For those of you expecting James Death sorry but you have to put up with my typing for 2 days before James takes over on Saturday.

This game has got lawn 2.

The light rain has stopped and it looks like it might be a nice day from here on it.  The players are making the hoops look quite easy in practice.

Martin French is refereeing the games on lawns 1 and 2, Ian Vincent is on lawn 4.  I am the third ref if they are busy and covering their lunch break.

This is going to be the first to start.

Closer than usual inspection of the coin.  Maybe Keith used one of those Euros with the King of Portugal (?) head on the back ie tails.

Aiton black supershot to 3 yards NW of hoop 5

Clarke yellow to the middle of the E boundary

Good roll gets a playable rush to hoop 1, puts it a yard NE of the hoop

Above comment in wrong game.

Greg hits the double from B baulk

Approaches 1 with take off from 5 yards N, gets a 4 foot hoop runs it with one wire to just the northern half of the lawn 7/8 yard return hits it in the middle. 

Gregs in corner 1 with a good hoop 2 pioneer and a ball half way between hoop 4 and corner 4

Gregs made 2 with a ball at 3, think the Kiwis would have taken this for a start to the match

Quite a good crowd in the gazebo erected between lawns 1&2 about 12 plus the commentators (who have full electrical power and wifi), the referee and the NZ manager.

Greg is trying a roll POP on blue going to hoop 6, plays it perfectly - chance of a second POP now.

Doesnt attempt to set up the second POP

Poor roll out of 1back leaves a 5 yarder on the pivot but hits it in the middle again.

Black is being put on the back of hoop 1, this all seems prearranged the NZers havent spoken during the turn.

Black is poking out a bit behind the right hand wire can be hit in the middle from the end of a baulk

Now they have a chat, I would leave it if I was them

Greg has played the wrong ball on the croquet stroke making his leave.

So Keith is shooting from B baulk at two balls in contact on the E boundary pointing at the end of A baulk.  The blue was in NSL position the black was left at hoop 1.  Keith misses

Jenny takes off to the ball in corner 4 plays the big croquet stroke OK with her ball but the hoop 2 pioneer is 3 yards S of hoop 6

Rushes 8 feet from hoop 1 approaches makes it and hits the return.

Gets a good rush on the ball hoop 6 approaches to a foot from a yard to side has partner at hoop 3 and a ball in the middle - its all there

Gets the peel after hoop 3

Chooses to roll back to the peelee (which is just through from S of hoop 4) amazing choice.  First action for French as he is on to umpire the ball in the hoop which Jenny need to hit from 3 yards S must be difficult.  Hits a lot of it presumably all that she could see now taking off to hoop 5

Jenny's trying to roll peelee into position from near the N boundary.  Overhits it but has a rush on the pioneer.

Greg comes on not sure what the advice is going to be.  He is lining her up a promotion, I cant really believe I am seeing this.  It has clubbing the approach and not getting position written all over it.

Greg is taking a lot of care over lining it up, visualising the shot with Jenny's mallet

Well she in front of the hoop and the promotion sort of worked but she takes it out of position again with the return roquet.

Setting up for a death roll now

For all those of you that have forgotten (like me) the blue is on hoop 2 following Greg's POP.

Shes rushed it a bit near the hoop for the Death roll to be comfortable, partner is back on.  They are looking at where she can get to 3 yards W of the 2back pioneer it lloks ugly.

Playing it.  Badly short 5 and a half yard roquet.

Hits it 5 feet nearly due south of 2 back (the peel is through)

4 foot hoop

Runs it 5 yard return for the game

restalking

Gets half of it

That wrong ball was quite annoying I had a diagram of the slightly unusual leave prepared to paste into the commentary!!

Gregs on again to assist in lining up the rover peel going to three back - takes the mallet it is funny how lining up is easier with a mallet in your hand, I do it too.

Gets it and poor rush takes a little hill to just behind the hoop but it is easy

CLARKE & BRYANT +25TP

Bryant (Black) to E boundary level with hoop 4

Aiton (Red) to just out of corner 2.

Jenny is shooting at partnetr from B baulk

Hits rushing it into corner 4 - not much you can do from here

rolls up the E boundary about 12 yards and leaves the rush for herself

Jenny tonks the last shot and has a rush to hoop 1 rather than corner 2.  The GB guys were dying to shoot form B baulk but now they have a double from in front of hoop 1.  Could be a masterful misplay by Jenny

Stephen misses the double from A baulk on the left

Jenny turns down a very good rush to hoop 1 and uses the other ball, its 4 yards back to get the rush, doesnt quite get it up as far as she would like

Rushes to 5 yards in front of 1

Runs 4' straight hoop, without a useful rush the other ball is 6 yards in the lawn off the E boundary though

