Good Morning All,

I was asked by the manager and President of Cammeray Croquet Club, David Stanton, to do some commentary on this event. When I thought about it I realised I would prefer to be a player, so entered, but I'll also try to do as much commentary as I can.

Last evening, Thursday, 27 Feb, there were a large number of players and members of the club here, for practice and registration and some instruction/demonstration games from Alison Sharpe and Peter Landrebe, which became a wine tasting at about 5:00pm, courtesy of Backvintage Winery. I picked up a dozen bottle of their latest Riesling. The major sponsor, Daryl Dixon was also present. He heads a large firm of financial advisors here in Sydney and there is also a large building in Canberra named for the firm. He writes a weekly column in a number of Australian newspapers, including the Canberra Times.

The connection with him comes from one of the Cammeray members being asked to arrange an Oxford/Cambridge University challenge here in Sydney. She found a large number of Oxford graduates but only one from Cambridge, Daryl. He enjoyed the challenge and subsequently agreed to sponsor this tournament.

Cammeray CC is on the boundary of a park not far from the North end of the Sydney Harbour bridge. On one side is a tennis club and there is a skate board facility on the other. There is a cricket oval on the third side. Parking is extraordinarily difficult. The club is leased from the local council for a fee which includes maintaining the courts. The council mowed them yesterday and twice this morning, before 7:00am. That is pretty good support! I'm told that that was the fifth mowing this week. The weather has not helped, however. It was forecast for intermittent showers but there has been a gentle drizzle all morning, at least since I arrived at 7:40am.

My guess at the speed of the wet courts is 11 or 12 seconds. Both my opponent, Alison Sharpe, and I managed to take off and go off the court in our first match this morning, as we badly misjudged how fast the courts were running. She beat me 26-6 with a 9/12/5 when I missed a gentle 5y roquet at my pioneer for hoop 6 and then stuck in that hoop after hitting the lift twice. A scrappy game from me.

With only two courts and 16 players there are eight players watching at any time. The clubhouse overlooks the courts and so far the spectators have been following the games intently. Other results are Alan Honey came from behind to beat Kevin Beard 26-18, Malcolm Fletcher beat Mike Walsh 26-4 and Tim O'Leary beat Sue Beattie 26-18.

Although it is still raining gently the temperature is mild at 19 degrees Celcius.

I will now have a coffee and come back to this commentary when an interesting game starts.

Before I started a commentary a court became available and I was playing Alan Honey, who beat me 26-1 after failing his triple. I have now has my courtesy lunch - a cheese sandwich - and am again waiting for an interesting game to start.

Tim O'Leary is playing Malcolm Fletcher on Court 1. Malcolm has clips on 3b and 2. Tim just failed to get position at hoop 1 and retired to near the W bdry opposite hoop 1 with his other ball 4 y N of 1. Malcolm missed his ball 2y N of 2 from near 3. Tim rushed from the W bdry to peg high and has hit Malcolm's ball from behind 2 to the other ball on the W bdry. He now rushes that to 18 inches S of 1, makes 1 and should be away on a break. His other clip is on 4b, so he might be able to start a triple. However....he does not get in front of 2 and bounces off to the W bdry with a powerful stroke that loosens the hoop. Malcolm hits a short one with his ball for 2, takes off from just N of 1 to an oppo ball 5y SW of 2, touches it by mistake and rolls the hoop beautifully. He is away but is making 3 with his own ball whose clip is on 3b, so is unlikely to be able to do a quad peel. After 3 he is hampered and Trevor Bassett referees the stroke which misses the waiting ball from about 7y. Tim hits from 5 to 4 (own balls), rushes P to W and W to hoop 2. He now has the potential peelee
and an oppo ball near 4b and is approaching 2. He waits for the double-banking game and approaches from 3y to 2 ft, makes the hoop, sends the receiving ball to 4 and sets up his first peel.

The peelee goes through to 3y from the bdry, he rushes the escape ball to peg high between 3 and 4, sends it to 5, makes 4 and rushes that escape

