Good morning World, is anyone reading?

After the Manager, Mr Jeff Dawson, insisted we all arrive to start playing at 9:45am sharp, in order to finish this mornings round of games, he himself casually strolled in shortly after 9:45am. Sigh, and I could have stopped off for a bacon and egg roll. Meanwhile, Agent Smith decided that he would be practising with six balls, two primary, and four secondary colours. Why not take the secondaries from the other lawns as well Richard? And why not hammer hoops 1 and 2 a little more to loosen them up more than they already were? And why not practice for half an hour longer than everyone else? (OK, I'm teasing a little here). Five minutes warm up with two balls, no running hoops 1 or 2, that's what I say. Anyway, .... gosh I'm ranty in the morning.

Right, Robin had a quick +26tp after Jeff went off the lawn a couple of times, once during the opening of the game, and once after Robin gave contact (having gone to 4b). Robert had an excellent TPO against Lionel tibble with one pop on opposition, but failed to peg out Lionel's ball from between three and four years, therefore had to peg out his own ball.

David Goacher arrived late shortly after 10am, and their game started at 10:10am. After 1hr and 35 minutes, they have made it to 1 and 4b (Gabrielle), and1 and 1b (David Goacher), with Gabrielle having just given David contact. This game is likely to get pegged down.

BTW The Hurlingham power hose looked awesome by all accounts .....

James had an interesting couple of turns to 4b against Richard, with 6 of his 9 hoops essentially impossible to run. Except the the balls just rolled on through. This unfortunately led to serious bouts of laughter as neither player could believe how unbelievable spawny "Dr Spawn" was. Anyway, with a defensive spread, Richard missed, and Hoopgod digged out an inch perfect standard triple with no spawny hoops that time.

Gabrielle versus David has been pegged down.

Right, I'm back ...

Lionel and Jeff had an interactive game on Lawn 1 (the one I had 6 spawny hoops on), and Lionel had every chance to win if he had just completed a triple like he did against me the other day. Sigh. Jeff did a good leave towards the end and Lionel took an aggressive shot but missed (the leave was Lionel's 4b ball just North-West of hoop 1, Jeff on the south boundary with a rush to hoop 1, and wired from Lionel's 4b ball, and Lionel's hoop 5 ball uo near hoop 2). Jeff finished, as ever.

James's new shoes means his shooting is back (basically the heel of his old ones collapsed due to old age, and I think meant his weight distribution was wrong), hit his duffer, went to hoop 6 with a defensive DSL. Gabrielle centre balled the long lift (of course!) having lifted the ball at the peg. This meant she had a difficult pick up, and made an error. James did a leave, Gabrielle missed, James went to 4b, Gabrielle narrowly missed the long lift, James finished, peeling rover after 3b. So almost a shooting contest.

Robert Wilksinson had a +26 against Robin Brown. The game between David Goacher and Gabrielle Higgins has resumed, while David Goacher versus Richard Smith has been pegged down!!

So that's four pegged down games Mr Goacher has been involved in!!!

I lied about Smith versus Goacher being pegged down, Richard hit his lift, and is on a standard triple. He should finish this. So, Mr Goacher is "playing" two games simultaneously. What an ingenious way to speed things up.

So, a recap first. Jeff is on 10 wins, and only Gabrielle can catch him up. They play each other in the last round. So if Gabrielle can beat David, and beat Jeff, there will then be a play-off between Jeff and Gabrielle. If Gabrielle loses either of those matches, Jeff wins the Chairman's for the fourth time. So there you are.

Right, so Gabrielle hit David's lift earlier in the game, when David was on 1b, and went to 4b giving contact. David did a leave, Gabrielle missed. David has just gone to 4b with an NSL, with Gabrielle's 4b ball on the back of 4b. She is taking the long lift ....

.... (with her hoop 1 ball!)....

.... and Gabrielle hits the outward ball pretty much centre ball, as we've come to expect. I am beginning to think that Gabrielle has actually been the best shot of the weekend, which is why she's one of the leaders. Note to self, next time I play at Hurlingham, practice shooting for a week before hand!

Oh oh .....

