the hoop 6 pioneer is only 2yds past the peg

Ian is upto 2back and I am expecting to see a diagonal spread soon

K is 1yd W of hoop 2 and 4yds S, U is glued on the NE corner of the peg, visible to K almost full ball. R&Y are 12 yds N of corner 4, rush pointing at K

Aaron lifts U to B baulk and shoots at K....

Misses just left

Rob is on a TP to win the match, crowd are drifting back to his game for a bit of worshipping!

Rob is up to 6, one peel done, complete control

Rob finishes

-5TP(C) +18 +26tp(F)

Test score

GB 10-4 NZ

One more needed, will it be today