Howdy folks, just got back from lunch and the other 4 pairs in round one of the main knockout are in play.

Robert Fletcher is playing Mike Hughes on lawn 1. Robert is on 3Back with Blue and approaching 2 with Black (having failed 3 back earlier)

Mike is on 1 with Red and 4 with Yellow

The other game on lawn 1 is Ted Salter (block winner from yesterday) & Greg Fletcher. Greg is on 1 with Green and break with Brown (he's just run 6), and Ted is still on 1 and 1.

Over on lawn 2 we have Peter Landrebe (block winner from yesterday), who is playing Pink and White and is on 4 back with Pink, and 3 with White. Just mucked up his rush to 3 from EB level with H4. Croquets Pink to in front of 4Back and gets a 2y rush on brown in the middle of the lawn.

Reasonable rush, should be fine. Alison, Peter's opponent, seems to still be on 1 and 1 with Green and Brown

White runs h3 by 6 yards and hits brown on the way back, scattering pink near the hoop, gets behind pink and rushes it to peg, now loading 5 going to Green at 4. has left Brown up at 4back as an escape ball for his peel coming soon...

The crowd has just flinched in unison as Greg Fletcher hammers through 2 Back into a steel box on the boundary. Both ball and box survived.

The other game on lawn 2 is Jim Nicholls (Red on 3, yellow on 4back), versus Josh Wilson (Blue on 4Back, Black on 2). Jim has hit with Red and is just setting the lawn up for a break.

Jim's yellow is sitting on the EB just south of 4. he has loaded Black to 6y west of Peg, and rushed Blue to 3. He had the chance to load black to 4, but is playing conservative... We'll see if it pays off.

Jim makes 3 with a rush West. Peter and a collection of balls are in the way so will be delayed for a bit

Lawn 1, Robert Fletcher has done the 1st peel of his Quad and is lining up for the second while aiming to get a rush to 1back (or hoop 7, for those of you who can count past 6).

Just places Blue in front of 10 (4back) and looks like he will be peeling on the way to 8 instead.

Meanwhile... Greg Fletcher has made his 1st 9, setting a NSL. Ted Salter picks up the ball at 4, and plays down the EB, hits. He's hitting well this tournament so far. Also, he has been one of the best demenoured players this comp - i.e. even if something goes wrong it looks like he meant it, and it doesn't matter. He has usually proved this in action.

Robert lining up for his 2nd peel of the Quadruple. He has left oppo nearby so will be playing 2 long rushes by the looks of things - one to hoop 8 now, then down to hoop 9 later.

Robert makes 8 successfully and has a rush back up to 10.

Ted Salter has successfully loaded 2 and now plays a good rush to 1. Lawns are speeding up with the late arrival of the sun, and the rush goes near SB. long approach. Plays it as a roll and over approaches. Wife (Susan) swears on the sideline.

Thankfully for him, it was with partner ball, so guards the EB (there's a ball at 4) and Greg Fletcher has nothing under 14 yards to hit. Shooting with Green (his h1 ball) from 2 to the ball near the boundary. Misses to C1

Thankfully for him, it was with partner ball, so guards the EB (there's a ball at 4) and Greg Fletcher has nothing under 14 yards to hit. Shooting with Green (his h1 ball) from 2 to the ball near the boundary. Misses to C1

Lawn 2, Peter seems to have given up on the tp and is just going to the peg.

Lawn 2, Jim Nicholls is in play with Red and has is approaching 9 (3back...)

Lawn 1. Robert has completed 2 peels but has just snuck through 9 with Black. Red (receiver) looks like 4y dead in front. hitting through the hoops. Blue and Yellow are together up by penult if he does. Does. Black goes off n.boundary. So, Mike Hughes is back in (who is thrilled to be playing Robert, having never done so before) has a ball at his H4 and all the others up lawn to work with. oh, and a lift.

Lawn 2. Peter is setting a kind of reverse spread, with Pink on EB (1y north of peg), and white 1 yard north. Brown is just NW of peg, and Green about 8y East of it - slightly south.

Lawn 1. Ted Salter sticks in 2 with Greg's h1 ball on the other side. Greg taps Ted's white, takes off to pink at 3, and gets a rush to peg-high in line with 3 and 4. Takes off to Brown at 4, getting a rush to 1.

