Hi everyone, Finals day at the Championhips of Ireland has arrived and the sun is shining which will hopefully lead to smiles, crowds and quick lawns

A couple of events have already been decided buy virtue of players winning both halves of draw and process and one final being played yesterday due to unavailability of one of the finalists.

These events are the USCA salver for handicaps 9-14 which was won at a relative canter by arch bandit Daniel Bennett from Herbert Park. The other events which has wrapped up early is the Handicap singles, also won unsurprisingly by arch bandit Daniel Bennett who's handicap has flown down from handicap 13 to 7 if reports are to be believed. This is deemed totally fair by me who suffered the the man himself in the semifinal, going down to a triple peel from a 13 handicap who peeled rover on the way to 3-back and was left with 2 bisques in the ground!

Mad Ted

One final has already been played this morning, the Championship doubles.

Evan and Jack convincingly won the block leaving the manager (Evan) cursing himself for stating that there would be a final played out the outset. Andy and Danny Johnston scraped in to the final by the skin of their teeth, needing the result of the final block game to go their way. Patsy and Nathaniel needed to beat Fred and Rónán with a triple to qualify, and after some interaction Patsy was on his way to doing it but for his straight doubles to go awry at rover. He put a pioneer down at rover and the rushed the peelee behind it and learning why that ball belongs at the peg!

In the final played this morning, Danny got in first and made hoop one before a succession of poor strokes led to him failing hoop 2. A series of misses ensued before Andrew eventually got going and got his clip to 4-back. The reverse NSL proved messy but Jack and Evan failed to capitalize allowing Danny in once more. He promptly failed 4 for no particular reason letting Jack in. Jack then played good controlled croquet until 2-back when he got bad position and stuck in the hoop.
From here Danny went on to finish the game with an eventful TP including a long peel of 4-back on the way to 1-back and a striaght double with a half jump at rover.

So first result of the day is now up A. and D. Johnston beat E. Newell and J. Clingan +19tp (DJ)

Currently we have the Green Cup decider on lawn 3 between Sandy Greig, a new Carrickmines stalwart who's handicap is shooting down at a rate of knots, and Mathew Martin. The latter is one of the Martin clan of 3 brothers and a father who draw comparisons to the McInerney croquet family set up for many reasons! This final should be an interesting one, but Mathew may have the psychological egde having beaten Sandy yesterday in one half of the event to reach this position

Elsewhere the Newell Candlestick for high handicap players has been keenly contested and is giving the manager headaches. Conor O'Sullivan is playing the final of both halves and one of his opponents is also due to play a handicap doubles final later today! So a clean sweep for Conor is the managers choice (or at least beating Tony Carey in one half would do!)

The handicap doubles final this year will be contested between Patsy Fitzgerald with Karen Davidson-Perrins and Sandy Greig and Tony Carey. Should be a very interesting match: Patsy has been playing very well in this event, completing a TPO to make it through the semi-final against sticky opposition. His partner has also done her part very well and is picking up the game very quickly. They will give bisques to Sandy Greig and Tony Carey who are well able to use them at the right times and hold on to the innings. If Patsy is in good shooting form this should be a good match but otherwise they may succumb slowly to a persistent pair of opponents.

And the final final to mention is the Championship Singles which will be contested by Andy and Danny Johnston for the 3rd year in a row.
It's honours even so far with Andy taking the 2013 title and Danny claiming 2014's championship.

Both players are playing reasonably well so far, striking the ball cleanly and playing decently controlled breaks.
Conditions have been easy thus far with the lawns running at a consistent 11. The sun has been shining all day so we're hoping to see it speed up slightly this afternoon.

I will try to find someone to do a commentary but if I can't I'll get results up as they come!

Game 1
Andy wins the toss and elects to go in.

Andy plays black to EB, 10 yards north of C4
Danny lays duffer level with 6
Andy hits partner down the line, plays big split roll up to the duffer which finishes very wide. Rushes the ball to near where he put parnter on the roll, about 3 yards north of the peg on the line of hoops 1 and 2. Plays take off down to 1 which goes very long, leaves a 5 and half yard hoop which he takes on...

Misses the hoop but not a bad result as it slides off the left hand up right and away from A baulk. Could have been mush worse!

Turn 4, Danny shoots from A baulk at the ball Andy failed hoop 1 with. Can make a slight double with on of the balls left near hoop 2 but there's a lot of distance between the two targets. Misses on the left of blue to behind hoop 2. Andy should be away now.

Andy progressing nicely, has popped Danny's Yellow on the way to 5.

In other news, the Green Cup for handicaps 3.5 to 7 has been won by Mathew Martin. He took an early lead but struggled to impose himself with the second ball initially before eventually getting round. I think he must have pegged 1 ball of at some stage because he finished the game by hitting the peg from the EB for the win!
Hard luck to Sandy who has played well throughout these championships, and well played Mathew!

Back in the Championships, Andy is through 6 (had a cheeky pop attempt on the way which bounced off to one side)

Andy finishing the turn with 1 pop and an NSL. The ball for 2 is at hoop 2.

Danny lifts the ball in the NSL position at 4 to B baulk, misses down the line finishing a few inches out of the corner

Andy rushes partner over to 1, ends up 1 foot North but slightly to one side making the backward take off easier. Likes to play a Hogan roll does Andy but after hoop 1 he's left himself inches from the hoop on the West side with no way of getting to the ball in corner 4. So it'll be a ball to 3 and a delayed tp attempt

Overhits his pioneer at 2 to 2 yards North of the hoop. Copes and sends a good deep pioneer to 4.

About to play the big take off down to the ball in corner 4...

Excellent stroke, 4 feet away from the target ball.

The peelee is dead in front of 4-back, 4 feet away.

Sends his 5 pioneers slightly short, but the strikers ball is very precise for his rush to 4 so he won't be concerned

Might make getting a good escape ball for his 4-back peel before 6 awkward though

Yep, looks like he might not have enough room to get it as far North as you might like. Although he often just puts his escape ball as close to the peelee as possible and plays it New Zealand.

In the Newell candlestick the managers nightmare has come true, and Tony Carey has won the process necessitating a final against Conor which will have to take place after he finished the handicap doubles!

Andy got a decent escape ball on the end, but he will have to play it straight most likely which will give him a 3 yard rush to 6

He has sent his 1-back pioneer a fraction west and north o the hoop on the way to the peelee. Roquets the latter with control and will have a ~1 yard straight peel followed by a longish rush to 6

Peel through, now the trickier bit

Plays and excellent rush to 1 foot in front of 6.

Andy fairly won the Championships there with two very neat TPs. Danny failed to take croquet which was pretty disappointing all round.
Well done to Andy on his 3rd win!