I will be covering this match today, for the rest of my opening comments, please refer to the Fulford/Chapman match

Players are out practising

Thinking about starting

Lines (K) 5yds N of corner 4

Wright (R) duffer tice 2ft ENE of hoop 6

Ian shoots at the duffer gently, misses left and finishes 1yd NE of 5

Michael lines up the double from B baulk and hits U near 5 cutting it to just S of hoop 4

Takes off to K, rushes it up the boundary finishing 3yds N of peg high, plays a good shot putting K 3yds E of 2 and getting a good rush to 1.  Plays an absolute cracker to 2ft in front of 1

Pioneers are still a bit loose (approx 3yds from 3) but has a rush to 2 and the break looks under control

Michael has misapproached 4 from a ft and has failed a jump shot, most of the way to 1.

Ian has a 2yarder

Ian has made 1 and has the other balls between 1 and the peg, one good rush to 2 and he will have full control.

One good rush made to 8inches infront of 2

Ian at 5 with full control

Ian is round to 4back, Y is 3yds SSW of 2, bounced off the peg going to R at the peg and can't see much, if any of it

Rushed K away first and has come back to R to finish the spread

Ian's K&U are 11yds N of corner 4 with a horizontal rush, R tight to the peg.

Michael lifts Y (4) misses the long lift to corner 4. R probably doesn't rush to 1.

Ian is pondering what to do, so R can't rush to 1

Ian is playing U (4back) and having another leave, dug Y out of corner 4 to 3yds NW of 6 and is sending R 2yds N of 1 and is laying a rush where he was last turn pointing at Y. R at U is wide open across the south side of 5

Michael shoots R at Y....

misses on the right

Ian gets the break set up and after a good rush to 1, grovels through and is now playing a sweep shot to hit Y, makes it and the TP awaits

Picks U back up from near the boundary infront of 3 and trying to roll it into peeling position going to the pioneer, puts it 5ft S of the hoop, looks good.

Fails the peel and partner is in the way of the swing for the rush S.  Faults clipping U in backswing on his final swing.  Break on a plate for Michael's Y(4)

Michael has full control of his break should be 1&4back against 4&4back soon

No it isn't.  Misapproach to 2back leaves short angled hoop, fails it at ground level.  Ian has a 4yarder with his backward ball.

R 1

Y 2back

K 4

U 4back

Sets the break up, makes a 4ft 4 to the boundary, delayed TP getting set up.

No TP just a ball round from Ian

Ian is approaching rover, 4back & break against 1 and 2back.  Rushed partner into the jaws of rover, irishes it N and is now running the hoop

Leave is R just N of peg high, 1yd off E boundary.  Y is 8ft WSW of peg. U 1yd S of corner 2 and a rush pointing at Y ish

Leave is R just N of peg high, 1yd off E boundary.  Y is 8ft WSW of peg. U 1yd S of corner 2 and a rush pointing at Y ish

Y shoots at K&U as they lay, just misses

Ian picks up the break and is now making penult.

Ian finishes +19

1-0

Still need one game to confirm victory.

Crowd is into the mid30's,  sun is beating down and a slightly chilly breeze is running up the lawns.

Michael (U) 11yds N of corner 4

Ian (R) just S of corner 2

Michael shoots with Y and misses U by nothing and Ian points out he should have played K.  Michael deems Y and then K in corner 3.

Ian rolls K to 4yds N of 4 going to U and is now rolling U to 1 going to R. U is 4yds in front of 1 and Y went off 2yds S of R.

U shoots at K. BANG. Centre ball

Take off to R&Y, 4yds short, hits R

Rush to 1, finishes near the peg than anything else, rolls up just short, Y finished just W of 1 wired from K by the E boundary 

Ian is stood near R at hoop 2 thinking....

Shoots R at K&U....

misses left, comes on in contact with U.  Had a good double to go at, 1ball gap in the middle 

After 1 Michael plays a peach of a croquet stroke sending ball to 3 getting a rush on R

Michael has a tight pioneer at 3 but has no forward rush and 2 pioneers at 4, each 3yds from the hoop.  Gives himself 4yarder after rolling down, copes and is back in control.

NSL from Michael, Y 8inches NE of 4, R 6yds S of 2.  K&U 12 yards N of corner 4 with a rush at R

Ian lifts Y off hoop 4 and takes the long lift....

Misses K on the right, never looked happy with that shot.

Picks up the break and has really raised his game today finding some absolute crackers of croquet strokes

Michael havingrun 4 gives himself a max distance return roquet running to just short of the line,  hits it and is setting up for the delayed TP.

