Greetings Grapple Fans!

...as wrestling commentator Kent Walton used to say. We're back in Sunny Bowdon for Day 2 of the Solomon. The weather has turned unexpectedly tropical, and exotic wildlife now surround the lawns. The players are in their summer gear, and club members in grass skirts are serving cocktails from the clubhouse.

Nah, it's still bucketing down.

After yesterday's doubles, we're all singles again. So it's every man for himself. Just like in life, ultimately.

The four lawns are single banked, with Soo v Wicks on lawn 1, Walters v Hurst on 2, Ormerod v Lawrence on 3, Mulliner v Rothman on 4.

As I arrived (late, sorry), Soo was in play. He stopped at 3b with blue while I was setting up. Don't know how, but Wixy went all the way round to H4. Soo has just missed an easy roquet and Wicks is back i..

No he's not

He dribbled at his partner, which was pioneer for H6, missed it and fell through the hoop, and has joined midlawn.

Soo (black) and Wicks (red) are for 1, with yellow on 1b and blue on 3b

Wicksy is back in, approaching 1b from the boundary. He's overhit and has an unrunnable hoop.

Black is on the east boundary level with rover. Yellow long in front of 1b, red behind 1b and blue a bit south of the peg on the 1b-2b line. Soo shoots with blue, missed the red and hits the yellow.

Soo rushes to black on the east boundary, and he's through 3b.

Elsewhere, there are Brits everywhere. Walters is having a diagonal spread on 2, Mulliner is a game up and digging out balls to rush to H3, Ormerod is having a stop approach to 1 with his other clip on 3b.

I take no responsibility for facts today. I can't tell which player is which. Except Wixy.

Wicks doesn't appear to own any waterproof trousers. He's in shorts and a black waterproof jacket.

David Walters has just shot his smiley grin at us here in the commentator's booth. He says 'This is my happy face'. I don't think many are enjoying the weather.

Soo has left a rush from H4 to corner 2, and Wicks has shot into corner 4. Soo puts the leave back, and Wicks repeats. This time, Soo leaves him, takes the rush to yellow, rushes to H1 and has something respectably promising.

Walters had an OSL against Hurst, who's lifted and middled the shot. Clip off 1 and he's splashing round on a three ball break.

Ormerod had stopped at 2 with the backward ball. Now he's started again. Mulliner's having a diagonal spread.

As the weather worsened yesterday, Ormerod told me the pace of the lawn hadn't slowed as much as you'd expect. Dunno about this morning. Apparently, it was cut first thing before the rain started at 8.30

Hurst needs a good split to get behind his H4 pioneer. It's behind the hoop and near the corner. He gets it, runs the hoop, but his mallet's in the air. Colin Irwin has just arrived with six bottles of red win for the bar, and he hands them over to Walters while he goes to referee.

No problem for Hurst, with what looked a harder shot than he made it appear. Looks like he'll have a clip on the side of a hoop soon.

Soo is approaching 5 with a peelee and an escape ball somewhere around 4b

Mulliner has left an oppo ball behind at 4b, while he approaches 4 off partner. This could be match over.

Soo has broken down at 6. Wicks has a midlength shot and misses

(sorry if that's vague - a lot to see here)

Soo takes a 10 yard rush and is back in.

He's shuffling some balls around, and stuffing oppo into the lawn so he can lay up.

Oh, hello. What's this? Hurst has walked off Lawn 2 and come back to the clubhouse holding his yellow ball. I assume he's still midbreak, so don't know what the delay is.

A puddle in front of 2b, my runner tells me.

Soo left Wixy a long 1b, laying up in corner 1. Wicks carves at the hoop and fails it. Soo now progressing.

The guy in the white trousers on lawn 3 (probably Ormerod) has failed 3b. The guy in blue trousers (probably Lawrence) is now in.

Lawrence - 1 Red, 4 Yellow
Ormerod - 3b Blue 3b Black

Arguably that's a worse clippage than 1 & 1.