Overhits the first croquet stroke a bit rushes to near hoop 5 and takes off to corner 2 from where she is rolling up with a good enough ball at hoop 3 (partner)

The roll looked a mile short when she hit it but in the end it only just doesnt get there

Blue for 2 all other balls for 1

Red misses yellow

Jenny plays, hits black to almost N boundary and takes off to red

Puts red very well to 3 and gets a very playable rush

Doesnt play it all that well shes 9 yard straight in front of 2 and rolling up

Gets 4' straight hoop - needs a restalk

Runs it the return is the best part of 6 yards

Confident looking hit

Jenny has a controlled break at hoop 4

As I posted to the Notts list the other day GB have never won the first day of doubles against NZ since the current format was instigated in 1996, losing 2-1 on every occasion.  They might settle for 2-1 down here!

Very brief discussion of the leave after hoop 5

I didnt take croquet on day 1 in 96, it really isnt a great way to start!  At the moment with have 4 GB players without croquet.

Stephens practising swing down the S boundary of the unused lawn 3.  Keith sits in the hut in the middle of the S boundary

Looks like we are getting an NSL  with red near hoop 2

The NSL ball looks well placed they have gone a fair way N, maybe 14 yards N of corner 4.

My money would be on a Mulliner long lift

That is what we are going to get

Hits - JUST!

Keiths already on for the tactics

Rushes the oppo blue straight to hoop 1, TPO coming up presumably.

This has been a really good confident looking start from Stephen he is through 1

I am a big fan of the TPO when you take croquet for the first time game and break down it can really change the momentum, fancy Stephen to finish this hes still looking good

Perfect at hoop 5, 1 peel done - Stephen at his best at the moment.

Second peel on schedule after 6, not been a misplaced ball yet other than no forward rush out of hoop 5

Clubs the 3 back pioneer to 2 yards NW of corner 4.  Of all the shots to misplay.

Peelee has to go out as a second 3 back pioneer - no hassle on a TP but this is a TPO

Trying to rush across after 3 back

No rush, its going to be a straight rover peel.  I actually like doing it getting a rush to penult on a TPO but Stephen has put out a penult pioneer.  Its bound to be sweaty from here.  The last thing GB need is to give this game away by not finishing this.

Jenny has called Charles the team manager over, she seems unhappy about something, I think it might be Dave's shooting practice on lawn 1.  There isnt much ball v ball noise and quite a lot of ball v boundary board.  (Hes actually shooting at hoop 5 so ball v ball is perhaps unlikely!)

Well here it comes two partner is the side ball and oppo the deep ball (not that deep on the line of 1 and 4)

Only snicked the peelee when I think he wanted a little more it is about a 20" peel

Very good stop shot peel has a rush on partner to wherever he wants on the E boundary.

Finishes cracking turn particularly after he put himself under a bit of extra pressure.

Red and Black for 1

Yellow Peg

Black has contact

Didnt see where Greg was at taking contact in corner 2 as Martin ran across his lawn to referee on Lawn 4

He is trying to roll yellow to 1 going to red.  Yellow is good but red goes off 8 yards N of red, there is a rumble of thunder

Aiton hits.  The ball at hoop 1 is 4 yards N he has croquet on E boundary level with 3

Good ball at 2 - no rush

3 and a half yard backward take off.  The wind is getting up and i think it will throw it down in a minukte.  Gets 1 yard straight hoop, does really hit it but its through by 9" which is far enough to hit the yellow.  Should be all over

Unfortunately for GB the worst croquet player in the world in a pair of waterproofs is just putting them on!

I thinks it raining badly enough he wont have to actually emerge from the shelter for a while

We will be flooded in 5 mins if this carries on

Im off its coming through the gazebo roof!

Come on Statto give us a rain radar update

Thunder and Lightning

I can see a puddle on lawn 2

Its an ideal time for lunch but nobody can actually make it back to the pavilion at the moment!

Dont think there is any hope of play for 15 mins

Only two seconds on the last thunder count - we are in the middle of it!

Stephen and Keith are just about to brave it and make their way to lunch

Well Stephen is - Keith has wimped out.  Lots of puddles now I think at hour at least before we resume.

Keith finally goes for it.  I am left stranded under a non water tight gazebo wearing a poxy blazer with no waterproof clothing at the club and its freezing.

Just got this from Statto the guy is good.  He found the two instances Colchester had 1-0 away in the FA Cup in about 10 mins the other day!

Just for Ian on the commentary there look like some nasty storms
around Nottingham at present, one of which has just hit and stopped
play.

Light drizzle now so I am off to lunch. 90mins I reckon before re resume.

Apologies for butting in on the commentary but the rain radar link is

http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

Last puddles have gone but only just.

Dont think we are far from a resumption.  The NZ pair have stated that they do not want both sides to have a knock up, this has been conveyed to Keith who says something to the effect of dont blame them I would have said the same.