Over on Lawn 2. Alison Sharpe has just hit Peter's leave - playing Green up the WB. State of play there is Green + Brown on 1. White on 10 (4back) and Pink on Peg.

Mike Hughes sticks in H6. Robert has a choice of a 6y with blue (for Penult) or a 7.5 with Black (for 4back).

Takes the 6y with Blue at Mike's H6 receiver ball and hits. Will go to the peg and set up.

Greg Fletcher makes h1 by about 9 yards and misses the return roquet. Ted shooting from 2 with white (his h2 ball) at Pink over near EB. Hits. Will take off to green on SB SW of 1.

Lawn 2. Alison v. Peter. Alison has failed h2, and Peter hits it with Pink (his h10 ball). Should finish from here as there as Alison had a ball at 3 waiting.

Pity. I would have preferred to play Alison - having never done so before and having always lost to Peter until today...

Also on lawn 2. Jim has just stuck in rover with red (Yellow still on 10), and Josh has hit. Not sure if it's his H2 or H10 ball though.

Lawn 1. Robert is setting a leave. Mike's balls are crosswired through 10 (Robert's Black's hoop) and Robert has made rover an is now set up in C1 with a rush. Good luck Mike!

Mike's luck (and skill) was good. He played yellow (his H6 ball) and hit the back ball in C1. Fun fun :)

Lawn 2. Josh did hit with the h2 ball, has made h2 and rushed back down lawn to try and use Jim's - one of which (red) is still in the jaws of rover, and yellow is 5y south.

Lawn 1. Mike Hughes has loaded h7 and has a good rush on his partner ball from 3 to his hoop (6)

Good rush went bad. Nicked it and has his thinking cap on (metaphorically speaking)

Otherwise he's bear-headed and probably getting unexpectedly sunburnt.

Fun and games on 2. Josh roquetted yellow (which was 5y south of rover) and tried to bombard red out of rover to get a rush on it to 3. Didn't work. Rushed it to peg and has rolled in to 3. Has 5yard straight position, red (Jim's balls) is a 6y receiver. Thinking. A lot.

Mike has set himself up halfway between 3 and EB with a rush to 6. Robert's peg ball is at 1back and wired from at least one of them.

Shoots with Black from H1 at Mike and misses to C3. Mike rushes to 6 and is back in business.

Lawn 2 - not sure what Josh Wilson did but it seems to have been unsuccessful. Jim is in. Making rover with Red and setting a leave for Yellow (for h10).

Peter Landrebe has beaten Alison Sharpe 26-1.

So, Peter proceeds in the main draw to play your friendly commentator, while Alison battles it out with Alan Honey in the 2ndary knockout. The winner of that game has a chance to proceed and potentially win the tournament, while the loser is out.

Lawn 1. Mike's luck just isn't in. He blobs h7 with Roberts h10 ball 1 yard out the side. Has a half ball target and wallaps it to NB. Should finish from here.

Lawn 1. Ted Salter is approaching h9 (3back) and will be setting a leave. Greg Fletcher's brown (for h10) just off the leg of 4, Green (for h2) 6y SSW of 2.

My mistake - Robert his with the peg ball. Setting another leave. Yellow (for h7) 3y NE of 3, Red (for h1) 8y SSE of 2. Blue and black on SB near C4 with a rush to Red.

Greg Fletcher lifts his h2 ball and fires from Abalk at brown at h4. hits. croquets brown to 10 back planning for a peel and goes to Ted's balls on the boundary.

Mike Hughes just informed me that Red was wired from both of Robert's balls on SB. Strolls casually across to the ball at 3 (yellow, for h7) and hits Black on SB. Easy isn't it when you've got nothing to loose.

Lawn 2. Time may well have gone in the remaining game (Josh Wilson v. Jim Nicholls). Red has been pegged off (by Jim, it's owner) and Yellow is for h10. Jock is for 10 and 6? playing the ? ball anyway and seems to be rolling from WB level with 2 in the 6 direction.

Lovely. Gets good position at 6 and receiver is 1y of the NBoundary. partner is just off WB by h7. Runs 6 nicely. Good chance for a break now.

Greg Fletcher has run h2, croquetted oppo to 4. and is approaching 3 where oppo and peelee await. On-time TP on the cards.

Mike is still going on Lawn 1. Approaching h8. runs it. Tally-Ho!

Greg doesn't get the 1st peel but seems to have left Brown 1in in front (or thereabout) and has a rush down lawn to continue break.

