[<<] [>>] by Jenny Williams
21st November 2006 (The MacRobertson Shield)

Here's a few incomplete details of the British victory today. Also a bit clinical from the Brits in the first two matches..

Rob & Chris v Greg & Brian

Game 1

Chris supershot. Misses in 3,4 turn. Chris hit 5th turn, 7th turn finish.

Game 2

6th turn TP.
Another 13 turn no errors from the Brits who are now 4/4 in their matches.

Dave and Mark

The kiwis only took croquet in the second turn of one of the games - all a bit quick there.

Jonathan and Keith v Paddy and Aaron

Game 1

Another very tidy affair where Paddy finally got into the action:
supershot
ball just out of second corner
Aaron went around 3rd turn
Jonathan went around 4th turn with an NSL Paddy finished 5th turn.

Game 2

Aaron hit 4th turn with two balls together in corner 2.

Misapproached hoop 1 and retired to partner Jonathan hit and went to 4back Aaron TPO'd Jonathan - including doing a delayed double in which he peeled rover ok - but then ran the hoop by about 3 feet into the peelee. Luckily he could see the peg and completed the TPO with a firm stroke. Leave was a ball mid East boundary and a ball in Corner 2.

Keith approached and ran hoop1, rushed the reception ball to hoop6, took off to the ball in corner 2 and rolled out to give himself a 1-yard hoop 2. From here came Keith's first playing error of the event as he ran hoop2 by only a couple of inches and then missed the ball at hoop6.

A couple of turns later Keith took a shot from north boundary at two balls in a guarded corner 1 and missed.

Paddy has a pretty average stop-shot and didn't get Keith's ball past the peg, but managed to establish a break. Things got hairy when he failed to get a rush out of 1back and ended up taking croquet somewhere northwest of 1back. He sent the croqueted ball about 6 yards north of 3-back - probably about the best he could manage from the position he was in, but also came up about 3 yards short of his 2back pioneer. He missed this and came to rest about 4 inches off baulk giving Keith (who was on 3) a dolly rush to the ball north of hoop4 - from which Keith finished.

Game 3

Paddy laid a supershot

Keith went middle of east boundary

Aaron missed to level with hoop4

Jonathan missed the double down the line into corner 4 Aaron hit the ball in C4 and went around with an NSL Jonathan lifted the ball at hoop 4 and missed the long lift In a pretty rough old turn which didn't involve any rushes pointing in the right direction Paddy ended up with a slightly difficult hoop 1 which he stuck in off Jonathan's ball.

Now in a bit of a change of tactics from what we've seen in earlier games, Jonathan went to 1back with a standard leave and when Paddy missed the tea lady Keith went around with the TPO (failing to get any peels on partner).

Leaving two balls on, he laid up about halfway up the east boundary and in corner 2.

Paddy took croquet from the ball on the east boundary, rolled that to between hoops 1 and 2, and hit the ball in corner 2. Taking off from this, he came up short of hoop1, so took position.

Jonathan retired to corner 4

Paddy ran 1 to the north boundary, hit Keith's ball in corner 2, but rolled short of hoop2 and just took position.

Keith went about a yard north of corner 1 Paddy ran 2 and got angled position at hoop 3 Jonathan (still for 1back) joined up - going into corner 1 Paddy went just out of corner 3 Jonathan then rushed partner to short of 1back, opted to take off - then ran 1back with no rush, so croqueted partner to maximum distance spot on the west boundary (though a couple of feet in lawn) and went off in corner 4 Paddy hit his short lift then took off trying to get a rush on the slightly in-lawn ball. Coming up short, he roqueted it and played a very good approach to hoop 3 from the west boundary and ran hoop3 to get a rush south.

He rushed to about 3 yards north of hoop4 and approached the hoop with a roll stroke.

Things came to grief here when he ran hoop4 and shot at Jonathan's ball in the corner - and missed. Jonathan finished.

So another day where the Brits looked pretty awesome. Chris and Rob still error free, Keith with a single error to his name. Expect Rob to be laying up for sextuples in the dead singles matches tomorrow, and perhaps Dave. It's likely the others will be trying to be more dour and steady to keep the momentum going. For the kiwis and USA team - a chance to get some lawn time and build up some confidence for the coming round of tests.

I guess Phil will add a few more details to the first two matches, and hopefully Eileen some stories of the Aussie victory today.