Samir reports that Lawn 4 is now unplayable. Mulliner continues anyway, brave soldier that he is. He refuses to put down his triple, despite the fact that the affected area is between penult and the peg. Straight penult peel done, and he rushes peelee to rover from peg-high

A very angled straight rover peel, which he jawses. He jumps it with no boundary ball.

He rushes oppo's red to yellow (near the peg). He's stopping red over towards 2, He's put partner's clip on rover, but has rushed yellow to promotable position.

He's turned down the promotional peel, and left yellow at rover, rushing red away towards the east boundary.

Back in the Soo Wicks game, Jeff has peeled 4b straight, and had what we commentators call the Vertical Spread Leave, or the 5-6. Red is jawsed in penult, and yellow in rover. Blue has a rush to penult.

WIxy has lifted red to shoot at the yellow ball in rover. Full right wire and it drops midlawn.

Terminal

Mulliner laid up and Rothman centre-balled him. Mulliner retires to the clubhouse with his mallet, a bar towel and a pint glass, a third full of water. Maybe it was empty an hour ago.

As he passes us, he says "Oops".

It looks like everyone's given up play. It's just me in the tent, and Jeff Soo at rover on lawn 1.

Soo has a midlawn cannon, four inches away from rover. A pointless gift if ever there was one.

That's it. Soo bt Wicks +20

Good old Stuart Lawrence, who's giving some entertainment to the spectator (me) by playing on.

Stuart has yellow on 4b and he's just run 1 with red. No surprises in the position - black in corner 4, and he's making 2 off partner.

Next game on lawn 1: Soo goes in with blue. Wicks takes corner 2. Soo hits him with black

Soo stuffs red into play and leaves a rush at it. Wixy shoots from B-baulk and goes off alongside.

Brian Storey says that, on the positive side, it's raining everywhere today. So it's not just Bowdon.

Soo is through 1

Lawrence broke down at 3, and Ormerod is having a reverse takeoff to 3b

Or at least thinking about it.

Yes, he's decided to take the shot.

Ormerod now having his last couple of hoops. Partner is still on 3b

Soo broke down, leaving neither player with the innings. Wicks dribbled at partner, landing more or less in contact with it. Soo's shot, but not get the innings back. Wicks is approaching 1 from behind. The fourth ball is playably out of corner 4.

... internet connection goes down ...

Mark goes to peg, and Stuart is taking a lift from the end of A-baulk into corner 4. He misses. A chance to finish for Ormerod.

I don't like to say it, but I wouldn't be upset if play was abandoned. I need to get some shoes repaired.

Wixy has a diagonal spread. Jeff's hoop 1 ball is on the peg. His other ball is for 3.

There are blackbirds on Lawn 1. Regular readers will know about the infestation of crane fly larvae, so read yesterday's commentary if you're interested. Really, though - you should get back to work before the boss catches you.

Soo waits for the birds to move, takes his lift from B-baulk, and hits. He digs out the balls, but his rush to 3 isn't perfect.

He takes off to 3 from halfway to H6, and runs an angled hoop.

Ormerod aborts his finishing turn, and puts a clip on penult. He shoots into corner 2.

Black in corner 2, blue 3yds north of H1, red randomly mid-right lawn, yellow beyond H4

Lawrence lifts and misses. He's joined near hoop4, and Ormerod is widely split.

I've just realised that the mug of tea someone brought out was for me. I'm now drinking a mug of tea with my right hand and a mug of coffee with my left #cocktailhour

The verdict from Mark Ormerod: the lawns aren't as slow as they might be, but it's really hard to get any movement into the back ball on a roll.

Soo is round with a diagonal spread. Partner still on 1.

... so that's all square.

Lawrence has just clunked through hoop 4. All a bit disarrayed at the moment, as oppo is in corner 2.

He's declined an aggresive roll up to hoop5, and rushed to the north boundary. He's pulling out the corner ball, and laying up near 1b.

Wixy has the long shot down the east boundary, and hits it, nicely cutting it off so he's still near the other ball.