Josh is still going on Lawn 2. He has just played a magnificent split from h2ish, loading 9 going to ball on the WE next to 8. Gets a rush behind it in towards the hoop.

If time has indeed gone in that game, Josh needs to peg out his striker's ball to level, and Peg out striker and peel h10 to be 1 ahead. There are only 3 balls on the lawn and I've no idea whether Jim has another turn. Another close game.

Mike has made h9 but was hampered. misses. Robert now definitely playing the h10 ball. Should finish... again.

Robert has been playing well this comp, but has made a few uncharacteristic errors. Lawn speed has been difficult to guage and variable depending on the time of day, cloud cover, moisture at night. And they were cut both yesterday morning and this morning. It is the beginning of the 2nd half of the season for him so might take a few games to get in tune.

Josh has stopped. don't know where or how, but Jim has just rolled in to h10. Thumps at it and goes through to the boarder.

Robert fails h10 with partner ball receiving. Looks annoyed. Crowd groans. Mike comes out grinning like the cheshire cat (although he does have a minimum of a 10y roquet to hit.

Plays Red (for h10) which was west of penult at the ball in front of the hoop and misses. He must have been put off by the fact that the required roquet was less that 28 yards.

Robert has a 2in angled hoop (30 degrees). Runs it nicely and picks of Mike near C3. Pretend nothing happened.

Hoops being used are the Atkins Quadways, and although the ground is not ultra firm (although not really soft by any means), they're holding up well. Hoop and roquet situations possibilities abound, although very few players have been playing for them, even when then rush too close to a hoop.

Jim has beaten Josh, to join Peter, Callum, Kevin, Nick, and Trevor in the next round. 2 games still going. Robert Fletcher and Mike Hughes (Robert on his 3rd or 4th finishing turn) and Greg still trying to get his 1st peel. Greg has just run 6 with oppo receiver (white), he has pink waiting at h7, and brown 2in in front of h10.

Greg rushpeels brown, so 1 down, 2 to go. Robert is pegging out. Successfully. Robert beats Mike Hughes 26-9. Judges might deduct points for length of time taken, but since some of that was Mike's doing, we won't be too harsh.

The first of the 2ndary knockout games has started over on lawn 2. Alison Sharpe v. Alan Honey. Alan has been playing well (especially with his roquets and 4ball break play). Haven't seen Alison too much, but seems to have been playing well, including a TP early yesterday in tricky conditions.

So, even through 1 game still remains to finish, it has basically taken 5hr to play the first 2 rounds. 4 rounds to go today. Glad we have lights. The food/drink/catering and general service by the club members here is excellent. Well done Cammeray once again.

I'll keep updating on Greg Fletcher v. Ted Salter, but won't get onto the other games just beginning yet (all 1st round losers playing off in the 2ndary knockout). A break and coke and dark timtams call loudly. back soon.

Greg lining up for a straight double peel (from 3in dead in front). Receivers are 1ft W of penult, and 2y E of peg. Croquets peelee down to 4y north of rover, and striker stops in jaws. taps through and proceeds.

Josh Wilson is using the windows as an easy access entrance and exit. Shortest route, I like it. Michael Strickland (club president) seems to be about to follow but thinks better of it. Decides he doesn't want to come inside.

Greg Fletcher peeling rover from 4ft.

Peelee jawses (1/4 way through) and striker is 15in back. jumps through but knocks brown back towards peg a ball width. Has both receivers close so might be a bombard peel or a rush peel and bombard pegout, or a set up, or... whatever.

Setup. Crosspeg with Ted's pink and white. 10 or 11y apart and open. Greg lays up in C4 with rover ball (brown) and Green is 4y north. Ted picks up pink (by the peg) and will shoot at one of Greg's from Abalk. He's been a reliable roquet so far this tournament so I won't bet against him.

Ted shoots at the C4 ball and misses on the corner side. Should be a reasonably easy finish for Greg.

Greg Fletcher pegs out just after time goes, to finish round 2 of play (i.e. to complete the first round of the main knockout) to beat Ted Salter 26-9, an exact reversal of their block game yesterday.

I'll have a rest for a bit. Stay tuned for more action after the break.

Hello.

Update on 1st round losers' games.
Lawn 2. Alan Honey v. Alison Sharpe. Alan is playing Red and Yellow. Red for 5, Yellow for 1. Blue on 10, Black on 6. Blue has just hit in.

