Just testing. Actual commentary will start around 2pm.

Good afternoon from a warm and sultry Hurlingham. I am seated next to lawn 4 where Alain Giraud is on the verge of a big upset against Reg Bamford. He's game up and break up.

Alain hit 4th turn and went to 3b with a standard contact leave. Reg has just taken off to partner and set up a rush in c4 - no attempt at anything fancy. If Alain can hit from c2 to c3 he has a quad for the match.

Shoots very gently and just misses. His first miss in six shots, his opponent informs me somewhat bitterly.

I now need to go and collect my father from the front gate. Commentary to resume shortly. This doesn't happen at Wimbledon.

Reg rushed to h1, doesn't make it, takes off to Alain's balls in c3.

Reg had just run h4 and has a break. SXP leave?

On the other lawns Christian is 1-0 against Joel Taylor and looks like he Is on a standard TP approaching h5.

Jose Riva is 1-0 up against Mark Ormerod and has done a TPO in game 2. Mark only made one hoop off the contact/squeeze and Jose is laid up in c4 with Mark playing from c2 to c3.

In shock news Fulford has failed to complete a QP against Dominic Nunns but Dominic missed the lift and Fulford has won.

Meanwhile back on lawn one Reg is setting up a SXP having made h6. This is super advanced, of course.

And this really is lawn 1, not lawn 4 as I said earlier.

Christian has beaten Joel Taylor. I was getting confused about which way round the lawn is. He was running penultimate not h5!

Reg makes his leave successfully. Alain lifts his h1 ball and it looks like he is shooting at partner a few inches off the peg.

Hits the peg and bounces back to a foot away from the target. I guess that's why the shot at the peg ball is less popular.

Reg (a name I wish my phone would recognise) fails to rush peelee in front of 1b. Takes off to oppo balls by the peg, though, and has a nice position. Now rushing to h1. Perfect.

Jose was on a 2bb against Ormerod but has blobbed h5. Mark has a lift. Shooting from B baulk. Hits blue and gets incredibly lucky. Blue (which was between h5 and peg) then cannons into black which was in h5 but now is in the lawn and rushes to Mark's hoop! Mark now has a 3bb to equalise!

Reg gets the first peel before h2.

Makes h2 and rushes oppo too close to peelee. Sends oppo (green) towards 2b but can't get it all the way down - it's about level with h5. Send peelee (another word I wish my phone would recognise) to about 2 yards in front of 2b and rushed well to h3.

Ormerod is round to 1b but makes the classic 3bb error of having the 1b pioneer too far north and not getting a northwards rush out of h6. Now making 1b but 2b pioneer is about two yards north of the peg.

Because his escape ball is too far north Reg can't get the 2b peel before 4. Leaves peelee very close to 2b. Rushes poorly to 4.

Ormerod rushed well to 2b from 12 yards away and makes it. Should finish now although 3b pioneer is closer to rover than 3b.

Rushes to 2y w of 3b but plays good approach and is now home and hosed. Will be 1-1 shortly.

Meanwhile, your correspondent has finished his pint of cider and is in need of refreshment 🍺😋 he said hopefully.

Reg peels 2b before 5. Makes 5. Rushes to south boundary. H6 pioneer is about two yards SW of peg which is not ideal.

Reg has rushed well to h6 with peelee well positioned in front of 3b. My expert commentator tells me he's already failed an SXP today and had to finish one with a straight quad yesterday, so this wasn't a forgeone conclusion, but it's looking good now. Still has to peel 3b going to 1b, mind.

Mark Ormerod pegs out to equalise against Jose.

Reg's peel of 3b is perfect - finishes within 3y of 4b and gets a good rush to 1b.

Up on lawn 1, Gabrielle Higgins is playing Andy Myers. Gabs was 1-0 up but Andy has been on the lawn a lot. No idea about the match between Samir and Stuart Lawrence but I haven't seen Stuart on the lawn at all.

Reg rushes poorly to 2b and approach isn't great.

Copes.

Gets the rush back to 4b well and will now try to peel going to 3b.

My pleas for refreshment seem to have been in vain. Looks like I might have to get my own 😒

Reg gets the peel and rushes well to 3b. All over bar the shouting.

Jawses penult before 4b.

Jose and Mark starting game 3. Mark normal opening. Jose corner 2. Mark misses partner from A baulk. Jose shoots at the double from B baulk...misses.

View from the players is that the lawns are unusually fast but the hoops are easy.

Mark rushes well to h1. Can he pick up the break?

Runs the hoop and has c.6 yard return roquet.

Snicks it.

Meanwhile Reg finishes his SXP to equalise. Very nicely played.

Mark will be approaching h2 from c2 for a break.

Or will he? Take off to c2 is well short...and stops dead in front of h2. Which he blobs.

Jose shooting from c2 at ballnwhich failed h2.

Hits.

Alain and Reg start again straight away. Alain super shot into the jaws of h5. Reg to max distance. Alain shooting from A baulk. Misses.

Jose had made h1 and should have a 3bb with the fourth ball just out of c4.

Wow. Jose misses a short roquet trying to cut it. Pressure? Heat?

Mark hits a ten yarder. Playing with his h1 ball. Other balls just out of c4 and north boundary between 2 and 6.

Reg hits the double from b baulk. Not sure if the ball that hit h5 will rush to h1.

I think Reg is looking to cannon green out of h5 so that it rushes to h1.