Gabrielle played a croquet stroke out of corner 4 (where she "rushed" the ball she hit to), and almost sends that ball off the north boundary, and only just stayed in lawn off the East boundary. She's rushed David's other ball to hoop 4, so should get a dolly rush to hoop 1, but here Hoop 2 pioneer is awlful. Some good shots needed to keep this together. Alternatively, since running four yard hoops isn't a problem, maybe just don't bother with a hoop 2 pioneer :-)

Gabrielle has played a couple of good recovery shots ....... Gets 15 inches in front of Hoop 2.Should have a standard triple ahead of her.

OMG. Richard Smith has a straight rover peel to do against David Goacher, and puts his shallow ball into the jaws of rover!!!!

He's now trying to cannon this ball out from south of rover with the peelee, while trying to get hoop position!!!

Richard jumps through rover, so can have a leave, but no triple. David is on hoops 1 and 3.

Gabrielle is on a delayed double, but has control. Richard has made a leave ....

David's hoop 1 ball in the jaws of rover, Richard on the East boundary, David's hoop 3 ball near hoop 2. David might play a shot. See, he really is involved in two games simultaneously. A format for the future.

The rest of us are waiting around for these games to finish.

Richard is laughing at his own "Smith Error"!

Gabrielle has sent in a poor 3b pioneer, having peeled 4b before 6, and making 2b off partner. She might need another 3b pioneer. On the other hand, if you're Lionel, why bother?

Earlier in the day, Gabrielle had just come off the lawn having finished a turn, and was immediately approach by a Hurlingham member who asked her "Is this the Veteran's?" Gabrielle was not best pleased!!!!

Gabrielle has played a good take off from near penult to get to her 3b pioneer which was three yards south-east of 3b.

Lionel "wants to go to bed" ....

David blobbed hoop 3 against Richard, and Richard is having a leave.

Gabrielle has finished her triple, so now plays Jeff. If she beats Jeff, there will be a play off.

So David has just lost to Gabrielle -17tp, and I predict that with a couple of minutes, he will lose to Richard Smith -24!

Final round coming up :-)

I forgot to mention that in Lionel's earlier game against Jeff, he went round off the contact, by rolling off H1 from C1. Sigh ....

So Gabrielle versus Jeff; Gabrielle went first having won the toss. Jeff Duffer, Gabrielle hit the duffer., does leave

Jeff hits fourth turn, will have a break.

Lionel hits third turn against James, and does a dream leave.

Gabrielle has asked me to comment on the subsequent turns in her game, but lets just say that Jeff didn't immediately get going, and was gifted a golden opportunity of going to 4b with two pops.

Sorry, Gabrielle has asked me NOT to comment on ...

James has gone to 4b against Lionel, with his balls in C2 and C3, and Lionel across C4. Lionel has rolled off hoop 1 straight from C4, but has ended his turn in the jaws.

Some updates, Robin beet Richard +26tp, not sure how interactive it was. So Robin comes third, whatever.

Gabrielle got going off Jeff's contact, as he left a ball in corner 3, so she played her hoop 3 ball. She went to 1b with a defensive DSL (a ball on the West boundary), with Jeff's hoop 1 ball by the peg. Jeff shot and missed. Gabrielle failed to get going, and did a leave which Jeff hit. Jeff did a leave which Gabrielle hit!!! Gabrielle is now playing her hoop 1 ball, but Jeff's 4b ball is still in corner 3. Will see go for a delayed TPO?

In Tibble versus Hopgood, after Lionel stuck in hoop 1, James hit with his hoop 1 ball. He rushed a ball to hoop 3 after hoop 1, and on the takeoff to the ball in C3, left it in a position such that H3 and that ball (blue) left a "double" in which to "bombard" the 4b to keep it in the area, with a roll to hoop 2. Anyway, the 4b ball hit hoop 3 full on, so gave James a standard triple, which was duly completed. So after a terrible first couple of days, James finished win five wins, and didn't concede a single hoop today (three games).

Who knows what David Goacher is doing down on lawn 1. But whatever it is, it's happening at a snails pace.

Gabrielle is just going to 4b with her hoop 1 ball, and no attempt at a TPO or anything.

Jeff missed his lift, and Gabrielle is taking her 1b ball to the peg. She has the chance for a straight triple is she fancies it.

Gabrielle has gone to the peg, maybe going for a tight cross peg.

David Goacher is on a delayed TP against Robert and about to finish with a straight Rover peel.

Christian Carter has just arrived, and we have all congratulated him on his nest building.

BTW I'm heading after this game, so if Jeff misses what is a DSL, then Gabs should finish, and who knows who will win!