ball to near corner II.Then those balls are sent to near 6 and he takes off to and makes 5, being hampered after it. Stephen Howes, Tournament Referee, watches the sweep shot which hits (3y). That ball is sent to 1b and he sets up his second peel at 6/penult. He rushes the peelee into penult in error but takes advantage by peeling it immediately - to level with the peg - running the hoop, hitting the escape ball, putting it to 2b and rushing the peelee to just S of 3. From there he croquets the peelee to N of rover but goes too far with the striker's ball, to the W bdry but not out. His gentle stroke at the pioneer near 1b misses (6 1/2y) to about 8 y away. Malcolm misses the 8y shot to the E bdry. Tim then hits a 21y shot from level with 3 to a ball near rover, puts that ball to 2b and sends the other oppo ball to 7y S of 2b. He takes off but runs into the hoop and retires to the W bdry opposite his other ball at 2b. Malcolm misses the 14y shot at the ball near 2b to the S bdry. Tim hits that ball from 9y, puts it to 2b and rushes the ball at 2b to 6 y S of 1b. He takes off to his hoop, 1b but his hoop shot finishes on the L wire. Malcolm misses the 30y shot from near 2b to his other ball on the E bdry level with 3. Tim shoots with his ball on the 1b wire at Malcolm's balls and misses.

As you must see, this has become a scrappy game and I will stop describing it in detail. Court 2 is about two hours ahead is schedule but court 1 is only on schedule. I have been hoping we will be able to start the games scheduled for 7:00pm a bit before then, but my last game is on Court 1, so I will have a late finish. Robert Fletcher is about to start a game against Rosie Landrebe, so I will describe that when it starts.

Robert wins the toss and goes first. Rosie chooses K and U.
1. R to E bdry 13 y N of IV.
2. U to just S of II.
3. Y from III misses R to IV.
4. K shoots at Y from A baulk. (Why not at U from B baulk?). Misses!
5. Y rushes K to R and appears to gets a cannon. No. But very close. He bombards R as he takes off from K, gets a good rush to 1 and rushes R to 1y N of 1. He makes the hoop with a hoop and roquet, send R to 3 and goes to U in II. He rolls the hoop, putting U to 7y E of II and Y to 4ft position, runs the hoop and rushes U to to level with 3. He is away on a 3 ball break which will become a 4 ball break shortly. Yes.

He takes the break to 4b and leaves a diagonal spread, with U near the W bdry, K at the peg and his balls on the E bdry, 15y N of IV, with a rush for R on Y towards the peg.
6. Rosie lifts K to B baulk and shoots at R from III. Misses to IV.
7. I could, perhaps, just write "Robert finishes with a triple", however I will detail the moves of his turn.
R rushes Y to the E bdry, puts Y to 2 and gets a good rush on U. He rushes it to 4ft in front of 1, makes the hoop, goes past U, roquets it and sends it to 3, going to Y at 2. He makes 2 off Y, sends Y to 4 and makes 3 off U. U is left 4y S of 3 and he takes off to K in IV. He hits K, sends it to 5 and makes 4 off Y. After 4 he rushes Y to 3y N of 4b, puts it in front of 4b going to U, rushes U to 2y S of 4b and takes off to his pioneer, K, at 5. He goes a little short and has to approach 5 from 4y. He gets to 1y straight and makes the hoop, with a rush to E of 4b. He sends K to 1b, rushes Y, the peelee, closer to its hoop, puts it in the jaws and rushes U to 6. He makes 6 with a rush back to the hoop, takes off and rush-peels Y through 4b, croquets Y to 2b going to K at 1b, makes 1b off K, rushes K to a couple of yards from the N bdry, sends it to 3y SE of penult, roquets and croquets U to 3b going to Y at 2b, makes 2b off Y, rushes Y to 2y NE of penult, puts it closer to penult, re-positions K a little and takes off to his pioneer, U, at 3b.
He makes 3b off U, with no forward rush, roquets and croquets U to 3y s of penult! rolling his own ball to near Y. He roquets Y to 2y N of penult and spends some time lining up the peel. This will be a big stroke. The peelee bounces off the E wire to about 3ft ESE of the hoop but he gets a good rush on K to 4b. He has to wait for the other game. He makes 4b of K with a good rush which he takes to send K to just E of Y. He uses K to bombard Y closer to a peeling position, going to U. Then he rushes U just E of Y. K is a couple of yards S of penult and U is sent to about a yard S of penult, but neither is directly on line. He rushes Y to about a foot in front of penult. From here it appears to be straight in front. He lines it up and
peels it to a yard S of rover, going through penult with his own ball. He uses U to get a good rush on K to level with the peelee, Y. He rushes Y to a foot in front of rover, makes the peel with his own ball finishing in the jaws. He completes the hoop, roquets U and gets a good rush on Y to the near the peg. As I wrote, he finished with a triple, 26TP-0.

Good morning on the second day of this competition!

Until a few minutes ago it was overcast but not raining and I expected a dry day. Alas it started raining again and there will be showers and/or drizzle all day. There was overnight rain so the courts are wet but still fast, probably 10 or 11 seconds.

