Firstly please ignore the format of the event, I haven't figured out how to do it properly. I only created it tosatisfy the demand of the masses (all three of them) and do a bit of commentary.

Hopgood is game up against Wilkinson, Kibble is game up against Death, Mulliner is game up against me.

I'm on lawn six so haven't bothered to get as far as lawn three to see how Beast is doing, but he seems to have been on the lawn a lot.

Stephen and I successfully negotiated a late start despite the fact there aren't any floodlights here. All matches in the men's are best of five from now on.

Best entertainment of the day so far is probably Stephen going to four back against me with a tidy NSL. I managed to get going off the contact but sadly my tpo came to grief with one peel done. Stephen finished with a straight double.

Stephen hasn't been so generous in the second game, after hitting his duffer he went to one back with a spread laid for the one back ball. I lifted to end of a baulk and missed the ball by the peg. Stephen is now about to have his second leave.

It was a B spread, ball at the peg completely open, four yard join on the opposite boundary. I missed the ball by the peg from as they lay. Stephen has under-hit his croquet stroke to the ball by the peg but plays a decent cut rush and this should be 2-0.

Sorry about the delay. Not sure if this is due to patchy wifi or the site.

Anyway Stephen has his standard tp fully under control, just peeled penultimate.

On lawn seven in front of me Hopgood as gone to four back leaving Robert in contact in IV, partner in or near II, but missed III two yards to the south on his final shot. Rob's Rush jumped a bit so he just had a leave. James missed him in IV but Rob was only able to lay up near hoop one. James hits both balls from II - this is his hoop one ball so chance for a standard tp.

In my game SM seems to have badly mis approached two back. It must be close to unrunnable otherwise he would have played it by now. He runs away E boundary giving me a five yard lift shot. Hopefully I will be gone some time..

Well, my first turn didn't last as long as I'd hoped, as I ended up mis approaching hoop one. Had a thrash and luckily finished two inches straight in front. Stephen missed partner, I went round peeling him through rover and pegging him out, but sadly put a ball off doing the leave so Stephen had an easy finish for 2-0.

In game three Stephen clipped my duffer and set a DL. I shot at the western ball from the end of b baulk and it came off the edge of my mallet, finishing in corner I. Stephen failed to get a rush to one, and his defensive approach from the corner was short but he ran a good hoop and is going round.

Hopgood is 2-0 up against Wilko and I think Maugham is 2-0 up against Murray. Kibble Death is still in game two - Death has just had a fairly speculative Sextuple attempt, including trying to peel two back with an in lawn cannon, he has finished the turn rover and peg. Kibble has just started the contact turn.

I'm not being sexist by ignoring the ladies, it's just I'm not near any of their lawns. Will ask them for results when I can.

Kibble has played a couple of good shots to get going with his hoop two ball. His partner is for two back, it's heading over there now but there is a lot of work to do. He looks up for it though.

SM is having another spread stopping at one back.

Hopgood hits fourth turn against Wilko.

Kibble has a long backward take off to hoop three, copes. His hoop four pioneer isn't really deep enough to peel to though.

I've missed the same shot as in game two, but a yard to the other side. Getting closer...

Kibble has defied me by doing the peel going to four, just.

Stephen makes one back with all the balls. Hopgood has rolled off hoop one from hoop five. Kibble is making five with peeled lurking near three back.

*peelee

SM will be having another spread. Could be facing my last shot of the tournament.

Correction - Maugham was only 1-0 up. Apparently there was a long hiatus before the start of their game while they tried to find a hoop hammer. The chances of anyone jamming in a hoop this tournament are zero.

Hopgood comes off the lawn having made his hoop. He has had quite a defensive leave as well.

I took the long shot, even though it was a long long shot, on the basis of my general shooting standard and Stephen having made a couple of errors in the match. It only just missed so he now has a chance for a winning break. He is short approaching hoop one and has a press up, smoothly through. It will probably have to be a delayed tp. No it won't - he's missed his four yarder.

I hit my five yarder but failed to get a rush on the other ball so had a leave. He cornered, I made hoop one but then left myself a Hogan roll which I found impossible on these lawns and missed the resulting eight yarder. He joine up, I missed, he went off the lawn next to my ball, I misapproached hoop two and failed to scatter him far enough away. End result is he is now on a standard tp.

Kibble got his Quin down to a straight rover peel from a couple of feet straight. He seemed to play a cross between a stop shot and Irish peel which left strikers ball unrunnable. He tried anyway, with a sideways swipe - James thinks he may be the first person to attempt to run rover while standing facing northeast. This failed letting James finish for 1-1. James has the first opportunity at the start of game three.

Hopgood is one and four back and has the innings with his backward ball, work to do to get a break.

As the standard of my match drifts from woeful towards appalling, Stephen somehow failed to get the four back peel at here so is now doing it going to six. Peel fails but may be rushable later. I could lose this 3-0 with no letters in the match, and if so it would be deserved - depressing thought.

Hopgood has done well to dig out what looks like it should be a standard tp for the match.

Stephen's peelee wasn't anywhere near the jaws so he came north of it looking to peel to one back. However he didn't get it, and has just missed a two yarder.

Hopgood finished his standard triple to take the match 3-0.

Amusingly, the best way for me to start my last turn was to immediately run my hoop. This shortened my hit in, however after playing e first croquet stroke of the turn I was left with a five yarder which was rather disappointing. However I hit it and went to one back, failing to cross peg oppo. I therefore decided to rush to one back and continue to four back. Despite missing corner I when making the leave Stephen didn't get going, I missed a long shot with my hoop one ball which has tempted him into trying to finish from one back and four back. Looks like he will be peeling four back going to three back.

No, Stephen has McCulloughed partner to three back, I think because his intended three back pioneer/escape ball is due north of four back. He has played a good approach to two back and makes it - this should just be a break to the peg now, can he lengthen the shot for my hoop one ball?

In the Women's, which is being played as a block, Louise Bradforth has just beaten Sarah Melvin +26 to get to 3/4 and Gabrielle Higgins is on 4/4. They have played each other. I understand there will be at least a final, tomorrow, possibly semis if needed.

Mark Ormerod has just hit fourth turn against Wilkinson in a Du Pre game.

Death seems to be well ahead the third game against Kibble but Mr K is in play at the moment and has a break.

We think Alison Girdlestone has just beaten Beatrice McGlen. Her handicap seems to come down every tournament she plays. Apparently she nearly beat Jimbo last night in an early Du Pre game. Jimbo reports he "didn't do anything too outrageous" - apparently a three ball quad attempt doesn't fall into that category.

Stephen seems to be having a tidy spread. I'll be lifting my hoop one ball from the west side of the lawn and taking the short shot I think.

Nope - never really got close. It should be all over.

Not the best rush to four back, gets a four foot straight hoop.

Easy - very hard to fail these, even with an indifferent stroke.

Which that wasn't, for the record.

Kibble has gone to one back and laid a spread with the rush being for the hoop one ball. Death misses into II from I - it was a reverse spread.

Sorry to anyone who might have thought I was back on the lawn snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Actually I was just claiming my loser's beer. Stephen wins +21, +13, +17.

Death pegs out to go 2-1 up. He must have been getting a bit sweaty about his Mac place when Kibble was lining up that rover peel!

I'm going to sign off now to go and play MM in the Du Pre.