[<<] [>>] by Phil Cordingley
26th November 2006 (The MacRobertson Shield)

GREAT Britain V. USA - DOUBLES (Shepparton)

GB wrap up the test against USA with two days to spare, sweeping the second series of doubles to take an unassailable 12-0 lead.

The major point of interest being who would score the winning point. Chris Clarke and Mark Avery were ante post favourites, on the assumption that their respective pairs would win relatively quickly, and they are their respective designated TPers. In fact it did become a race between the two, but only because Keith Aiton and Jonathan Kirby had finished first with back to back 26tps to put us 10-0 up.

Mark had first crack, but took three attempts to make hoop 1 before finally taking the decider with a TP against Bob Cherry and Danny Huneycutt. This after he had taken the first with a quad after David Maugham had inexplicably stuck in 3b on the first break, and Bob and Danny had gritted their way back with a Huneycutt TP in the second.

In the meantime, Chris needed no second invitation to complete his TP for a straight games win against Damon Bidencope and Jerry Stark to clinch the win.

After lunch half the team went off to a nearby fauna park to cuddle koalas. Unfortunately for them, most of the animals apart from the dingoes showed rather more sense by staying in the shade. So definitely a case of mad dogs and Englishmen and a couple of Scots out in the midday sun. (That joke ? P. J. Kirby).

Chris Clarke & Robert Fulford beat Damon Bidencope & Jerry Stark +12tpo (F), +24tp (C)

Game 1

1) Chris lays ss
2) Damon to just S of optimum position on E boundary
3) Rob misses Damon from B baulk to 6 yards S of ball
4) Jerry hits ss ball from A baulk, goes to 4b with an NSL
5) Robert hits long lift, makes 1 off 4b ball, rushes to S boundary, and croquets it into jaws of 4b! Has TPO, with Chris? ball in II, peg ball on E boundary by three, wired from roll to II
6) Damon takes contact from ball in II and rolls into lawn going to E boundary ball. Goes off S boundary trying to roll off 1
7) Chris misses partner 3 yards N of 6 from S of peg to N boundary
8) Damon goes to E boundary 3 yards N of peg high
9) Chris hits partner, rolls to S boundary just out of I and lays rush, boundary ball wired
10) Damon goes to IV
11) Chris rushes to E boundary and rolls to N boundary just out of II and lays rush to 1, boundary ball wired
12) Damon goes 4 inches N of IV
13) Rob taps partner & lays wired rush to 1
14) Damon adjusts in IV
15) Chris makes 1, lays up on N boundary with rush to 2
16) Damon goes to I
17) Chris makes 2 and lays up in III with rush to 3
18) Damon goes 4 inches N of I
19) Chris lays wired rush to 3
20) Damon deems
21) Chris rushes too close to 3, leaves wired rush by 3
22) Damon goes to N boundary 1 yard E of II
23) C makes 3 & 4 and stick on wire of 5
24) Damon nicks ball by peg from II, rolls off 1 from 5, but clangs 2, ending tight on wire
25) Chris joins partner N of 2
26) Damon goes to midpoint W boundary
27) Chris rushes to II and lays rush to 5
28) Damon goes to S boundary 1 yard E of I
29) Chris rushes to S boundary 4 yards E of I, takes off to get rush to 5, makes 5, rushes back to S boundary. Croquets ball to 2b getting rush to 6, makes 6 & 1b on 2 ball break, finishes

Game 2

1) Damon lays ss
2) Chris shoots hard and hits from A baulk. Croquets Damon to just out of II, and goes to IV
3) Jerry misses in IV, leaving double
4) Robert hits double in IV from A baulk, rushes to II. Goes to 4b popping Jerry to 3, with Damon's ball (for 1) in jaws of 2, Jerry in IV and laying a tight rush in II
5) Damon misses short lift in II
6) Chris finishes

Mark Avery & David Maugham beat Bob Cherry & Danny Huneycutt +26qp (A), -26tp (H), +26tp (A)

Game 1

1) Mark lays ss
2) Bob goes to optimum position on E boundary
3) David hits from B baulk, sticks in 3b from nowhere
4) Danny misses target of escape ball at 3b and ball on E boundary
5) Mark roquets partner, peels 3b going to balls on E boundary, finishes.

Game 2

1) Danny lays standard E boundary ball
2) Mark goes to W boundary 4 inches S of II
3) Bob hits partner from III, but takes off lawn 1 yard N of II
4) David misses in II
5) Bob gets cannon in II, rushes to S boundary, rolls off 1 and goes to 4b with a spread
6) David misses long lift
7) Danny rushes peelee to 2 feet in front of 4b after 4, gets 4b peel and finishes

Game 3

1) Mark lays ss
2) Danny goes to optimum position on E boundary
3) David misses from A baulk
4) Bob misses double from B baulk
5) David goes to 4b with an MSL
6) Bob misses long lift
7) Mark clangs angled 1 off partner
8) Bob misses Mark from IV to W boundary 3 yards N of I
9) Mark hits 10 yarder at partner, clangs 1 again
10) Bob misses 10 yarder at partner across peg.
11) Mark misses partner at 2 from 1 to N boundary
12) Danny hits 10 yarder from peg to 2, has a leave: opponents 2 yards off W boundary by 2 and 3 yards off E boundary by 4, but leaves a double on E boundary by 3
13) David hits the double from W boundary and has a leave
14) Danny misses partner near III from W boundary by 1
15) Mark finishes, with the aid of rolling of 2 from 3

Keith Aiton & Jonathan Kirby beat Rich Lamm & Jeff Soo +26tp (K), +26tp (A)

Game 1

1) Keith lays ss
2) Rich goes to optimum position on E boundary
3) Jonathan hits Rich from B baulk, fails 10 yard backward take off to 1, goes to midpoint W boundary
4) Jeff misses double from A baulk to N boundary behind 2
5) Jonathan hits 8 yarder at partner, rolls N boundary to directly in front of 1b getting rush on ball by 2 to 1. Makes 1, but gets cross wired from hoop 2 pioneer in front of 1b, and fails to hit it through hoop
6) Jeff rolls up to 1 from 5 yards on Keith but clangs
7) Keith goes to 4b with a reverse NSL, with a rush on W boundary 10 yards out of II, cuttable into the corner or to 2
8) Jeff lifts ball on 2, misses short lift but hits hoop 2 and finishing short of W boundary
9) Jonathan finishes with a standard TP

Game 2

1) Jeff lays ss
2) Keith goes to optimum position on E boundary
3) Rich misses Keith from B baulk to IV
4) Jonathan misses Keith from A baulk
5) Jeff misses opponents from ss position
6) Jonathan goes to 4b with a spread
7) Jeff hits opponents on E boundary from where he lay and clangs 1 again
8) Keith misses partner on E boundary from 2
9) Rich hits 5 yarder at partner, approaches 1 from S boundary and clangs on GB forward ball
10) Jonathan has a leave, opponents on W boundary by 1 and N boundary by 2, Keith with a rush to 1 on midpoint of E boundary
11) Jeff misses opponents on E boundary from N boundary
12) Keith hits hoop 6 putting out hoop 4 pioneer after 2, but finishes anyway