The most interesting game this morning was Trevor Bassett v Rob McAdam. Trevor tpo'd Rob and there was a lot of interplay before Trevor finished.

The Blue block has been won by Robert Fletcher, no surprise. Rosie Landrebe just beat Ken Edwards to come second.
The Red block has Alan Honey and Kevin Beard qualifying regardless of the result of the game in progress between Alan and Alison Sharpe.
The Black block has Peter Landrebe first and Trevor Bassett second. Trevor peeled his opponents ball out in two games but won only one of them.
The Yellow block has Tim O'Leary first and Malcolm Fletcher second.

To sum up there are no surprises. The favourites - lowest world ranked players - have all come through, with the single exception that Alison Sharpe has not qualified and Rosie Landrebe and Alan Honey, higher ranked than her, have.

There is only one game in progress before the draw, Alan v Alison, time almost up. The rain has stopped for now but a heavy overcast remains.

Depending on whether I am playing, I will return to this commentary later.

I just finished a losing (23-26) game against Ken Edwards and there are now three of the four important games on the courts. The four games between the players who came third and fourth in their blocks were first on the courts after the draw and all but one have finished.

The first of the top games went on about an hour ago and I see Peter Landrebe being congratulated by Malcolm Fletcher on Court 2. Tim O'Leary is playing Trevor Bassett on the same court and Trevor just hit a long lift, so I presume that Tim made his first break to 4b. Rosie Landrebe is in play on Court 1 against Alan Honey with all clips still on 1. And Robert Fletcher and Kevin Beard are warming up, also on Court 1. I will describe that game in detail.

It is still completely overcast, with occasional drizzle, but quite warm, probably 23 or 25 degrees. It is also very humid, so it is better to get a bit wet than melt under waterproofs.

Kevin Beard Pink and White.
Robert Fletcher Green and Brown
1.

They have obviously agreed to wait until the other game gets out of the way. Rosie has just made 4 in the first break of the match, all other clips on 1 and she has full control.

1. P supershot to 3y SW of the peg.
2. B to peg high on the E bdry.
3. W shoots at B from III and hits, sending B sideways to the bdry. He waited for Rosie to make 5 before deciding to go for a 3-ball break, but now puts B to 4y NNE of the peg and getting a rush on P to 1. He approaches 1 to 1y and runs the hoop past the peg-high receiver. He croquets P to 3 with a good rush to 2 and has full control. B is sent to 4 and he makes 3 off P. P is sent to 5 and he gets a good rush to 4 with a 21y equal roll. He makes 4 off B and croquets it to 6 going to P at 5. He makes 5 off P and croquets it to a yard ESE of 1b, not getting a good rush on B to 6, so he has to approach from 4 y. He approaches to a yard and runs through to the N bdry, hits B, croquets it to 7y NNE of 2b, makes 1b off P, no forward rush, and croquets P to 3b, rushing B to 3y N of 2b. He makes 2b off B, roquets B to near 5, croquets It to 3y N of 3b, makes 3b off P and sets his leave with P 12 N of IV, B one yard from it towards the peg and W on the W bdry, peg high.
4. G shoots at P from III. Misses to IV.

5. P rushes B to 1 foot S of 2, takes off to get a rush on P to 1 but falls a bit short. He will be lucky to rush it to the S bdry near corner I. After waiting for the double-banking game he rushes it to 3y N of corner I, rolls the hoop and makes it with no forward rush. He croquets W to 4y SW of 3, makes 2 off B, roquets B and croquets it to 4, makes 3 off W and waits for the other game. Rosie is in play, making 4 in her second break. Kevin, playing P, takes off from W to G in IV and waits again. He croquets G to 5, makes 4 off B and waits again as Rpsie has jawsed her peelee in 4b on the way to 1b. Rosie has a 5 y return roquet after 1b and misses. Alan Honey, with both his clips still on 1, has
After 4 Kevin, playing P, rushes B just past the peg, roquets it to 1y SW of 4b, roquets W to. 2y SSW of 4b and takes off to G at 5. He makes 5 off G but gets no forward rush. Then he croquets G to 4y S of 1b, going to W. He roquets W gently and attempts the peel but it bounces off to 1 ft E of the hoop. He rushes B to a yard N of 6, but not directly N, takes off to 2 ft position and runs the hoop, getting a rush on B towards III, which he takes. He then croquets B to 7y NE of 2b getting a 1 ft rush on W to exactly where he wants. He rushes it about 10 inches and sets up for the peel on the way to G, S of 1 b. The peel goes through and he has a 2 ft rush on G to his hoop. He makes 1 b off G and gets a rush to B. He croquets G to 3b and rushes B to 3b. W remains a foot N of 4b. After 2b he has a rush N and sends it to almost on the W bdry, level with penult. He rolls across to get a rush S on W but only sends it to level with penult. He has a thick take-off sending Wcto 3 y E of penult and going to G at 3b. He makes 3b off G and has a 5 y return roquet which he hits. With a long roll he croquets G to 2y S of penult, roquets W to near 4b, croquets it beautifully almost into the jaws of penult and gets the rush on B to 4b. He makes 4b off B, roquets and croquets it to 2y W of the peg, getting right behind W, which he rush-peels by a yard, then croquets it to 3y N of rover, rushes G to a yard in front of penult, makes penult, roquets G and croquets it to 4y N of the S bdry, going to B, roquets B and croquets it to 3y E of rover, getting an excellent rush on W to peeling position. 2 ft N of rover. He waits for the d-b game and spends some time lining up the peel. The peel goes through, followed by the striker's ball and he finishes. Kevin beats Robert 26tp- 0 on the fifth turn. Robert did not take croquet.