All looks clinical, until he squeezes through 1 by a couple of inches.

Ormerod misses, and Lawrence plays a long angledy rush to 5. Good effort.

Wixy still deciding what to do

I don't think he has a shot on. Corner 4?

Oh yes. Rothman. Thanks for reminding me.

Ben strides up to Lawn 4 and prepares to take croquet. He visits the wet patch near the peg, and changes his mind. He walks back to the clubhouse without playing a shot.

Yes. The pundits here were right about Wixy. He shoots into corner 4.

Stuart Lawrence is expressing no intention of peeling. He's just run 1b.

Colin's pitch inspection - Lawn 2 might be playable in half an hour, but kiss goodbye to Lawn 4 until this afternoon. Or at least a friendly handshake and a wave if kissing isn't your thing.

Soo hits with black (his H1 ball), and is immediately off with a controlled break. Oppo's red ball is in corner 4, but he's put a deep pioneer there to ease its pickup

Ouch. Soo misses his rush after 3. Blue and Red (the ball Wixy wants) are together. Wixy's yellow is at 4b.

He's going to be making hoop 2 off his partner ball, but he's got a four-ball break winking at him

All he needs is some good shots, but he's not delivering them yet. The last three shots have been overhit with the forward ball, and wayward with the back ball.

He scoops up to 2, gets it, and looks to have something orderly again.

He now has a healthy break, but his peelee is, frankly, a bit kack.

Lawrence has gone to peg and had Ormerod off. So it's 4b and peg vs penult and box.

The side of the tent has lost its mooring, and I've suddenly got a wet screen and wet keyboard. If I get electrocuted, goodbye - it's been fun.

Wixy is having hoop 5, with something looking like a peel attempt ahead. No forward rush after the hoop, so he's going to have to heave beyond yellow

Nope. Best he can hope for is an attempt going to 1b

Ormerod has rolled to penult off Lawrence's peg ball. Not got position, but he's laid up in front and wired. Yellow (4b) is hoop high with 4 and three yards in. Lawrence misses it.

Ormerod runs penult, but with too much wire. An unhelpful flick to the left, so he's debating whether to shoot at oppo (who's now nearer), or do something else.

Wixy's abandoned all peeling.

Ormerod takes the shot, misses the near ball and hits the peg ball on the boundary

(or maybe that's the shot he intended. I can't see from this angle)

James Hopgood has messaged me. Apparently it's not raining in Edinburgh.

One of many reasons why I'd rather be in Scotland

Wixy has had another crunch through a hoop which hasn't got the legs. He's hampered again, with lots of balls in front of him.

Ormerod has angled position at rover. Lawrence joins, just missing.

Wixy has the nasty hampered shot, and hits. He probably had to go for it, as it wasn't going to get any worse - oppo joined at his hoop.

It looks like he'll take this to the peg.

Ormerod runs rover and hits the peg.

Ormerod beat Lawrence +5

Rothman has started his turn. I can't think that's a good idea. He's fallen through hoop 1, but has an unhittable hamper. He goes to the side and puts a clip on 2.

A diagonal spread from Wicks. Soo is for 4 and 4b, Wicks for 4b and peg.

I can't feel my fingers and my keyboard is wet.

The Rothman Mulliner game is a curious thing. Mulliner has gone off and left Rothman in charge. The lawn is borderline unplayable, but Rothman's moved some balls around anyway. He has the innings, but it's 1 & 2 vs rover & peg. We'll see no progress there for a while.

Soo lifts his hoop4 ball and shoots down the middle from B-baulk at the peg ball. He misses into A-baulk.

I may be five minutes from lunch

Wixy aims 4b, stops, aims again, stops, aims again and runs it to the boundary.

This is controlled and should be a trivial ending. Partner is at the peg and he's making rover.

Wicks bt Soo + 14

Nothing to see here now. I'm off for a vol au vent and a hot drink.

Ah, that's better. Today it's BBQ pork and raspberry pavlova.