All seems perfectly reasonable I dont even think it would have been considered had the other game not swapped lawns.

Play will resume in 10mins on lawn 2

Keith thinks the ground around hoop 4 is too squelchy

At least he did 5 mins ago, here he comes.

Croquet a yard in from W boundary 14yds N of corner 1

Pretty good, he wont have visualised it much better during the last 2 hours.

There is still thunder in the air as he runs hoop 2 with a ball at 3

Jenny and Greg have re-established camp on the little triangle of grass by corner 4 of hoop 2 and corner 2 of lawn 2.  They had been in the middle of the S boundary.

Keith looks confident maybe overly so if anything

All perfect as he runs hoop 6

Aiton & Mulliner +13tpo (M)

Keith and Stephen are an interesting pair their approach seems to be that they will try to play to their top form irrespective of who they are playing or their own form. Its just about kept them in this will it get the home? Neither of them look lacking in confidence at the moment.

Stephen calls Keith away from the group huddle to discuss the opening - supershot I am expecting

Nope Keith (Black) is off to the E boundary level with hoop 4.

Jenny has duffer 1 yard N of hoop 6, Stephen misses it gently to 2 yards NE of hoop 5

Greg hits the duffer cutting it to 7 yards N and 2 yards E of hoop 4

Takes off to Black on the boundary near 4 doesnt get a rush so its one good croquet stroke for a break.

Its a poor one 3 yarder pointing at the middle of the W boundary.  Cuts it to 7 yards N of hoop 1

Takes off to 3 feet dead straight

Runs it with a bit of a dodgy sht has a 4 yard forward roquet, should be round if he hits it.  Treated it as a rush!

From the GB perspective I am sure they are pleased to see Greg going round first despite Jenny's tp in the first.

Greg like everyone else today is making conditions look trivial.  Perfect break as he runs hoop 2.  Hes playing more slowly than earlier

Hes looking for POPs again

Hes really slowed down, it black that will be peeled

Im no great fan of 21 match tests they are often over too far before the finish but after Bowdon you can see their value.  This match is already ebbing and flowing nicely 15 mins ago GB were having their best spell of the match now NZ will be dreaming of 3-0

The first POP bounces off before hoop 5, still has control though.  The rain is as close as it has been since we stopped now.

The rain starts.  I think by design Greg is having his 1back pioneer at hoop 1 so he can make the POP.

The rain is now pretty hard I think he will need his waterproofs, oh no it eases off before I finish the sentence!

He has to roll to peelee from 12 yards and so only gets it to 5' slightly angled position

Has potential to bounce off in the way of his rush

Plays it at a pace to avoid it but its a wibblyattempt as a result which fails.  Excellent 1 yard straight rush to a yard in front of 1 back

Greg is opting for the getting drowned approach - I approve

With croquet on oppo from W boundary level with 1 peelee poorly in front of 2 back and a 2back pioneer he rolls to peelee, attempts the rush peel fails it.  Peels going to the 2 back pioneer (there is no 3back pioneer)

Keith got away without playing in his waterproofs last time he will certainly have them on when/if he comes out at the moment.

Greg approaching 2 back Black for 2 red for 3back

After 2 back tries to put blue on the back of hoop 1 it goes to a similar slightly more open position than in game 1.  He has a not very great rush pointing at hoop 5.  He is no playing very slowly.

Plays it really well looks like he is a bit unlucky as it goes nearly a yard directly behind the hoop

Gets a 2' 10 degree hoop runs it and ends up with a rush to corner 4 whihc he takes

Takes off 7 yards short of black and hits it in the middle

Gets a bit of a lucky richochet roqueting the ball by the hoop and he is going to be able to keep it there

Blue and Yellow for 1

Black for 2 Red for 4b

Blue misses yellow so badly he comes on S of it.  Jenny tries a rush cannon with the first stroke of her turn and misses it

Plays a good take off back and has a good rush to hoop 1 and will be a bit disappointed to be approachjing from 3 yards

Approach could have been better too 1 yard 25 degree hoop is run leaving a 6 yard forward roquet

She looked worried when it left her mallet but she got quite a bit of it

Has croquert 9 yards W of the peg, balck is untouched from the leave blue is 5 yards E of hoop 4

Going for the game winning croquet stroke.  Goes E of black, no rush to 2 ball at 3 isnt great but it will do

I thought she had clubbed the approach from 4 yds SW but it is a 4' 20degree hoop

Body language is poor

Fails it on to the left hand wire I think - might just be runnable

Certianly not hittable by black whihc is 6 yards N of the hoop.  Aiton and Mulliner have here before havent they on day 1?

