11th WCF Golf Croquet World Championship

Ok, we've got to do something to pass the afternoon - I've stumbled across Phillip Drew v Tony Stephens in the Bowl - the consolation knockout event for 1st-round losers from the main event.

Not sure how long I have battery for, but i'm off to the bar when this runs out.

We join the action with Tony leading 7-4, and the score at 3-3

Phillip runs hoop 7 - and it bounces out of hoop 8! Phil leads 4-3

Lots of people didn't continue into the Bowl of Shield - including me - i wanted to watch the Quarters - particularly Chris - and soak in the tactics for my own game, and to get some ideas for coaching.

Phil is probably regretting being in the Bowl now - he dropped a game against Anne Quinn, and is now game down against Tony Stephens. And he has missed seeing some wonderful croquet

And he has just missed hoop 8 with yellow

Red's in front of the hoop also - but Tony runs 8 from miles back

4-4

Red takes good position at the critical 9th hoop

Black clears. Yellow takes good position, but black is staring it down from the short boundary

Blue plays a great shot hiding behind yellow - and red matches him getting between blue and hoop 9!

Black needs to clear...clears yellow to the middle of the south boundary

on lawn 1 somethign exciting is happening: Pete Landrebe is game-all and 3-3 against Egyptian great Mohamed Nasr!

Back to us... Phil clears blue - bit it cannons onto red and moves that away too.

Blue plays back deepish - not deep enough for my liking

Red takes tight position

Black clears it.

Yellow is waiting on the short boundary to sort out blue..

Good shot - yellow is on the south boundary just inside the 4-5 offside marker, Blue is miles away

Blue comes back...

way too far

red plays in deep

black plays in - easy clearance for yellow - which approaches its hoop

Mohamed Nasr is 4-3 up and has just cleared Pete with black in front of 8 - Pete clears black

lots of clearances - noone anywhere near hoop 9 on lawn 2 now

Of 35 fantasy teams I'm going to be in the top 22 - quite a feat for me!

Black plays in deepish, yellow plays in. Blue has a northwards clearance - rushes red into corner 3! - straighter might have given a wire, but you can't argue with distance

Red shoots - misses. Tony has a 4 yarder to take the lead. only slightly angled.

Runs that crucial hoop 9 by 3 yards Tony leads 5-4

Phillip plays yellow up - overhits it a bit - and nearly runs the hoop!

Mohammed Nasr runs hoop 9 to take a 5-4 lead over Pete

Tony plays blue wide and east. Phillip plays red west and overhits it

Black has a huge target here...

Nudges yellow towards the hoop - it hits the leg and gently bounces back - not runnable, but Phillip now well in control

Phillip plays back - doesn't want to leave the billiards champion an in-off

yellow has gone too wide - it's open to black

Blue plays in - red clears it gently

Black plays back - he'll let Phil shoot to tie - crazy?

Phillip bounces out of hoop 10

blue has a clearance to give himself a 3 yard slightly-angled hoop.

Doesn't hit all of it and ends up on the west boundary

Great shot by Phillip clears black and leaves red in front of the hoop.

Black shoots at it's 4-5 yarder - misses!

Yellow will try to block blue? - no - just takes straight position. Blue is a very long away away

Clean contact - misses.

Red runs hoop 10 5-5

Black under approaches

Yellow to good position

Blue goes too far

Red takes good position

Black clears yellow - will phil take on the 11 yarder??

Mohamed Nasr is 6-4 up in teh decider with Pete

Phil plays back in

Blue dribbles in front of red - nicely played shot

Red jumping? - no - clears blue - Phillip now well in control here - that's what you get for not taking position in a match at this level

Black plays back in. Yellow at the hoop...

Runs it well - off the south boundary . Ball girl Robyn Black back into action

Phillip leads 6-4

nope Phillip leads 6-5

Blue is short again!! - unrunnable

Phil has gone too far also

Maybe intentional there

Black takes 2 inch position from up at hoop 11

Phil needs to clear this...

Shoots at blue - looked like he needed to restalk that, as he twitched his feet around a lot. Misses to the north boundary.

Tony now has a clearance on red gettngn up to hoop 13 - this is a huge opportunity

Probably got the wrong side of it really, as it's red that goes behind hoop 3, but he did get distance from that.

Phil can see black - shooting - hope he doesn't rush-peel this!

Hits the left-hand wire of hoop 12 and bounces back to right behind black. This hoop looks difficult

Tony bends over, slight jump 6-6

Yellow is offside.

Looks like black and red, which are very close to hoop 12, can both easily get to hoop 13

Yellow plays up - it's a bit angled, but runnable

Blue goes deep, red's a shocker and unrunnable, black's ok, but yellow can clear taht - I think yellow will take on its hoop though

yup... angled hoo p13..

bounces off.

Lawn 1 is empty - Mohamed Nasr must have won that

Blue to play - might clear red - will probably go for the hoop...

hits the left-hand wire and bounces off to the middle of the south boundary - poor stroke - forced that one a bit

Phil clears black - only adds a couple of yards to the shot.

Another 7 yarder - pretty straight...

Forces it again - misses left this time.

Phil tries to take position with yellow - goes too far!!!

He can't believe it

Blue playing back from the south boundary

doesn't go off the boundary - quite deep though

Red takes position - didn't get up the slope

Black playing up - deep

Yellow takes lovely tight position

Tony might try to jump this

My battery says it has an hour 21 left - I don't believe it!

Tony could see the hoop!!

Fails it again

Red for the hoop - fails it into the front

Tony can try to clear yellow, but huge likelihood of putting yellow through. Jumping...

Good attempt - but fails. Yellow can rush-peel red...

Phil wins game 2 7-6

Might need beer if I'm to watch much more of this

referee "would you like your hoops hammered" ... Phil "yip'

I'd like a beer, and loo break. Back soon.

Back. with information...

Great - my beer just got kicked over. Just great.

The brief taste of it was really nice though

Semi finals tomorrow... kickoff at 11am. Chris Clarke v Hamy Erian, lawn 3, Ahmed El Mahdi v Stephen Mulliner, lawn 2

9am for the losers from the quarter finals - let's see how many of them are keen. Shoukry v Ahmed Nasr, Salah v Reg

Back on lawn 2, with my enthusiasm waning as my beer slowly seeps into the concrete, Phillip leads 4-2

Black was near hoop 7, so Phil plays off the north boudary. Things are getting quite skatey out there now. Another week or sunshine and mowing and we'd be in business!

Black takes position, yellow takes position, blue clears

Red clearing - good shot - nearly gets the in-off - but in the end red is next to the hoop.

Black clears red - hits teh wrong side of it, and black is on the side boundary and red is north of 7

yellow takes position. blue takes position, red clears blue. Black seems to have taken position - yellow runs the hoop 5-2.

I'm out of here - a really fun day today.

Back tomorrwo around 10am