When my friends suggested that London is always overcast, I can see what they mean. Another overcast, slightly more chilly day than yesterday, but still shorts weather.

The shooting contest continues. Lionel Tibble on lawn 3 went to 4b giving contact to David Goacher, David has gone to 4b in two turns, with Lionel missing a lift. Richard Smith broke down (!!) on a TPO against Jeff Dawson with two peels done, and giving contact. Hopgood went to H6 fifth turn against Robin Brown, but Robin hit his lift shot, and James has missed two, despite truing a new pair of shoes (which helped hit a 9 yarder at the start of the game).

Robin had a delayed TP, but ended up trying to peel 4b after H6, and a relatively poor shot saw him wired from his escape ball near hoop 3. So Robin just hit the 15 yarder at an out-of-place 1b pioneer and carried on.

Robin ended up doing the three peels of a straight triple, but missed the pegout leaving all four balls on the lawn, and went on to win after James failed to get in front of H1 and Robin hit in and finished.

Gabielle is on Lawn 1 with a triple against Robert Wilkinson, having jawsed 4b after 3. Lionel missed against David Goacher, so he will be on a triple too.

Richard tells me he broke down by trying a very fine cut rush to get peelee in front of Rover before 3b, and over-cut that rush. Gabrielle went back to peelee in 4b after hoop 4, and then clubbed the take off to hoop 5, knocking the pioneer north of the hoop, and then ending up with an angled hoop 5 which she blobbed, However, Robert didn't make much of his chance, blobbing in hoop 1 (again).

We are now analysing Robert's mallet, which has a major fracture in the shaft near the head. This apparently is from a hoop stroke a few weeks ago, however Agent Smith things that Robert throwing his mallet around the other day didn't help.

So, the problem with only going to H6 in super-advanced is that if you lose the innings, because oppo hits in, you can't just go for a sextuple if you get in with the hoop 1 ball (which is the case in my game against Robin). The rationale was that it's easier to do a diagonal spread after hoop 5 because all the balls are in front of you, and it guards against the shot at the peg ball through into C3. What do you think? Sure, some will just say go for the septuple, but not so easy with a ball in corner 4.

So Jeff, Robin, Gabrielle, and likely to be David, are all the candidates for winning. Robin seems to be shooting the best of all of us.

There's a lot of sitting around waiting for the Goat's games to finish. Sigh.

We have a spectator :-) Watching Mr Goacher. Gabrielle went to the peg from penalt, and did a leave with Roberts 4b ball near hoop 5, his hoop 2 ball up near hoop 2, and Gabrielle laid up near corner 3. Robert shot with his hoop 2 ball at his 4b near hoop 5. He missed. Guaranteed finish to Gabrielle. Robert might as well go to the bar, since his current beer is almost finished. I'll have cup of tea please Robert.

Remember the milk this time ...

I see that Miranda has more readers than I do; no surprise there. I don't know why people call the Goat slow, he is coming upto penult with two peels done, and it's only taken half an hour :-)

They say a simple four ball break to the peg is one of the hardest turns to play. Gabrielle has just proved this with an inexplicably poor 3b pioneer, a long hoop approach, angled hoop, trickling through, and missing a five yarder on the reception ball that was half way between hoop 5 and the peg. Robert has a lift shot with a ball in baulk. Can he finish from here? You have to be truly lucky to have an opponent break down on you here. Meanwhile, after only 35 to 40 minutes, Mr Goacher is completing his triple to stay in contention.

I believe this is the first "Eight" that I've played in and not been in contention on the last day, nevermind being completely out of it today. Sigh. At least I can have fun climbing the rankings again next season!

Robert is peeling 4b after 3. The balls are in the position he likes, with his H4 pioneer on the H3-H4 line, but a yard or so north of H5. He says that's a good place in case you need to roll from H3. I guess in these conditions, having a pioneer four yards from your hoop is absolutely fine. Would love to see that line of play at Surbiton in the summer.

There have been only two kinds of openings this weekend. Either C2, or duffer. Everyone can roll off H2 from C2 (as getting three yards in front of the hoop is sufficient). Richard Smith has just hit fourth turn against Lionel from the corner 2 opening, shooting from the north boundary at the double on the East boundary. He has, unfortunately, rushed the ball he hit into corner 4. Lets see if he gets going.

Wow, just wow. Robert has failed to approach H5, despite having all the balls in control. Or maybe not as much control as he needed (due to the placement of the H4 pioneer). Richard tried an aggressive pick up rolling up to the other ball on the East boundary, and hilling off the lawn. Lionel has completely failed to do anything constructive, and is approaching H1 from north of the peg on the H1-H2 line. It looks like he's managed to roll off hoop 1 though (defensive roll). And he trickles through the hoop. Just "wow".

Robert says he had a lapse of concentration, as he's worried about his mallet breaking.

Lionel has another big roll and manages to get a rush on the ball near H6 into corner 2.

I've just asked Richard and Robert if either have any comments to make. Robert just swore very loudly. This is so much fun ....

... or rather not. It's embarrassingly easy, yet people are still making errors. Lionel, after having a C2 cannon, has failed to approach H2 properly. Gabrielle has just finished.

Robert and I are having a sporting game for the Wooden Spoon (but equally, one of us is throwing away our chances of being selected for anything next year, given the likely selection dates). Robert went first and laid the supershot bouncing off hoop 5. I shot and hit from corner 1 (fist, yeah, maybe I still have my shooting boots on), but failed to roll off H1 from the East boundary. Went to max distance position. Robert hit third turn, but end up hampered after hoop 1 and miss. James hit, went to 1b with a tight cross peg, and laid up for the hoop 1 ball. Robert hit the peg ball from A-baulk (of course), and is embarking on an sxpo!

Some updates. Gabrielle made it to 4b and peg, before Robin hit in. Being a very powerful position in super-advanced, and what with Gabrielle shooting very well at the moment, Robin pegged Gabrielle off, leaving a ball on the boundary slightly South-West of hoop 2, and a ball in Corner 1. Gabrielle simply rolled off 4b using the ball near H2, and finished.

Lionel Tibble took off the lawn trying to get a rush on peelee with all three peels of a TPO done (straight rover peel). Richard finished next turn.

Jeff beat David with little interaction, as David missed his shots.

Robert and James had a crazily interactive game, and was pretty scrappy, with partial peeling breaks. James has pegged two balls off, so it's 4b (James) versus 3 (Robert), Robert has a lift (but is likely just to take position).

Lionel and Robin finished a scrappy game, which Lionel won after a "comedy of errors", quote Brown.

Jeff and Robert had a good game, but Robert made an error too many.

James couldn't hit a barn door against David, missing five or six 17 yarders in a row (as David set leave after leave). However, James hit the crucial lift shot when David was for 1 and 1b, David missed his two lift shots, so another "boring +20tp" to James.

Gabrielle and Richard are on a close game with Richard on peg and penult, and Gabrielle on 3 and 4b with the innings, a possible standard triple ahead, with one good roll shot.

We have six spectators, this is awesome. We have no flashing ladies which is disappointing :-)

Gabrielle is on a delayed TP, about to try peeling 4b before 6. This is an important game, because it's the difference between behind one behind Jeff, and two behind Jeff. We are all just watching at the moment, as we are likely to play three rounds tomorrow and have an earlier dinner.

It would be lovely to be able to post some photos -- presumably some facebook pages would be a good way of doing a commentary.

Gabrielle is finishing on a straight double, so looks like +4tp to Higgins to stay just one behind Jeff.

Robert picked up a two ball break in the one-ball ending versus Hopgood, but missed a rush after 2b, which let James take position in front of penult.