Gidday all.
Live from United croquet club.
Paul has beaten Michael, ian Dumergue has beaten ian burridge, Aiken hakes has beaten Chris shilling, and Jim Nicholls is trying to be the second Australian semi finalist currently at 1-1 against title holder kiwi Greg Bryant. Now for the decider...

Game 3. Greg went around fourth turn, had an NSL

Turn 5. Jim hit from the west side of the lawn, shooting from where it lay at Gregs ball on hoop 4. Round to 4 back as I drove up. Something between a spread and an OSL...Gregs balls wired, jimbo South of the line of hoop 4 with a rush nowhere near the west ball.

Turn 6. Greg lifts his 4bAck ball from near the peg, takes the long lift, and nails Jim's inlawn ball off the south boundary. Leave is white between 1 and 4. Pink (4bck) near hoop 3, and Greg in corner 2 with a rush into corner 3.

7. Jim contemplates the shot to win, then outs white off the boundary just north of corner 4. Crowd surprised at some dourness, but it turns out there have been a few turns this match.

8. Greg rushes off the boundary North of 3, gets a decent rush pointing South, poor rush and has to roll up to hoop 1 from a long way away. Looked an ok shot, but decided against taking on the hoop.

Had a few turns now while I've been catching you up.

Greg has now rushed brown from corner 2 to the boundary a few yards North of hoop 4 right next to pink, and has rushed pink nicely to hoop 1. White is buried in corner 3

Manager was a bit anxious that Greg had runout of smokes, and seemed interested in the commentator driving to Fendalton to get some ... Not a chance! Turns out he has a wee stash anyway, so no dramas.

Runs hoop 1, rushes back to hoop 1, takes off back to the east boundary to get a perfect rush to hoop 2... Great shot.

Roasty nor'west day here...bit of warm wind here, news just some Timary got to 35 deg. Maybe max of 30 here. 6.30pm, warm blustery wind, crowd out of wine, no sausage sizzle today.

Greg still going carefully. Approaching 2 from 5 yards...bit angly, but should be ok, good reception ball...

Runs 2 with really bad wick to end up East of reception ball...got a bit of a smash South to go to that pink left at hoop 1

Rushes brown off west boundary, takes off to pink...misses! ...misses 3yard rush to the north boundary. Now 10 yards apart.
Greg's for three, white in corner 1, pink next to hoop 1.

Jimbo takes the cross-fingers option...shoots at partner in corner 3, now two balls in contact.

Greg has a 10 yarder and two balls in corner 3 and green for hoop 3. ...plays his 4back ball!! Shoots at green to join up on North boundary...don't agree with this.

Hits partner.

Skinley to the rescue!!!...on his way to the shops with the lovely Janet Boutel to get supplies...food and drink is scarce!

Ok, so Greg had put partner to penultimate, is approaching 4b off white (pink still in corner 3).
Approaches well...

Big rejection!!!
Jimbo now has a choice... 9 yarder with pink for a chance to win, 2 yarder with white for the innings. Careful chap :)
Having a leave...

Brown East of hoop 1, green being rushed towards hoop 2, takeoff puts it in NSL position towards west boundary, back to pink.

Liz McLay says "Gregs gone off to another lawn smoking a fag in desperation".
Crash is sounding a little tired and doesn't like the comment about Greg being rough. I've been at work since 8.30, just calling it how I see it.

Aj smelling of arnica...hope he doesn't rub his eyes.

Jim has finally laid up tight in corner 3.

Greg has played brown into corner 4. Jim's rush seems to be pointing west of hoop 1. Thanks to Aj for updates...typing on an iPad is rough

Jim cuts the rush past the peg, to about 18 inches NW of hoop 1. Conditions clearly a bit challenging, so no guarantee he'll go around now

Takes off a bit far and has an angly hoop...looks to be jumping..., nah...smoothly through.

I stopped by fendalton to catch up on the Plate on the way to United this evening. Wee Edmund "pocket" Fordyce was wilting after a very long day in the hot wind. It's a good reminder how much such a long tournament can take out of you.

Jim has played a reasonable croquet stroke after 1, three pioneer a bit short and rushes a couple of yards short of the hoop. Very angly hoop 2...rejected.

Apparently this match started at 11... Giving time for the lawns to get some bite...Brian reports 2hr 45 to go.
Greg therefore has time to finish the latest cig at leisure... Hits his 6 yarder to pick up a break...he's also on hoop three!

Sends pink to near 5 getting a decent rush to 3...approaches it well, but runs it with no wire, so has a northwards rush.

Chris has just arrived and is a little miffed he can't mow. Where's skinley??!

Aj off to get Chris to sign him off as a minus 4.. Well done that man! (He must be using a good mallet...)

Greg has played a nice croquet stroke putting out a good hoop 5 pioneer and getting a straight rush to 4...opts to rush it into corner 4 where his brown ball awaits. Nice shot. He looks a bit more relaxed now.

Had a cannon, plays a non-cannon (playing away from the third ball)..good option...gets perfect rush to hoop 4 and now in perfect control.
Makes 4, hits partner, takes off to corner 4 to pick up pink...average stroke leaving pink closer to the peg than six, but should cope ok.

Nice stop shot has things back under control. As the sky gets darker we will not be seeing any heroic triple peeling.

3b pioneer a bit short but no great dramas...