(There should be a comma between 'pork' and 'and'

I've tried to find a point indoors where I can see. I'm perched on the corner of Team GB's player bench, but I might need to abandon this and brave the big outside world.

Arguably, it'd be better if the gazebo which has been provided for spectators wasn't here. Given that only a mad spectator would sit outside today, it's blocking all our views.

We're now all doubly-banky outside. Presumably because it's warmer when the players can huddle together.

Soo and Wicks is back on on Lawn 1, with Maloof and Maugham having second colours. Dave's not going to be happy about not get getting red and yellow.

... He tells me that pink and white will be fine.

Patel and Essick is going to start on Lawn 4, with the Rothman - Mulliner match. I had a quick squelch around during the lunchbreak. It seems playable, with a bit of subsurface water towards the boundary between 1 & 2

Mulliner has returned from the lunchbreak with a canary yellow waterproof jacket. I guess this is sensible wear for trapped mountaineers waiting to be rescued in fog.

Walters-Hurst is back on from whenever it was they gave up. Hurst had a ball in hand at 2b, and has resumed, reached 4b, and lost the innings. Walters is running hoop 3. This is perplexingly quick progress.

From what I can see through the heat haze, David's other ball is for 4b. That would account for why he's attempting to peel it through. Hurst, meanwhile, is for 4 and 4b

Stuart Lawrence is on 2 (red) and break for 2b. Ormerod is yet to start.

Mulliner is back in play. Rothman, I guess, has shot at him on the boundary, as Stephen has three balls together. Two of those are his, and he just needs rover and the peg.

He's taken off the yellow jacket, so I can see more clearly without wincing.

He's gathering the clips, so that's Mulliner bt Rothman +25

Patel and Essick have delayed starting so they can have the Nice Colours. Patel has blue and black (east boundary), Essick has red and yellow (both in corner 2).

Maloof vs Maugham - Maloof plays a wrong ball on the third turn. He tries having brown and pink, so there's an east boundary ball, a ball in corner 2 and a ball in corner 1.

Wicks and Mulliner are talking about how much they've not enjoyed this morning's play. It's now stopped raining, so it should be less miserable this afternoon

Maugham has taken the easy chance, rolled off hoop 1, and rushed over to the east boundary ball.

Ormerod - as far as I can see from my restricted, but warm, viewpoint - is starting his break with blue.

Walters has run 3b, with a partner in the jaws of penult. He runs 3b and passrolls long past penult. He rush peels black through and gets a rush to 4b. The rover peelee sits peg-high, and he's got a good finishing chance.

Maugham played his pickup with some finesse, rushing a boundary ball from H4 to corner 2, making his hoop with control and doing some sort of rushing business to get going.

Yes. Like I said, Maugham plays his ball into the wire of hoop 3. Just as I predicted.

Clip on, but he seems to have found a position hidden from Maloof

Maloof is eyeing a join up in corner 2. His partner is just out of the corner, so there's a rush back into play.

I've moved back out into the tent, hardy northerner that I am. Walters has just had a straight rover peel at rover. A straight one. So that's ...

Walters bt Hurst + 14TP

Patel is enclipping 4b, with the GB-favourite leave of a Maugham Standard. Matthew Essick is shooting down with the ball from hoop 2. He hits black

Matthew Essick has an interesting shooting style - wide-ish stance, very upright with a Solomon grip. He stands with the mallet head off the ground, looks up, down, up, down, up, down. Grounds the mallet, up, down. Hits.

Anyway, he's through hoop 1, but still has a bit of work to do.

Not much has moved in Maloof Maugham. The Maughamster has just hit in and made hoop 1. He misses the forward shot at oppo, and leaves himself mid north boundary and corner 3. Maloof is shooting diagonally across the lawn to join up near corner 4.

Soo has been going round against Wicks, but overapproached 5. Lots of balls together midlawn, and Wixy is for 2 and 4b.

A cracking scatter shot from Jeff, leaving black mid west boundary and blue middle of b-baulk. Yellow is north of 5 and Red south of 6

Maugham hit that next shot, and is back in. He's approaching hoop 3 with his hoop 3 ball. His hoop 2 ball is still for hoop 2. Maloof is yet to start.

