[<<] [>>] by Andrew Gregory at Surbiton
8th July 2011 (AC - Championships)

This match will be resuming shortly. Avery & Maugham are 1 game up in the best-of-3.

16:56

Thanks to webMeister Kibble for making this "sticky". No he hasn't spilt jam on my keyboard, he's arranged for this news item to be uppermost on the website.

We think this match will be resuming on lawn 1, whenever Maugham's stopped whingeing about all his shots hilling off.

17:01

I don't think anyone's commentating on the other Doubles seme, which has resumed on lawn 3. I think Burch has gone to 4-back 3rd turn, and left the 3 ducks leave. Reg has missed 4th turn. He and Rutger are game up.

These matches are NOT SuperAdvanced.

17:05

We're off on lawn 1:

G2T1 Death Blue supershot 3y SW of peg.
G2T2 Maugham Red peg-high East bdry.
G2T3 Fulford Black shoots at Red from 1yW of 3rd corner. Hits.

On lawn 3 Marcus has all the balls for a standard TP

17:08

G2T3 Fulford sticks in hoop 1.
G2T4 Avery Yellow hits 7-yarder with laid break.

Marcus Evans has failed the 4-back peel after 3.

17:14

Darts: Bob Osmond is playing Ben Rothman.

Y doubles: Scotland v New Zealand on lawn 2 (Murray & Hopgood v Coutts & McIntosh)

Lawn 1: G2T4 Avery has reached 1-back.

Lawn 3: G2T5 Evans has reached 1-back with one peel done.

17:18

Lawn 3: Evans has made successful death roll, peeling penult before 2-back.

Lawn 1: Avery is round to 4-back. NSL, with Fulford's Black 4y SW of hoop 2.

17:21

G2T5 Death lifts Blue from hoop 4 to B-baulk. Misses Red (23y), into 4th corner.

Evans now has straight rover peel to finish - peelee is in jaws already!

17:25

On lawn 3 Evans has 3-yard peg-out. Copes. Game all.

On lawn 1:
G2T6 Maugham's take-off approach to 1 goes into wire. Retreats to W bdry, 7y from partner (near 2).
G2T7 Fulford Black misses Yellow (16y).
G2T8 Maugham shoots Red at Black (6y). Hits.

17:29

G2T8 Maugham grovels through hoop 1, but he's OK.

Lawn 3:
G3T1 Reg 2y NW of 5
G3T2 Marcus Blue 3y E of peg.
G3T3 Rutger dribbles at target, missing.
G3T4 Jamie hits

17:32

G2T8 Maugham is playing the big roll out of 4th corner before hoop 3. If this goes well it'll be a standard TP. It goes well enough.

On lawn 3 Jamie Burch has stuck in hoop 1, giving Reg the break.

17:34

G2T8 Maugham has peeled 4-back after 3. Now rushing back after 4. Should be all over.

17:38

We've got Chris Clarke playing darts now.

Maugham has peeled penult after 6.

Reg has reached hoop 3. How far will he go?

17:42

Rutger doesn't know how far Reg is going, but assumes 1-back.

Maugham peels rover before 3-back.

The Manager obviously doesn't have enough to do, as he's playing a Z game on lawn 2.

17:46

Don Beck misses double top to give Clarke a chance.

Reg is indeed having a 1-back leave.

Maugham finishes.

Avery & Maugham beat Fulford & Death +17 +25tp

17:51

The Manager is on a 5th turn sextuple.

Don Beck gets double 2 to finish. Apparently this is a darts tournament.

Lawn 3: G3T6 Burch misses 30+ yarder.
G3T7 Rutger to attempt sextuple.

17:58

Rutger has peeled 1-back before 2.

Avery finally offers Death a drink. "Two pints and I'll sort Rob out" quips James.

18:11

Sorry for break in commentary, I've just been losing at darts to Mark Avery, who thus gains revenge for the 1997 Opens... (conveniently ignoring the multiple games he's beaten me since).

The Mangler's sextuple comes to grief at 3-back with 3.5 peels done.

Rutger's sextuple: he's just had the 3-back peel before 1-back.

18:17

Darts: Avery beats Death

Rutger peels 4-back before 3-back.

18:21

Rutger's sextuple has reduced to a straight double.

18:26

Rutger has failed to get peelee in position. Croquets peelee in front of penult, jumps over it to make hoop. Hits 8y return roquet.

18:32

Rutger is seeking advice from partner. oppo's balls are between penult and peg, both to the West. He croquets one S of rover, rushes the other NE of penult. He's trying to cannon peelee into jaws (i think) - no joy. Runs rover, now has to come up with contact leave.

18:37

So it's penult and peg v 1 and 1.
Rutger leaves Red (for penult) 13y S of 3rd corner, Black close to 2nd corner. He tries to rush Blue into 3rd corner (i think) but doesn't get close enough. Croquets Blue 2y W of end of B-baulk. Yellow goes into 4th corner.

18:41

Wixy is at the bar - he's still in both halves of the Plate.

G3T8 Jamie Burch (Black) takes contact off Blue. Takes off to Red. Marcus is practising darts, possibly without the Manager's permission. Jamie now trying to roll off hoop 1 from 4th corner. Not in front - partner now on lawn.

18:45

Marcus and Jamie still deciding on best spot to join up on (near end of B-baulk). Rutger's Yellow is 4yN of hoop 1, Red in middle of East bdry.

G3T9 Rutger Yellow misses Blue (22y)

18:49

Mangler on lawn 2 seems to be receiving advice from his son. Mangler pegging out from behind rover, cunningly using oppo's ball to stop croqueted ball leaving lawn.

G3T10 Jamie makes 1. Now taking off to 2 from near N bdry. Doesn't reach position.

18:54

Mangler beats Martin Stephenson, without his Dainties (to add to Phil's musical thread).

Jamie (Black) retreats to 2nd corner.

G3T11 Rutger Yellow misses Blue (11y) to within 5y of Red

G3T12 Marcus Blue misses Red (10y)

18:59

On lawn 2 we have a Murray TP crowd-pleaser in prospect. Indeed the crowd is barracking for it.

No darts lately, as the barbecue is serving.

G3T13 Reg Red hits Blue, has 7y take-off to Yellow. Rushes Yellow say 6y NNW of penult. Rolls to Black in 2nd corner. Speculative approach sending Black W of 1 - Red not in front.

19:10

G3T14 Jamie (Black) misses Red. (28y)

Avery's had a sextuple in the Z.

G3T15 Reg Red makes penult of Yellow, rushes back to Black (as Amy Winehouse sang). Rushes Black to Blue, Blue to rover. Makes rover. No rush. Takes off to Black. Rushes near enough Yellow. Finishes.

19:12

Bamford & Beijderwellen beat Burch & Evans 2-1

Murray completes his TP to crowd approval.

That's all for now folks, see you at 10am tomorrow.