I will return to commentary after my next game.

Good Morning on this last day of the tournament!

It is not raining today but is fully overcast with a gentle breeze that keeps the clouds moving. The temperature is 19 degrees and humidity is 90 percent.

Four games are in progress.

In the winners' knockout Kevin Beard is playing Peter Landrebe for a place in the final. Kevin's clips are on 1 and 2. Peter has one clip on 4b and is approaching rover with his other ball. Kevin tells me that Peter has had three attempts at the 4b peel, all without success.

In the top half of the loser's knockout Alan Honey just beat Trevor Bassett 26-0.

The other game in the top half of the loser's knockout is Rosie Landrebe v Tim O'Leary. Tim's clips are on 1 and 4b. Rosie just hit the long lift with her ball for hoop 2. Her other clip is on 4b.

The game in the bottom half of the loser's knockout is Robert Fletcher v Alison Sharpe. Alison's clips are on both still on 1. Robert has the peelee jawsed in penult and he has just made 4b on his second break.

The second game in the loser's knockout will be between the loser of that game (probably Alison) and the loser of the game between Peter Landrebe and Kevin Beard.

Players in the consolation block will have one game today when the current games finish.

We are all wearing the "Dixon Advisory" shirts today to show our support for the sponsor. I fear however, that if it does not become a little warmer I will be covering it with a jacket.

The club has looked after us very well with lunches, cakes, hot finger food and nibbles.

Robert just pegged out against Alison, 26tp-0.

And Peter just stuck in penult with his other ball close. Kevin's balls are 3 y N of rover and in IV. Kevin has lifted the ball in IV to B baulk and is shooting at the ball in penult with his ball for 2. He misses and hits the peg, rebounding to just S of 4. Peter finishes, 26-1.

I expect to start playing soon and will return to commentary later.

Well I'm back here for a quick spell.

Peter beat Kevin to qualify for the final. Rosie beat Tim after Tim missed a 12 y lift. And Robert beat Alison. Everyone is saying how much they like this format, with all loser's getting a second chance in the loser's KO. The rain has returned and the breeze dropped, just as we are about to have a photo of the whole 16 players. Trevor has re-set the hoops on court 1 and Stephen Howes is rigging up a live verbal commentary so spectators are able to listen to my verbal over sets of headphones. That means I'll be unable to comment on line - sorry to all those reading!

I may or may not be back. If, not, goodbye!

I' m back, but not for long. I just managed to lose a game after time when my opponent, Sue Beattie, hit her ball in II from just N of rover (27y). My balls were just S of rover and I needed only that last hoop before pegging out. She made her last six hoops after time.

Meanwhile Kevin Beard beat Robert Fletcher for the second time in two days, 26-0 and Rosie beat Alan Honey 26-17, coming from behind. Robert did not take croquet.

I have now been sat down in the front widow of the clubhouse and I'm testing the microphone which transmits to half a dozen players who hopefully will benefit from what I say.

I found it impossible to type commentary while giving verbal commentary over the microphone. Sorry about that. Kevin nearly finished his triple but was hampered after doing all the peels and missed.

Rosie didn't really get going and eventually Kevin hit a 21y shot and finished.

The rain has returned but is easing and the final will start shortly. The hoops have been checked.

The manager has allowed Peter Landrebe a 5 minute warm-up as he has not played yet today.

The wine tasting has returned and I have acquired a small glass of Pinot Gris to keep me happy while verbally commentating. There are about 50 people present, including Daryl Dixon. The two finalists are being introduced to the crowd now, so I will say goodbye from Cammeray.