Lawn 2. Rosie Landrebe, v. Josh Wilson. Josh (White and Pink) is on 8 with White and 1 with Pink. Rosie is on 3 with Green and has just failed 2 with Brown. Josh has a 12y roquet to get in with white.

Lawn 1. Anne Quinn v. Mike Hughes. Anne is for 1 with Blue, and has just run 7 with Black. All the balls are basically in the middle. Good rushes required to continue. Mike has made 9 with Yellow but is still to get of the mark with red.

Lawn 1. Claire Bassett v. Ted Salter. Ted has made 9 with White, and is on 1 with pink. Claire (Green and Brown) is on 1 with both balls and has just missed the lift with brown.

Lawn 2: Josh seems to have hit and has approached h8 with White. H9 is loaded. Will he set up after 9 or go further...?

Also lawn 2. there has been some interaction and Alison has just joined up in C4. still for 6 and 10. Alan Honey still for 1 and 5. That ball may be delayed a bit since a ball seems to have banished into the hedge.

Ball found. Alan is shooting with yellow from the peg towards Alison's 2 balls in C4. misses. His red is on NB behind 3

Very slow games today. only 2 of the first 8 games completed went under 2hr or so. and then only just. No tps yet. Lots of 2s out of 3 or 4, but no completed. Tight hoops, flat but slightly bobbly lawns, and speeding up.

Lawn 2. Josh has made the rest of his 9 and seems to be setting a leave. Diagonal spread, although rather a flat one. Lawn 1, Anne Quinn has also set a leave (she's been doing them well this comp). However, Mike has another long roquet and hits it. Length seems to help. Hits with his h1 ball (red), yellow is on 10).

Presentation taking place in the clubhouse behind me for the kitchen ladies. Well deserved - let's hope those big pots of flowers survive the heat. 25 or so spectators an out players applaud. Even some non out-players who don't realise they're in are leaning through the windows...

Ted Salter is still ahead of Claire Bassett (on 1 and 1), and is just approaching h3. no partner ball there to peel, but it's down with oppo near 4 so still chances to do so if he wants to.

Over on 2. There has been so much interaction with so little result that I haven't bothered trying to keep up with it. However, Alison Sharpe has made at least 1 hoop since last update.

So, bac, to lawn 1. Mike has made a lovely h2, and has all 4 balls in lawn for a break. Ted is approaching 4. Slightly overhit it, and now has an 8in 30degree hoop. gets 61/62nds of the way through.

I.e. it's end of turn. Thankfully if you are an oppo, this game is not like football where you get points for being "close enough"

Claire roquets the ball in 4, doesn't really move it, and takes off leaving pink in the hoop. Rushes white towards C4 and will be loading 2 going to Green which is 5y S of 5, getting a rush to 1. Plays it well.

Claire fails h1. with her partner as receiver. She is responsible for the position of Ted's pink in h4 so he has a wiring lift if he so choses. Doesn't (no idea why) and is playing the white from h2 to the receiver ball of Claire's at 1. misses.

Claire can make the hoop if she so choses, but seems to be shooting with receiver at the jawsed ball. Ball in hoop moves but wasn't hit by the ball. Ted still doesn't realise he's got a wiring lift and is shooting with white (for h10) at Green by h1. Hits. Now what? Brown is in jaws of h1, pink in h4. Gren on WB peghigh.

Still no progress whatsoever on lawn 2. Players are obviously pushing for a 2a.m. finish.

Lawn 1, Mike still in control and has just made h5. his partner (yellow) has made 9. Ted has rushed Brown out of the jaws of 1 to SB. Croquets it to 8y south of h3, going to pink which is in the middle of of h4. Ends up 2y directly on the side. Shooting.. Hits it through 1y.

That takes the wiring lift which Ted didn't want away. Sets up on SB with a rush towards 6ish. Looks wired from Brown wish is south of 3.

Lawn 2. Alison makes a hoop! and another! (both with the h7 ball. She has now loaded 10 going to 9. Rosie and Josh are still grappling with trying to hit/ setting up a break. So far, equally unsuccessfully on all accounts.

Alison just saves a split shot by staying in an inch or so when going to a ball on WB. Carries on as if nothing happened. Admirable demenour.

Mike Hughes is still going - but not for long. Blobs 4back. Anne Quinn was his opponent but I haven't seen her for so long that she might have left. No, there she is, must have been napping in the shade.