Great dramas!!...has under approached 3b from about 8 inches to the side...

Stomps through 45 degree hoop very solidly...nice stroke

Skinley is back!!!! Coke, wine and chippies!!

Its a diagonal spread, Jim's 4b ball at the peg.
Still very light here, hours to go.

Aj has just checked out what looks like a monster 2.5 ball target for Jim's hoop 2 ball.

From here it looks like a nice straight line of balls, but the peg is not on that line.
...lining it up...

Re stalks...

Shoots....missed white at the peg, misses green in lawn...smacks the outside of brown...that must have been an ENORMOUS target.
No idea what Michael is whittering about...no other choice of shot on the lawn!

Jimbo will be making hoop 2 off partner, so let's see what he opts for... Greg is, unsurprisingly, having a relaxing cigarette.

Rushes a bit poorly to hoop 2... 5 yard approach...really nice approach, 18incher...hoop is a little generous...gets wick to the right like Greg had ... No rush.

No useful rush, we think he'll put it to four and have a Riggall. Loads of time left yet.

Decent four pioneer, gets close enough to brown near Mid East boundary, green is SW of hoop three . Bit of a nervy smash. Decent croquet stroke getting pivot towards the middle of the lawn and a good rush line to get to three...poor rush...South-East of three...

Takeoff is short...jumping...runs it...by about 10 yards...shame green is still up at three, brown South of hoop 2....takes on a bit of a wimpy dribble at partner near 4...is a good shot. Dunno what he'll be making hoop5 off

Final a hoop 4 from a foot, slightly angled. Solves the conundrum about how to make hoop 5. Doesn't look runnable.
Gregs shooting at partner for the win...

Misses...looked close. Greg now near corner three and at hoop three, Jim looking at hoop 4...

Nope...hoop very easy...cruises through, has a rush North...gets it off East boundary level with hoop 6. Nearly goes off going to brown!

Drat...5% battery!!...must be an alternative if we get in trouble...

Decent six pioneer...rushes pretty well to 5

People likening jimbo's mannerisms to Charles Jones! (Ina very respectful way)

Safely through hoop 5. He'd better get a move along, this ipad turns off at 2%!

4%.

Ok croquet stroke...takes his hoop 6 pioneer...to white out of corner 3!!... Looks a scary option. Nice rush though...he has some solid power.

Liz McLay to the rescue...has a tablet on backup.
?????....chooses to rush partner to corner 1...guess he didn't get a rush to six. Hmm...

Leaves a rush pointing towards hoop six from South of hoop 1... Greg corners from near hoop 2

7.41pm...1hr 52 to go

Rushes well to hoop 6...sticks

Greg considering shooting with his peg ball from corner 4 at partner near the east boundary level with six....

Nope...brown down to join up with green...for the match...

Don't like that...AJ interested in this shooting form with a semi against the winner tmrw...misses. Kept his head down well, but hit it the wrong direction

Him runs six from the jaws...doesn't get a rush to 1 back!

Rushes pink 10 y south of 1back...takes off short..nice shot hitting the balls in corner four from about 6 yards...those are sweaty ones.

Playing the cannon...yuk. I fancy a dolly rush to 1back.

It's awful...rushes brown a yard North of hoop three...hate the idea of a corner cannon from corner four to 1 back!

Nope...he'd put the croquettes ball North of three, rolls green South of 2b from just north of corner 4, and it'll be another leave. He's relying on a bit of missing from one of the best shots around.

Back to partner near diagonal spread position on west boundary leaving a rush to nowhere. Win on patience, but Greg doesn't miss all day.

Greg corners from near 1 to c4

Him plays his 4b ball, takes off to brown...good approach to 4b...through

Rushes back to near eb level with 4...this'll be a leave...giving a lift...aj wondering where green will go

Rolls green to 5 feet North of five...yuk. Lagging back to partner. ...nope planning to smash off...wonder what sort of target Greg might have....

Crash wants white in c4. Ian b wants c2

Jim still live on pink... Boys want him to hit it... Nope...white to c4.

Rain!! Heavy rain...liz mclay curse...she was just saying how still it is.

Greg has lifted brown... Must be shooting at green...

Lightning?shooting at green into c3

Chris delaying mowing till morning now...

Playing at pace to rush a good shot to 4back...hits...rushes North of 6

Tight on boundary level with hoop three. Bout 90 mins to go. Rain lessening a bit.

Jim c4 and mid west boundary...in a bit of strife unless he hits...

Ian wants pink at gregs balls, Chris wants pink at White in c4

Fires at Greg, misses, hits hoop three, wicks off into corner three...Greg has an easy pick-off...should be all over now

4 harder for the match...

Smacks it.

Green is a bit tight...

Flirts with the boundary...ok penultimate ball, good cut to 4 b

Approaching from five feet Se...

Bit angly...

Nicely through 4b. As a recap...Greg penultimate (in play) and peg, jimbo 1b and penultimate.

Won't get a rover pioneer, but good rush to penultimate...over hits it a bit...mother sidey approach...

Very nice croquet stroke, but falls back a bit...looks easy...

Makes sure of it. Now just needs to arrange a rush on partner to rover

Greg now looking slightly dishevelled as he rushes well to rover...
lol

Decent approach...

Through with a rush North...

Has a three yard peg out...

It's all over...Greg v aj in one semi, Ian d v skinley in the other.

G'night all :)