Black shoots at blue by hoop 4 for a break, misses by a fair bit

Only Jenny has her mallet so they must think the hoop is on

Change of plan Greg is the only one with a mallet now and will shoot at the oppo

Went through the middle unclear how big the middle was, laid break/TPO for Keith.  Presumably it will be the latter. 

TPO it is

Not quite perfect as he runs hoop 5 but he has a rush so should be able to tidy everything up - 1 peel done.

Rob is wittering on that Jenny has finished from a contact against him when for hoop 2

Penult peeled well after 6 nearly at rover

Rob put the balls in corners 1 and 3 which apparently was correct at the time playing with Barlows but is now wrong with Dawsons.  How technical is that!

Keiths playing this well perfect position for rover going to 3 back

Time to discuss the leave - they are playing with Dawsons!

GB will be expecting better than 1-2 now

Keith lands on the wire of penult going to his penult pioneer.  By the narrowest of margins he has a shot at it and hits.

Looks like he is playing for corners 1 and 4

Pegs out the red and rushes the blue to corner 4, its a couple of feet W of the corner

Hes off to corner 3 with black

Gets a 5 yard almost straight hoop rolling up form corner 3 balck has goine W of the hoop though

runs it just flicking a wire, a lot of work to do but she is off hoop 2 which is a good start

Thanks to Digger for his excellent work.

Approaches hoop 3 to 2 yards 20 degrees sending K 6 yards N of hoop 4.

Fails hoop

I think we'll see K retire to C1

K joins 2 yards W of U

Jenny misses U

Stephen opts for a precision pick up. U has rushed K 4 yards in front of hoop 1 and runs it obtaining a cut-rush North

Good shot sees K within 3 yards of hoop 2 and all he needs is a rush to either 3 or back to Y for a break and the match

He's got a rush to hoop 3

Over-cuts it and is 5 yards West of hoop 3

Good approach - 2 foot straight hoop

Runs hoop, but without a rush. Y is 2 yards SSW of C4

Rolls K to 5 leaving a 4 yarder on Y.... confidently hit. One good take-off now

If it is straight it's perfect, otherwise it's pretty angled

No, it's too angled. They are looking at guarding Y at K

U plays 10y S of C2 guarding Ys shot.

Y tries to take position at 3, but fails

Heavy rain and sunshine now

K goes 5 yards S of U

Y misses badly to N of U

Stephen has hit Y and taken off to get a rush on K to 4.

His rush has finished on the end of A baulk and he has rolled to guard the C4 area.

Jenny plays Y to C3

U makes 4 and rushes to 5. Makes 5 and hits K in the hoop stroke.

Stephen is looking at laying up near C1

Jennys not likely to shoot at this and should stay 6 inches out of C3

Y moves to juts W of C4 - I don't like that

Stephen rushes K 10y N of C4 and will now be rolling to C2

Y should head back to C3 where it ought to have stayed last turn

Y plays back to C3

U rushes to hoop 6, makes the hoop.

The crowd gasps as he grovels through the hoop, but he hits K to the N boundary 8 yards E of C2.

Discussion

32 yards roll enables GB to lay up near C1

Y stays in C3

K is going to play and leave a tight wired rush - that's good

Y stays in C3

U rushes 3 yards NE of 1-b and decides to approach

Runs 1-b and has possible cut-rush to 2-b.

I like a leave here

K is 16y N of C1

U is in C4

Y has lifted and is shooting at K from C1

..... misses

K shoots at U missing so they are in contact

Y plays to 10y W and 1 yard S of C3

Y takes on long angled hoop. Hits solidly into the wire and spins through by 2 inches. Still can't see U or K

Discussion

Y plays back through hoop to N boundary. I preferred 9 yards S of C2

U makes 2-b and rushes to within a foot of 3-b

Approaches and is running the hoop from 2 inches. Runs hoop by 4 inches and can only tap K. He should be virtually on a wired spot already

Rolls 2 feet and has a wire

This is where it's handy to be able to play 6 yard jumps shots. It would be a free shot with 2 balls at your hoop. My golf swing would be coming out now

Looks like they're going to try and dribble round hoop 3 and get some hill.

Not a bad effort - the predominant slope is in that direction, but it missed

U makes 4-b and has a rush pointing at the end of B-Baulk

Cuts it to 4 yards in front of penult. Approaches to 1 yard straight

More gasps. He's run it by 2 inches and has a hampered 4 yarder at K.

Keith has gone to have a chat

Martin French comes onto the lawn to watch the hampered shot.............................

Hits in the middle, but K is still in the northern half of the lawn. What will we see next???

U rolls both balls off the W boundary.

K is 19y N of C1

U is 5 feet S of C2

Rob and myself both think U and K should be the other way round

Y lifts and shoots at U from B-Baulk...........................

............misses narrowly on the left, giving U a rush to K

Rushes K 4 yards NE of rover

2 foot hoop is run  with a rush to the peg