This is going on shortly on lawn 2

Both the GB players are getting to play on the same lawn they played their previous singles on - that's poor

Fulford and Huneycutt are practising

Huneycutt UK

Fulford RY

T1 U 16y N of C4

T2 Y just S of C2

T3 K misses U from B-baulk finishing 8y S of K

T4 R shoots at double from B-baulk...................misses badly on the right

K rushes it's 8 yarder on U to R and has to pick up a break from the standard position of a rush to 1 with balls in corners 2 and 4

U makes hoop 1 and rushes R 16y N of C4

Takes off and gets a rush N on K which was on the S boundary more or less.

Rushes it 12y S of C3

U rolls K behind hoop 2 going to Y, send Y down to hoop 1 failing to get in front of hoop 2 and retires to K behind hoop 2

Meanwhile, I've just had a report of an "incident" at Heaton Park.

In the Westerby v Forster match, Westerby is game up and Forster misses the peg out on his TP and pegs a ball out. Westerby goes from 1 to the peg and lays up near C3 for his 4-b ball.

So, it is now 4B and peg vs peg.....last shot time for Forster.

Westerby has left Forster near C1 and thinks he's partially wired from the peg. He thinks he's got some other wires in play on one of his balls

At this point they stop for either lunch, the mayor's photo-shoot or both.

Whilst this is happening, Barry Keen picks up Forsters ball without marking it to test the hoops. Westerby screams No!!, but it's too late.

Y misses R

U has a break

On lawn 3, Rothman has picked up a 3-ball break off the contact and should make it GB 10 USA 9 if he can hold his nerve

U is on 4-b with a diagonal spread. R is at the peg

Rothman finishes off the contact. After a scrappy first game, a high quality game 2 gives the USA their second match of the day

Test score GB 10 USA 9

Y lifts and shoots at K from A-baulk..........hates it

As much as I think Fulford is the best player ever, I have more confidence of Lines securing GBs crucial 11th point than Fulford

I'm going to hand over to James Hawkins to be able to sit outside and watch

Hi Everyone,

A promotion for me, as I'm rewarded with the front two lawns.

Danny has all the balls, but there's a loose Red near Hoop 6, and no Hoop 3 pioneer yet.

He shuffles the balls round, and gets Blue up to peeling position.  It's all ready for an attempt on the way to Hoop 6.

He rush-peels Blue on the way to 1-back.  It's hard to see what's going on, as the balls are a bit scrappy so far.

I guess he'll get some control now, and leave the peeling until he comes up to 4-back and penult.

It's a lovely afternoon now - a bit breezy but sunny.

He's got a peel attempt before 4-back.  I think he's made the jaws, and he has a rush on Red to his hoop.

Blue's through Penult.  Two peels are done, and he's still to take croquet from Yellow.

He accidentally roquets the Yellow somewhere between Penult and the peg, and needs a reverse take-off to the hoop.

Ouch.

The Black clip's on Penult and Blue's on Rover, as he gets wire on his hoop.  All four balls are lined up in the Penult-Rover zone.  Rob looks to have something like a five yard hit-in.

Fulford has the Yellow clip off Hoop 1.  He's out of the starting blocks, but has to get Black into a less useless position.

This looks easy, and Rob has the four balls in play.

Penult and Rover is a nasty clip position to have - there are no safe corners to lay up in, and it's difficult to finish in one turn with a peel.  I guess it's even harder when you're up against Robert Fulford.

A clip on 4-back, and a diagonal spread.  Huneycutt lifts the Black from peg position, and is shooting down the east boundary.

He misses, going off a few yards south of Rob's Red.

No trouble for Rob to get moving again here.  He's for Hoop 2 with partner, and has Blue and Black at Hoops 3 and 4.

Yellow's in the jaws of 4-back as he comes to Hoop 4.

Rob makes Hoop 6, and jawses the Penult peel.

Yellow's now on Rover, as Fulford plays over to Black at 2-back.

No easy attempt at a Rover peel, so Rob tucks it behind his ear (metaphorically), ready for later.

Fulford beats Huneycutt +5TP

Game Two

Is this slipping away from the Americans?  They're a game down in each match, and need to take four games out of four.

Fulford (Black) plays a supershot ball, a bit past Hoop 5.  Huneycutt (Yellow) goes to the long point on the east boundary, 17 yards from either baulk.  Fulford misses into Corner 4.

Danny plays Red from A-baulk and misses the Corner 4 ball.  Advantage Fulford.

A bit of poppery from Rob, as he puts Red through Hoop 1 while he's on the way to 5 with Blue.

...and another pop on Red as Rob runs 1-back.

This is beyond me.  Red's been placed six inches north of Corner 4.  Yellow's in the middle of the west boundary.  Black has a tight rush right up the west boundary out of Corner 2.

Red's for 3 and Yellow's for 1.

I'll leave you to puzzle that out.  I'll give you the answer in a minute.

Did you get that?  Rob pops Red to Hoop 3 and leaves it dead in a corner.  Yellow MUST play the lift shot.  Even if he hits and gets a break round, Red won't be able to get an easy TP on the next turn.

The downside is that Yellow's shot is only 13 yards.  Danny gets it, has the rush on Blue, and has the first hoop.

He rolls to Hoop 2 from Black, and gets a good hoop.  The Americans clap.

We're not sure about this.  His roll to the hoop sent Black towards Hoop 1.  He could have sent it towards 3, for a better break opportunity.  I guess there's some defensive thought in his play, but it's left him with a helluva lot of work.

Huneycutt gets some sort of leave.  Blue is behind Hoop 2, and Black is middle of the south boundary.  Danny occupies the third corner with a rush at his hoop (he's for 3 and 3).

Rob shoots Blue at Red and Yellow.  He misses.

Danny pulls out the break, and gets up towards Hoop 6.

Rutger's out of his whites, and seems to be heading off somewhere, bag in hand.  Keith sits on the wall overlooking Lawn 2.  No sign of Robert anywhere.

Chris Clarke has slipped out of the Media Centre here, and is videoing the game.

Danny is just about done now, and is setting a reverse diagonal spread.

The clips are:

Robert on 1 (Black) and 4-back (Blue);

Danny on 3 (Red) and 4-back (Yellow).

Rob lifts Black from the peg, and is shooting northwards from A-baulk.

Applause.  Rob hits the Red, cutting it left off the boundary.  He's just a few yards beyond the Yellow, which lies inland.

He splits Red in, but gets a rush on Yellow pointing in the direction of the tennis club.  Not what was wanted.

He leaves Yellow, and joins on the east boundary with a rush to Hoop 1.

Danny's shooting with Red (at Hoop 2) towards Rob's balls (north of 4)

Danny misses Black.  A chance for Rob.

Fulford has all the balls, and is approaching Hoop 1.

If you've just joined us - this is Robert Fulford for a standard triple to win the test match.

Blue's in the jaws of 4-back.  Rob looks disappointed.

Rob has the rush peel, and he's approaching Hoop 6 with all the balls in place.

Robert Fulford beats Danny Huneycutt +5TP, +15TP

Great Britain win the first test against the USA