G1T1: Rich Lamm played K to E boundary.

G1T2: Stephen Mulliner played R to C2.

G1T3: B shot at K from A-baulk, hit and laid rush for K.

G1T4: Y shot at K from C3 and hit.  Made a break, rolling off H2 from R in C2.  I have long said that is the only croquet stroke worth practicing!

G1T4: Stephen got to 4-B with Y, but left a B spread, with the peg ball, B, op.

en to K.  R for H1 4yds N of C4, and Y in the corner.

G1T5: .Lamm took lift with K, to end of A-baulk and hit Y in C4.  Croqueted Y to peg high, 3yds into lawn, getting poor rush on R.  Rushed into lawn, and got good rush to H1.  After hoop, put B to 4, rushed Y to 3, took off along rush line to R.  Makes 2 off Red with TPO waiting.  Peels 4-B after H3, rushed escape ball, B, to 5.  Penult peel after 6, rover peel sticks in jaws after 3-Back and completes TPO, but leaving balls in courts.

G1T6: Stephen took contact, bounced off 2yd angled H1 off Rich's H1 ball.

G1T7: Rich Lamm has 3-ball break to take first game. 

G1T4: Stephen got to 4-B with Y, but left a B spread, with the peg ball, B, op.

en to K.  R for H1 4yds N of C4, and Y in the corner.

G1T5: .Lamm took lift with K, to end of A-baulk and hit Y in C4.  Croqueted Y to peg high, 3yds into lawn, getting poor rush on R.  Rushed into lawn, and got good rush to H1.  After hoop, put B to 4, rushed Y to 3, took off along rush line to R.  Makes 2 off Red with TPO waiting.  Peels 4-B after H3, rushed escape ball, B, to 5.  Penult peel after 6, rover peel sticks in jaws after 3-Back and completes TPO, but leaving balls in courts.

G1T6: Stephen took contact, bounced off 2yd angled H1 off Rich's H1 ball.

G1T7: Rich Lamm has 3-ball break to take first game. 

USA 1-0, +13tpo

G2T1: Rich Lamm chooses to swap colours.  Stephen plays K to supsershot position.

G2T2: Rich plays R to midway between H3 and H4.

G2T3: Stephen paces, then misses R with B into C4.

G2T4: Rich shoots Y at R from end of A-baulk.  Hits. 

G2T4: Rich runs H1 with Y, but fails H2 to runable position. 

G2T5: Stephen shoots K at Y, which is unrushable to H1 if he had hit R, but misses to E boundary.

G2T6: Rich hits 6 yarder at K with Y to resume his break.

G2T6: Rich now extracting B from C4.  Its been dry, but mostly overcast with occasional gleams of sunshine.  Only two games (this and the other late start, Maugham v Huneycutt) in progress now, on the two lawns furthest from the clubhouse.  Still a good crowd (40ish?), but mostly watching Maugham's match, as he is the local boy.

G2T6: Y gets to 4-B, but is impssibly hampered after 3-B and retires to midway up W boudnary, leaving K and R by the peg.

G2T7: K rushes R to E boundary, B to Y, and Y to H1.  Sticks in H1 from close range off Y.

G2T8: Rich hits K out of the hoop with Y and ponders how to leave the balls.  Takes off to B, leaving K 5yd E of H1,  Leaves B NWW of H2 and leaves R a rush to peg E of H3, not quite wired from K by H5 and a juicy double.

G2T9: K hits R, rushes Y to B, and should be able to restart his break.

G2T9: He does so, and has just peeled Y though 4-B after H3 at the start of what I assume will be a TPO, though after Rutger's turn earlier I can't be certain!

G2T9: Stephen completes the second TPO of the match, leaving B on E boundary wired from medium position for H1. [Delay in commentary while I move to somewhere with power for the laptop.  The manager, Chris, kindly lent me her desk.]

G2T10: Rich rolls R to 6yd position, but bounces of H1 near to B.

G2T11: Stephen rolls up to H1, but doesn't like his 4' position, and retires to C2.

G2T12: Rich shoots at balls in C2 and misses.

G2T13: Stephen made H1 with B and is embarked on a 3-ball break.

G2T13: After H5, B gets rush on R to H6, but sends K well N of 1-B.  Recovers with good croquet stroke after H6.

G2T13: Stephen holds the break together to win a mirror image of the first game, +13tpo.

GB 1 USA 1, each +13tpo.

G3T1: They swap colours again.  Rich plays K to E boundary.

G3T2: Stephen plays Y to C2.

G3T3: B misses Y.

G3T4: R misses B & Y.

G3T5: B rushes to S boundary, but approaches and makes H1.  However, he does not get a forward rush, and nearly sends B off trying to roll to ball in C2.  Gets relief for a hampered backswing and hits R in C2 for a break.

G3T5: Spoke too soon.  When I next looked, B was by H2, Y near the peg, K still on the E boundary and R at H3.  The Blue clip was replaced on H2.  On enquiry, from Dave Walters who is refereeing while I am in the clubhouse recharging, he misapproached 2 and attempted to retire to K on the E boundary, but ran slap into Y, scattering it to the peg and staying by H2.

G3T6: Stephen hit B with R from H3.  Has just run H5.

G3T6: Stephen finishes at 4-B with tight horizonal diagonal spread.

G3T7: Rich lifts B and narrowly missed the long lift.

G3T8: Stephen runs H1 hard and misses long return roquet.  Y on S boundary, R at H2, K 2yds N of H1, B in C4.  Y for 2-B, R for 4-B, B for 2, K for 1.

G3T9: K shoots at B in C4 after removing wrist support.  Hits only corner flag.

G3T10: Y shoots at R at H2 and hits.  Takes off to balls in C4.  Tries to rush back to H2, but rushes into peg.  Splits to long position and runs H2 with rush on R.

G3T10: Makes H3 with B and R nearby, but not in peeling position.  Leaves B at 4-B, rushes R to boundary S of H4, and gets rush on K, in C4, to just E of H4.  Runs H4 to R and sends it to 4-B, going to K at H5. Prospects for a delayed TP.

G3T10: Jawes a long peel of 4-B before H6 and completes peel before 1-B.

G3T10: Y sticks in 1-B off K, with B at H1 and R by peg.

G3T11: K hits Y out of 1-B for a laid break.  Rich starts on 1 & 2, with Stephen on 1-B and penult.

G3T11: K now at H6, but with no attempt at the DPO of R.  Lawns 1 and 2 are being mown: an outbreak of ants outside the clubhous are being dealt with

G3T11: K gets to 4-B with diagonal spread, R close to the peg.

G3T12: Stephen lifted Y and took long lift, hitting B.  Gets rush on R to N of 1-B, approaches to a few feet, lies down to look at the line, and runs it, with rush on R to B, which he had left on the E boundary.  K being 10 yds N of 2-B.

G3T12: Stephen peels partner through penult going to 4-B, and croquets it dead in front of rover before penult.  Time to hold your breath!

G3T12: irish peel goes well through, and Stephen completes the peg out to win the match.

GB win 2-1:  -13tpo +13tpo +16

So the end of a day which GB won 4-2, but it could easily have been 3-3.  This gives them an 8-4 lead, so they could wrap the test up tomorrow if they won all three doubles.  However, they will need to improve on current form to be confident of that.

I'll see if St. Mary's are ringing this evening before heading back to go to Heaton Park tomorrow.

They were, but although I got the usual warm welcome, I suspect that I was a hinderance rather than a help, as my presence tempted them into trying things that were too ambitous.