Walters lost the toss but hit in fourth turn. He joined in corner 2, and Hurst has missed.

WIxy has left Soo's hoop 1 ball in the jaws of 5. There's a ball in B-baulk, so he's had a hack at hoop 2 from nowhere. Only chance to salvage this, but he misses and lands near Jeff's blue. Jeff declines the wiring lift and plays along the boundary. Hoop 5 is his hoop.

For a game with a lot of innings changes, Walters-Hurst isn't seeing much scoring.

Walters misses a five yarder, and it's raining again. Noticeably.

We were saying this morning that the rain may seem to be worse than it is, as we're hearing the sound of it under the canopy. Outside it's probably less bad.

That's not the case now.

Ormerod is for 1 and 4b on Lawn 3. Lawrence has two clips

Bloody heck

It's sunny, but there's a cloudburst

It's now stopped, and it's suddenly bright enough for me not to be able to see my screen.

Maugham has a diagonal spread

There's steam coming off the hut by Lawn 4. Essick and Patel have stopped to watch.

Lawrence is for 2b, with his peelee jawsed at penult.

Essick has just run 1 with his backward ball. Patel is for 1 and 4b.

There's something aesthetically satisfying about seeing Soo and Walters in play on lawns 1 & 2. Soo has white trousers, a blue jacket and a pale blue hat; Walters has black trousers, a red jacket and an pale red hat, as if they're modelling the same design in different colours for a waterproof clothing catalogue.

Stuart Lawrence has the final peel nicely going to 3b.

Essick is rushing back to corner 3 after hoop 4. He has one peel on the scoreboard already.

Soo is laying a diagonal spread against Wicks, with Wicks on 2 & 4b vs 1 & 4b.

Maugham is for 3 & 4b vs Maloof on 1 & 1, but he's broken down. Maloof is rolling balls out of corner 3, to lay up in corner 1.

Wicks hits the lift with red. Yellow is stuck to the peg so it won't rush to hoop 2.

Lawrence bt Ormerod +17TP

A short hiatus while I update the game scores.

It took some time yesterday to authorise me as a Scorer. A much more senior role than Commentator. Anyone's allowed to write this rubbish, but you have to be responsible to write down results.

Back on the lawns, Maugham regained control from Maloof. He's run 3, and not got good position for the peel. He's dribbled peelee onto the hoop, and left a rush towards the fourth ball, which is four yards in front of hoop5.

That's now a standard break. I can't tell from here if pink is rushpeelable, but it all looks orderly.

Lovely Slow David Walters - the commentator's favourite - is laying up with an NSL. This is good for me, as his games are low maintenance and I have no trouble typing up the results.

Interesting to see a XSL where X= N rather than M. The Brits seem to be liking the not-rushing-to-hoop-one element of the leave, so it's a surprise to see David leave that hoop 2 ball open.

Maugham's rush peel wasn't rushpeelable, it transpired. It's now more of a 1b pioneer.

Wixy is for hoop 5 with the first peel done.

Hurst has missed the lift against Walters.

Yellow has roqueted Brown in the Maugham - Wicks game. They're much amused, and a throng of players, referees and spectators are speculating about what goes where.

I'm sat with Matthew Essick's grandmother who's been watching his game. We're obstructed by the spectators' benches between us and Lawn 4. So I missed a result - Essick beat Patel +17TP

WIcks has gone round on his triple, and had a Rover Disaster. Two clips on the hoop and four balls a yard apart. Soo is on 1 and 4b

No one has the innings in Walters vs Hurst, but Hurst has the first go at joining up. He's on 1 & 1 vs 1 & 4b

Maugham is running rover with partner pink on penult.

He sails through rover with no ball beyond.

No panic - Maugham lays a diagonal spread.