Jeff has missed. So Gabrielle has a finishing turn.

This will give them 10 wins each! And a play off. Gabrielle has been holding her nerve well this week, so expect there to be a play off. Stay tuned.

This finish is not perfect. Her penult pioneer is three yards south of penult, and she didn't get a rush out of 4b. She played a half roll, but has ended up short. Therefore she has a long take off. And now has a 4ft penult.

She ran this no problem, no forward rush. The rover pioneer is three yards south of rover. She is going via the C4 ball.

Three to four yarder on the ball in C4, Christian says she is 98% to hit that. She does. So should get behind the rover pioneer from here ....

Gabrielle has finished .....

So a play off.

So, the current order is
1= Jeff, Gabrielle,
3, Robin
4, James
5, David
6, 7, 8= Robert, Richard, Lionell

I should be happy with 4th given the shocking first few days, but hey, everyone has poor days shooting (make sure you have a good spare pair of shoes with you!)

Everyone is leaving -- I'm waiting for a drink, but will be going soon (7pm train now).

But while I sit here at the Hurlingham lawns (on my own!), I'm wondering what the best tactics are for Jeff and Gabrielle. I am inclined to say that Jeff should not give contact, and do defensive leaves, for example a diagonal spread with a ball on the west boundary. Force Gabrielle to hit in and get going. For example, she hit in against Hopgood, but didn't get the required rush across the lawn, and then made an error.

On the other hand, Gabrielle is a good shot and she might get going, so giving contact is defensive, if you think you can hit in again. Maybe there might be some pressure on the players. This is Gabrielle's home club, and she'll be very keen to win. The conditions are easy, so I think it's evens!

Ah, someone has brought me a drink!

Right, off we go!

Jeff wins the toss, East boundary, Gabrielle plays a Duffer, level with 6.

Jeff shooting at partner from A baulk, and of course hits! The commentary team here thought it was crazy (well not me), but now they say it was the best choice. Jeff will try and get going from this.

Nice roll, getting a 4ft rush on the duffer.

Good rush, ends up three yards West of 1.

Good approach to H1, one yard hoop. Grovels through. Hits reception ball. Should have a third turn ball around, me thinks/

Richard has corrected me, apparently "methinks" is one word!

Tonks his hoop 3 pioneer well past hoop 3. Has a four yard approach. However, shouldn't be a problem. Oh, he ends up with a one yard hoop.

Slightly angled.

The hoop might as well not have been there ....

Do British Croquet players really enjoy these conditions? I only did triples today because I didn't want an awful ranking at the start of next season, but these should be sextupling conditions.

I haven't yet commented in the commentary about some of the Axeman's angry moments with his mallet. He absolutely rammed it against one of the marquees earlier in the tournament, which is why it's fractured. People came out of the conservatory to see what on earth happened, the crash was so loud.

Ball to 4b, or sxp leave?

Pioneer to 2b, so looks like he's giving contact. Won't get a rush out of 1b though.

Sorry, I've been stupid, it will be a ball to 3b

He's rushing a ball into corner 2 after 1b. Who needs a forward rush????!

Contact leave is his hoop 1 ball 8 yards south of C3, his 3b ball in corner 1. Gabrielle's ball in C2. She has a contact, 4th turn.

So, as I left it, Gabrielle did a leave off the contact, Jeff cornered. Gabrielle made hoop 1 but with no break prospects. She did another leave, with Jeff's hoop 1 ball at hoop 2, his 3b ball at hoop 1, and Gabrielle in corner 4. Jeff shot with the 3b ball and missed. So Gabrielle has a trivial break ahead. I don't see her doing a QPO, but the balls are all there if she wants to try. So I see two breaks to 4b, and it's all a matter of whether Jeff can hit in and complete his QP. Lets wait to see what happens.

I think Jeff should consider a shot from A-baulk if he gets the chance, as he's hitting across the lawn, but down the boundary is a bit risky. Maybe from A-baulk if Gabrielle stops at 1b.

Thanks for listening! Good luck to both players (and as it's a shooting contest, a bit of luck is what they need!)

Just in case anyone is reading this later in the day, Gabrielle has told me that she went to 1b, but Jeff nicked the lift, and won +20qp. So commiserations to Gabrielle, and congratulations to Jeff.

It was a fun tournament, and I can now sympathise with Mr Aiton's nightmare a few years ago.