Micael has an 8ft peel before 6, clean through but overhit, cuts the rush to 7ft straight at 6

Michael is sending peelee to 2back, currently for 1back himself.

Michael has sent partner towards penult, parking it on top of Y

Straight double for Michael

Peeling penult from 1ft almost straight...

Peels U to 2ft NE of rover, now peeling rover from 2ft straight.

Peels U, K jawses, runs and then hits short ball.

Michael pegs out from 8ft

+26TP.

1-1  A very good turn

Test score GB 10-6 NZ

Players have taken lunch and will be resuming fairly soon

And we're off

Ian (K) E boundary level with 4

Michael (R) duffer 1yd E of 6

Ian (U) from corner 3 shoots at duffer...

Hits

Leaves R 2yds W of peg, moves partner up the E boundary going 11 yards N of the corner and leaving a rush in lawn.

Michael shoots at K from A baulk, nicks it off the lawn. 

Michael approaches 1 from 3yds to the side, has a 5ft hoop. Sticks in the middle off partner

Ian takes the shot with U from 2 to 1, misses to the boundary

Makes 1, rushes back to U, rushes U to K and K to hoop 2

Makes 1, rushes back to U, rushes U to K and K to hoop 2

Michael has a 3 ball break with partner just outside corner 1

CLANG

Sticks in 3.

Ian hits from 7ft

Ian is digging a break out with Y just N of 6, K near the end of A baulk, making hoop 1 off R

Ian sticks in 2 off Y. Michael has his break back

Michael is now on 1back with a break

Michael is on 4back with an NSL. K 8inches off 3back, U 3yds SSW of 2 R&Y 11 yds N of corner 4 with a rush to U

Ian lifts K from by 4, takes the long lift and misses through the hole into corner 4.

Michael rushed Y to U, U to K hit hoop 4.

Took off and hit K. Rolled up to 1ft straight!!

It's all there now for 10-9, the fightback is still going.

Michael sailed through 3, hit 4yard return on the escape ball, TP is now delayed

Michael tried rushing back after 4 but the hoop jumped out at him. The roll up the lawn has left the escape for the peel before 6 5yards NNE of 6

No rush N after 5 and now he is rolling to peelee from near 4.

Nails it and he is peeling from 2ft straight

Peel sits in front of the hoop, rush to 6 finishes 1ft N of the hoop, deals with that no problem and then has the rush peel.

Still in control with peelee at 2back, 1peel done

Michael has just stopped, looks like he played the wrong ball sending the escape ball up to penult.

Ian has picked up the break and is playing his hoop 2 ball

R 3back

Y penult

K 1

U 2

Ian runs 2 to the boundary, misses 2yd return

Michael shoots R at Y, missing, joined behind 2.

Ian has a 9yarder

Misses the 9 yarder U at K.  K doesn't rush to penult. Should force Michael to play for the delayed double.

Plays R (3back), doesn't develop Y, is just going to play a break

Runs 4back by 20ft 11inches, hits the return, partner still 5yards from penult.  Rushes K from penult to Y, doesn't rush it infront of penult, makes the hoop but has no rover pioneer.

Takes 10yard rush to rover with partner by the peg and K(1) 3yds SE of penult

Creates a reverse diagonal spread. U(3) 11yds N of corner 4. K(1) 1yd off the peg . R&Y 9yds S of corner 2 with rush to penult

Ian lifts K from by the peg and is taking the short lift from B baulk,  HITS!

Approaching 1 from 8ft to the side, has 20degree hoop.

Declines hoop, retires to partner, E boundary

R at Y 17yards, misses, hits hoop 2 and stays in lawn.

Ian rushes to 3yds N of corner 1, takes off to R&Y

Ian making another leave, Y in front of 3 , R near corner 2

No, R has gone near corner 4 and Ian has left a rush for U (3) pointing at 6.

Michael shoots with Y (penult) at possible double by corner 1, HITS

Has a 4ft hoop slightly angled, sticks in it off the hoop 1 ball

Ian hits it

Ian has a break

Ian is up to hoop 6

Ian has made 3back and is leaving R 9yds N of corner, Y 1ft NW of the peg, and K&U 9yds S of corner 2 with rush pointing at peg.

Michael lifts Y to B baulk and hits U.

Rushes K off E boundary 3yds S of R, rushes R to 2yards WSW of penult, approaches to 2ft 10degrees, runs by 6yards. Rushes R near corner 2, has a 4ft rover, runs it

Finishes +15 in the third to Michael

Test Score

GB 10-9 NZ

So it goes on!!!