Hurst has what UK readers might recognise as a typical Inter Counties position. Approaching hoop 1 with no balls anywhere nearby. He runs the hoop and his ball accidentally gets a hoop 'n' roquet. That's not going to enhance his chance of getting a clip on 4b

Jeff Soo, it should be no surprise, managed to scrap a break out of that position. He has the first peel in the jaws and he's rushing down to hoop 4.

I should say "scrape a break" rather than "scrap a break".

David Maloof is in against Maugham. He wears bicycle clips with his waterproof trousers.

He's run hoop 1 with everything looking fine, and missed his return roquet. Green and brown are at hoop 2 and on the south boundary at 1. Maugham is joining up mid east boundary.

Samir has gone to 4b with an OSL. Essick has hit it.

Maugham has just taken off from green to brown. He's done well to get more than halfway, so has joined up. No rush into play, but Maloof is shooting at him. Now Maugham has an easy chance of a rush.

Soo broke down at 6 with one peel done. Wixy has had a rush along the boundary, but cut it several yards in. He squats down with his head in his hands.

Wixy is now attempting to roll up to rover from hoop 2.

Maugham, meanwhile, is for peg and peg and playing a takeoff to get behind partner near the east boundary.

Wixy leaves oppo at hoops 1 & 3, and a rush of indeterminate length near hoop 2.

The chair next to me has blown over.

...but there's blue sky and it's now dry.

WE HAVE SHADOWS!

Soo takes a 25 yarder at Wicks, and it's centre ball.

Maugham is laying up in corner 4 with a (rough) rush to the peg. Oppos are split

Walters has jawsed a 4b peel on the way to 4

Maloof shoots at Maugham's bad rush and misses. That's should be curtains.

Or 'drapes' as I imagine the visitors would say

Matthew Essick is looking calm as he walks towards the clubhouse. That's another MSL in the Patel / Essick game.

Dear oh dear. Maugh takes his rush to the peg, and he's lining up from 8 yards away.

Maugham plays the peg out with a split going to green, and hits centre peg. Maugham bt Maloof +25

An intermission now, as Maloof has a twisted shaft. That match will resume later.

Jeff Soo is at 2b and rushing back to the other two balls which he's drawn in from near corner 2

He's still got a double peel to finish, but Wixy is for rover & rover

Umm... there's a chance of a straight double, but I can't see him getting much organised before then. Blue and Red are on the hoop 2 side of the lawn. A good position if you were allowed to run the hoops in any order, but not ideal here.

He's back on track. Blue's a bit wide (a couple of yards) from penult, but he's spot on at 4b. He'll need an accurate little rush to get back on track for a finish.

That may be good enough.

Walters has a mallet in the air. Referee required on Lawn 2, as he's hampered after 3b

Soo declines the peeling chance.

He's now on peg and penult vs rover and rover, with a diagonal spread.

Walters coped with that hampered shot, and is loading rover on the way to penult.

Matthew is on a triple against Samir.

WIxy hits

He has a rush into the lawn, with partner at the peg. He's going to be making rover off his yellow, but he's not got the angle for a cheeky straight peel

He crawls through rover with red, and may not have a shot at yellow, which is very deep.

No, he joins up, leaving Jeff widely split

Maloof has a standard first ball, Maugham shoots into corner 2, Maloof shoots at Maugham. Maugham shoots at Maloof. He hits, and the other balls are in contact in corner 2

Walters beat Hurst +24TP

Wicks by Soo +4

Essick bt Patel + 16TP

A mad dash back to the clubhouse, as my screen is very wet

I've got cake.

Only two games remain. Maugham has gone to 4b against Maloof, the second ball hasn't got going and Maloof has just hit in.

Lawrence - Ormerod is still in progress. Back here in the clubhouse, I can't really see what's happening. It's alternately raining and not raining. Now it's raining.

Ormerod is on 3b and 4b, Lawrence is on 1 and 4b. Ormerod has just hit his lift.

I guess Lawrence must have left Ormerod another NSL, as Mark is trying to get a rush to 4b on a ball that's partially wired.