Ted Salter misses a 2y roquet with pink (for h5) and goes out 4ft from Claire's Green West of 4. All balls in lawn so should be able to get to hoop 1 out of this.

Claire runs hoop 1 convincingly. Now has an 8y return roquet, which she hits. H2 load is 2ft N of 2, and she's a bit hampered by H1, so takes off to pink E of 4, and gets a rush towards C3.

Lawn 2. Alison has made it to the peg with black (blue has made 9) and leaves Alan Honey open at the pet with a 9y shot. Spreads her balls out near C2 and C4. Alan hits, with the ball at the peg (red - for h5), takes off behind the ball in C2, rushes it to the peg and takes off to 5. Perfect - runs it and has a longish rush to 6. Approaching 6 from 4ySE.

Ani reeders ov da commmentary hoo hafe problemms wif mI spealing, kan goo gump inn an lagooon. Pheel fre 2 flie akross heer + doo 't urself.

Same, goes for punctuation/#

Josh Wilson is in on Lawn 2... again. approaching h1. Good approach. He's on the peg with white, and Rosie Landrebe is still on 2 & 3.

Alan Honey made it through 6, but seems to have decided not to continue. Or couldn't. is laid up in C1. Alison now in C3 with Black and 2y up from C4 with Blue.

Josh hammers pink at h1.

The hoop hammers pink back at Josh. Hoop 1, Josh nil.

Alan Honey makes h1 with yellow. Hampered but hits. Rolling in to h2 from 18y. Good length with both balls, but on the wrong sides. Ah dear.....

That's enough of that Lawn 2 nonsense. Back on Lawn 1, Claire Bassett is still in and is heading to 4, under control.

Mike Hughes is back in and approaching h10 (4 back) and seems to have perfect peeling position for a straight peel with no escape balls. What does it matter? penults is loaded 6y north.

Pees the hop by 5ft, and striker comes through 3in. Who knew that could happen? hits anyway and proceeds.

Fails penult. puts both clips on top. Maybe he wants another go? corrected by spectators.

Claire Bassett approaching 6. All under control.

Anne Quinn is just n. of peg with Blue (for h2) and hits the 5yarder at Mikes' receiver at penult. Looks like she's putting that at h3 and going to try and d something with the ball on the leg of penult. Not easy but could rush it straight across to 3.5y S of 2. Back is 5y north of 1.

hits it into the leg and ends up 6y almost directly east of 2. Looks like she's planning to roll in.

Alan Honey is in on Lawn 2. He's just run 8, getting a rush towards the ball on EB just south of 4. pulls up short, but does a split and gets a rush on it back to the hoop. Balls aren't in an ideal spot for a leave, but we'll see what he comes up with.
Rosie is in again, and has made 3, and possibly 4 with Green. Looks like it will still be a while before I get to play again.

Anne Quinn fails h2. Long angles hoop (with partner ball as receiver - she ended up rolling down towards 1 and swapping yellow with black), and Mike has long shots everywhere to get in. From the current stats, odds are 5-1 he will hit since he's taking the longest one (red at h3 to yellow 5y north of 1)

Hits.

Takes off to Anne's balls at 2. He's on penult with both, so he's got good chances of making 2 hoops and doing a leave.

Lawn 2 (sigh), Alan Honey fails h3 with partner and escape ball on the other side. Escape ball is Blue, which is Alison's 4back ball. Should be end of game (black is on the peg).
Rosie was in, but just croqueted out while setting her leave. Josh has a 1yer in the middle of the lawn with his h1 ball, and another ball nearby. Can he make 1 this time?

Lawn 1. Claire sets a leave, Ted takes a lift with his h5 ball, misses the ball in the middle to near C3. Claire has a 2y rush up the EB with Brown (for h1)

Mike has made the last 2 with red (yellow is still on penult) and is setting up on EB. Anne is 6yNNW of 2 with Blue, and 5yS of 1 with Black. Ted has a rush to the peg, and Anne plays Blue towards Black.

Mishits and misses.

Great shot from Claire. Peels 4back from 5y doing a pass roll to pink in C3. Still live on white 2ySouth of peg.

Loads 2 beautifully but goes to far with striker. Takeoff or roll to h1 required.

Lawn 2. Alison Sharpe finishes, beating Alan Honey 26-11 I think.

I can play. Bye!