[<<] [>>] by Jenny Williams
22nd November 2006 (The MacRobertson Shield)

Final day of the first test, with pride and form left to play for. Lots of attempts at sextuples expected - but none in the final scores (well, there was one game to play...)

USA v Australia

latest results I've heard for that:
Fleming and Clarke won 2-0 v Stark and Bidencope Soo and Lamm won 2-0 v Dumergue and Watts

Other match 1-1 and still in progress

GB v NZ Singles

In order of finish:

Keith v Brian. Keith Won +26TP, +23TP

Have to wait for Phil's details here. Played on the sandpit, Brian broke down at hoop 4 in the second game.

Chris v Greg. Chris Won +10TP +26TP

Game 1

Chris to 4back 4th turn. Greg hit and went to 1back. Chris missed.

Greg misapproached 1back with his second ball with the 3back peel jawsed. He went into corner 1 wired from Chris's (4b) ball at 2back.

Chris shot with his ball from 1back at Greg's ball in 3back and missed into corner 4 Greg ran 3back and joined partner in corner1 (also wired from Chris's ball near 2back) Chris missed from corner 4 to corner 1 Greg made 1back but then took off off the lawn next to Chris's ball in corner 1 - giving him everything.

Game 2

Chris supershot
Greg dribbled at it from corner 1, went a bit far leaving a free shot for Chris into c4 Chris hit...
... and won 5th turn.

Mark v Shane

No details here. all 26TP, Shane won the first, but lost the 2nd and 3rd.

Jonathan v Robert

On form, the GB team were expecting this to be a comfortable GB win.

However Jonathan's opponents continued their run of playing excellently against him...

1. 26TP +26TP to Robert, no croquet by JK.

First game was about 9th turn, second was 6th turn. Both times defensive openings.

Game 2

Corner 2 opening, Jonathan took the long shot down into corner 4 3rd turn. Robert hit the ball in corner 4, played an excellent croquet stroke sending it to hoop3 getting a perfect rush to hoop1.

Dave v Paddy

Game 1

Dave to 4-back about 3rd turn

Paddy TPOed him 4th turn

Dave got about 4.5 yards in front of hoop1 off the contact - but failed it.

Paddy shot with his hoop1 ball at partner in corner 2 - but missed leaving a double with 2 balls space between.

Dave hit and finished.

1. 14 OTP

Game 2

Paddy misapproached hoop3 on third turn - went into corner 2 Dave missed 4th turn shooting through the hoop4 pioneer.

Paddy hit from about 4 yards south of hoop3 at Dave's ball mid east boundary. Played a very bad croquet stroke trying to get a rush on the ball at hoop4 and ran into it. Tried to roll in front of 1 - didn't get position - ... tried to give himself a 6yard wide join on the north boundary... flicked off the left-hand wire of hoop 2 to about a yard from partner.

Gave Dave's ball at hoop3 a shot at two balls with about 5 ball's space between.

Not much of a double, and Dave narrowly missed one ball from hoop3

Paddy took the easy break with his hoop1 ball - ended up on 3 and 4back.

Dave hit in and went to 1back

Paddy missed

Dave TPOed Paddy getting three peels on partner also. Pegged two out.

Few turns later: Paddy was on about hoop4 when Dave finished.

1. 10 TPO

Robert v Aaron

Spoiler Warning: I don't know how it finished and only report the first two games. Quite a few turns documented here. Exciting match though.

Game 1

Aaron supershot
Rob hits and fails hoop 4 second turn

Aaron hits in and ends up trying to get a rush to 1 from the ball in front of 4 - has some troubles and needs to run 3back to hit that ball. Does that. Rolls to hoop1 Runs 1, but breaks down at hoop2, leaving Rob a 7 yarder Rob misses his 7 yarder 4th turn Aaron to 4back 5th turn with his hoop2 ball peeling Rob to hoop2 (remember Rob's other ball is on 4).

Aaron's leave includes Rob's hoop 4 ball on the back of hoop1.

6th turn: Rob hits with his hoop4 ball and goes to 1-back, cross wiring Aaron at hoop4 and laying up behind hoop2.

7th turn: Aaron finishes.

Game 2

Rob supershot

Aaron ?

Rob went around to 4back 3rd turn with a very defensive leave:

Rob's 4back ball in corner 2, his hoop1 ball in corner 4, Aaron's ball 10 yards up the east boundary Aaron hits partner(?), ends up deciding not to roll off hoop1, but hammers Rob's ball off in corner 1 joining up with partner on east boundary Rob hills off from corner 1 at Aaron's balls Aaron has a TPO. Tries (unsuccessfully) to put partner on the left wire of rover. Pegs two balls off.

Pegged out ending:
Rob approaches hoop1 to 3 yards south with Aaron's ball about 9 yards north of h1 Plays a bad hoop stroke and bounces off to the side Aaron misses his 9 yarder Rob hits his 6 yarder, approaches hoop1 with a poor stroke: goes 2 yards through and misses his 10 yarder.

Aaron takes posi at 1

Rob goes 3 yards in-lawn of East boundary Aaron runs 1, hits Rob, very good croquet stroke approaching 2 with good deep ball. Runs 3 yard hoop with a rush to 3. Poor rush - rushes south of the line of 2 and 3 and plays a thick takeoff to get position.

under-hits takeoff and gets a 45 degree hoop. Fails it to in front of hoop 3 giving a lift Rob takes lift from corner 3 - rushes it to 12 yards in front of hoop2

puts Aaron's ball off lawn rolling into the hoop giving Aaron a lift Aaron takes his lift to the end of B baulk - shots at Rob in front of 2 and misses.

Rob misses 8 yarder at Aaron

Aaron approaches 3 well. fails 3

Rob takes posi at 2

Aaron goes down near hoop4

Rob hits the hoop shot into the middle of the wire - and runs hoop2 by 3 inches. Takes 3 yard posi at hoop3.

Aaron declines his shot from hoop4 to hoop3 and goes about 2 yards south of hoop 2.

Rob declines hoop. Hits Aaron. Plays good approach.

Runs hoop3, plays a good approach to hoop4 - now has full control

Rob grovels through penult. goes 6 yards north of corner 1 Aaron tries to take posi at 3 Rob to corner 1 Aaron spends 8 turns getting in front of hoop 3 while Rob sits in corner 1

Aaron runs 3 but doesn't get position at 4. Takes position.

Rob stays in corner 1.

Now we have a 10 minute break to check on the impasse rules.

Now Aaron runs hoop4 by 5 yards - a poor shot as running it by 2 feet would have avoided the following result...

Aaron shoots at Rob in corner 1 - misses giving Rob a northwards rush.

Rob finishes.

So.. 15-5 and one to finish.

Australia 13 USA 7

and one to finish - rather closer than many punters seemed to expect.

Chris now the only error free player after 5 matches. Bruce Fleming, Martin Clarke, Rob and Chris all with perfect match records (though Rob still in play). Paddy, Danny, Bob and Trevor yet to trouble the scorers (still one doubles in play).

Looking forward to NZ v Australia in the next round - I'm picking a change in fortunes for the kiwis!