No probs there. He's through 4b

Sitting in the players' room, everyone is staring at their computer screens. I guess they're all just reading my commentary. They now look perplexed, as they read that I'm writing what they're reading, about me writing what they're reading.

etc

Ormerod puts a clip on penult and there are lots of balls all about the same distance apart in the middle of the lawn

Here's one: I've just been asked about the bloke who wrote a book on croquet, and who owns a pub that's 10 miles from here.

It turns out that the Egerton Arms in Chelford is run by Michael Hague's son. Michael wrote a book on golf croquet, so it's more or less true.

Oh lawks. I wouldn't want to be David Maloof right now, as it's coming down in stair-rods. His break's for 6, and he's carrying on without waterproofs

Stuart is in play. He's taking a rush to 3, but he's not got his peelee partner into play yet. Ormerod on 3b and penult

And Stewart Lawrence stops at 5. Mark Ormerod is back in play

Mark is playing his penult ball, and trying to get a rush on oppo's two balls in corner 4.

One of the catering members is refusing to leave, as it's too horrible to walk from here to the end of the path.

There's the first lightning bolt, and a big clap of thunder.

Maloof has reached 4b and has invited Maugham to take his shot. Maloof has stripped the grip off his mallet. I think that's probably going in the bin.

Maugham and Patel are studying a radar weather map. David seems to be in no hurry to play croquet in a thunderstorm.

David has a new mallet grip, which he's applying. I guess he's prepared to do this twice a day.

All play has stopped.

There's not a lot of chat in the clubhouse. There are noises from the kitchen area, but the players themselves are all a bit downbeat. I attribute this to the rise of computers. Patel and Maugham both have laptops. Mulliner's laptop is in the other corner, as he's doing some WCF work. Lawrence is chatting to Hurst and drumming his fingers. Soo, Rothman and Essick are studying phones.

Some blue sky has been spotted. This isn't a piece of information I can use, as it's not going to stop the rain.

Sorry to be negative.

There's no end to my talents. Not only can I type quickly, but I can also walk around croquet lawns checking for puddles.

Colin and I have inspected the grass. Lawn 4 (which we're not using) is under water. Lawn 3 has a couple of squelchy bits. Lawn 1 is mostly playable except for a patch immediately next to 4b. Stuart and Mark have agreed to play on.

...on Lawn 3

Ormerod approaches penult, and has a ghastly hoop shot. Yellow and Black are too close beyond, so he jumps through the hoop.

There's a spectator slumped on the bench alongside the lawn, but I can't get close enough to see if he realises he's watching the game.

Maugham is just restarting - taking the lift from A-baulk at Maloof's NSL. He hits.

It's sunny.

No really. The sun is shining

The grey-skinned locals are smearing on suncream. The club has a big jar of this, as it's not available to buy in shops in Manchester.

Ormerod is laying up for 3b, with the opponent split. There's no lift due.

Maugham is just placing an escape ball ready for his 4b peel at 3.

Lawrence shoots to join up on the west boundary. He misses. Ormerod just needs to get from 3b to peg, and he's starting with a short rush to his hoop.

Maugham has the first peel, and is under tight control

Ormerod loads penult by jamming blue onto the wire. He gets a rush on red to 4b and that also jams onto the wire. Samir expects this to end with a midturn crosswire from the penult ball.

It's been a long day - nine hours for three games.

Sorry - only eight hours (so far)

Ormerod rushes oppo safely into corner 4 before taking off for his rush to the peg.

Ormerod bt Lawrence +13

Maugham is the only player still on the lawn. He's tried to peel rover going to 3b, but got too much wire.

There's talk about putting yesterday's abandoned doubles back on. Maugham is peeling rover from dead in front, so there should be a vacant lawn 1 in a couple of minutes.

Maugham peels rover, and the peelee runs straight into the ball behind the hoop. That gives a clear angle for the rush to the peg. Professional.

Maugham bt Maloof +17TP

I'm signing off now. It's 5.45, and I don't expect to be home before midnight if I've a game of doubles to watch.

Sleep tight, and I'll see you all in the morning.