I was wrong about Mark who was playing with his h2 ball. He approached from the north boundary but hit the hoop. Has now joined up leaving Jose a 20 yarder or so.

Jose misses. Still not a straightforward break opportunity for Mark.

Reg plays the cannon well and rushes to h1. Makes it. Gets rush back to west bounary ball. Other ball near h5.

Now Mark misses a very short roquet. The heat is on on lawn 3.

Jose makes h1 but then misses a mid-break 10 yarder. Meanwhile on lawn 3 Reg has picked up the break and is approaching h4.

Samir has beaten Stuart 2-0.

On lawn 4 Andy Myers has TPO'd Gabs in game 2. Off the contact Gabs over-approached h2 but flicked off h6 which slowed the ball enough to leave a 2 yard 40 degree hoop which she ran.

She now has a 3bb for the match. In complete control approach h5 but there is a lot of pressure on these.

On lawn 1 Reg has gone to 1b and made a SXP leave.

On lawn 2 serious croquet has resumed and Jose is going round.

On lawn 4 Gabs is approaching 1b. 2b pioneer is about 6y north of the hoop.

Alain is shooting at the peg ball against the SXP leave again. That didn't go well last time.

Loud exclamation which presumably means he missed. Didn't hit the peg this time, at least.

Gabs is up to 3b. Pioneer is 4ft east of hoop. Gets good rush on it but puts 4b pioneer 2y north of 4b and unlikely to get forward rush.

Gets diagonal rush which she cuts very well.

Famous last words and all that but Gabs looks in complete control approaching 4b.

Elsewhere Reg has yet to embark on his SXP. Jose has made 2b and will be having a contact leave.

No commentators curse. Gabs wins 2-0. .

Jose has gone to 4b and made a contact leave. Reg is approaching h1. I am approaching the bar. More later.

Reg has broken down after one peel but Alain missed the medium length shot. Reg is back in again. Meanwhile Jose has a delayed TP to beat Mark 2-1.

Reg is playing the 2b ball. Presumably will make two hoops and leave Alain one last long shot.

Meanwhile your roving correspondent is up on lawn 6 where Stephen Mulliner is playing Mike Town, the latter having had some excellent results this tournament. Stephen has just made a break to 4b but the NSL ball has bobbled into a position where it is wide open from A baulk. Mike is 1 and 1b.

I imagine this must be 1-1 given how long it's been going on.

Mike is playing the ball at 3b. Shooting at Stephen's ball in EB. Maybe seven yards. Snacks it.

Snicks it, that is.

This is his h1 ball but with the other balls in c4 and WB next to h2, there's not much chance of a break.

Has a leave.

Stephen misses. Mike tries to get going with his 1b ball. I can confirm it's 1-1.

Mike has a 4ft slightly angled 1b.

Makes it and should go to 4b now.

Round to 4b but makes 3b off partner and gets hoop and roquet for good measure so the leave won't be great.

It isnt. Still Stephen is taking a 13 yarder that gives away a standard TP for the match if he misses and gives him one if he hits.

Snicks it (and that's being generous). Now has standard TP. One yard h1, fairly angled.

Taking his time. It's tricky. Lots of lying on the ground. Off partner though.

Smoothly through.

Stephen is approaching h3 off peelee. All in control at present.

Peels 4b after 3.

Interesting. Stephen went back to peelee after h4 and in rushing it back down the lawn has rushed it plum into the jaws of h4. Tricky. Takes off to h5 pioneer leaving peelee in the jaws of h4.

Makes h5. Rushes to south boundary behind 4. Rushes peelee out of the jaws. Break now back under control. Croquets peeled directly behind h6 and is back on track, albeit with wonky 1b pioneer.

Peels penult. Provided he can rush to 1b from 7 yards away, he'll be fine.

Not brilliant but has one yard slightly backward takeoff so should cope.

Does.

Fails to get rover peel going to 3b. Now going for straight rover peel.

"They think it's all over" remarks my expert advisor (handicap 20).

Peeling rover from about 9 inches straight.

It is now.

Mulliner wins 2-1.

Meanwhile back on the main lawns Mark Avery is 1-0 up against Gabs (that was quick) and has the first break in the second. "Higgins was crap", comments Higgins ruefully.

Remarkably Gabs is wearing shorts. That shows how hot it is. Apparently today is only the third time her legs have ever been seen by other croquet players, the first two beng croquet weddings where she wore dresses. These shorts were bought for the World Champs in Florida but apparently it wasn't as hot there as it is in London today.

In the other R16 game Jose Riva is playing Christian. Christian had the first break and Jose is equalising.

Setting up for a delayed TPO.

Rushes peelee into what looks like unpeelable position. Should give up. Does so, much to his opponent's chagrin.

Now setting up for an SXP.

Meanwhile Avery is making a contact leave and is about to make 3b.

Crunch time for Gabs. Avery leaves her balls in c2, c3, c4 and WB 10 yards north of c1. Lifts c2 ball and takes contact from oppo in c3. Takes off to oppo in c4. Takes off to partner on WB. She's for h2 and is rolling up to it. Gets line wrong and finishes a yard west of it. Has leave.

Jose makes ropey DSL SXP leave against Christian, who misses short lift by nothing. SXP attempt coming up. Wish I didn't have to leave.

Avery misses long shot against Gabs who makes h2 with rush to h3. Wish I didn't have to leave.

Commentator makes good leave. Bye.