Good morning from Kelburn.

Chapman has won 1st game.

G2T1 Chapman Black E bdry
G2T2 Patel Yellow just S of 2nd corner
G2T3 Chapman Blue hits Black from A-baulk.

G2T3 Chapman takes off to Yellow, hits, rolls it 2yN peg-high nr W bdry. Then overhits lag back to Black, goes off just N. Maybe 1" between balls.

Patel removes a layer of clothing. It's warming up folks.

G2T4 Patel Red at Black & Blue from A-baulk. Misses.

G2T5 Chapman Black taps Blue, rushes Red off 5' N of Yellow. Now approaching 1 from 4y. Good shot. Should go round now.

Thanks to Gabrielle & co. yesterday evening, plus Felix, Nick, James this morning for their commentaries while Jenny and I were dining / late.

Yesterday's plan was to come back and watch the denouement of Bryant v Carter, but the 3rd game was surprisingly swift. So instead Michael took us on a drive round some local bays as the sun was setting. This is a beautiful country.

Chapman has reached hoop 6.

G2T5 Chapman Black makes 3-back with Red and Yellow in attendance. Blue is near peg. Yellow into NSL posi, Red croqueted to 4yN peg-high, maybe 4y in from W bdry. Blue has rush on Black to Red, from 12y N of 4th corner.

Now the first game has finished in all 4 matches. You may have read elsewhere that the time limits are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11. With luck no match will be affected by Time.

G2T6 Patel lifts Yellow to 3rd corner. Misses Blue to 4th corner. (21y).

Another note on time limits: time after Time doesn't count. So if any game goes to Time, the next game will have a 2 hour limit.

G2T7 Chapman Blue rushes Black to Red, Red to 5' N of 1. (For his sake let's hope it's not due North.) Blue makes 1, hits 3y return. Big roll coming up. Red hits the peg, bounces off 10y N of 3. Makes 2 and has useful rush.

G2T7 Chapman Blue croquets Black to 4, rushes Red into hoop 3. Looks to be an awkward spot. Copes. Now comes the take-off to Yellow in 4th corner...

G2T7 Chapman Blue takes off to 2y from Yellow. Delayed TP coming up...

G2T7 Chapman Blue makes 5, but without forward rush.

We are guaranteed an international final. Top half has 2 Aussies, a Spaniard and a South African. Bottom half has 2 Kiwis and 2 Englishmen.

G2T7 Chapman Blue tries 4-back peel before 6. Looks to be in jaws, but as I'm side on I could be wrong.

Michael Wright is next to me with binoculars. We can confirm Black is in the jaws.
And now it isn't as Chapman rush-peels after 6
The 2-back pioneer (Red) is 6y N of the hoop.
Black is at penult. Death roll?

G2T7 Chapman Blue is taking off from Black at penult to Red 6yN of 2-back. Either he didn't fancy death roll or didn't get posi. Blue is 8' shy of Red. Copes.

Seems Chapman does like death rolls as he's lining one up going to 3-back. His 3-back pioneer is 1y NW of hoop. Black sails thru penult by 18y. His 4-back pioneer is 2y ESE of penult. (this is in case death roll hadn't come off.)

G2T7 Chapman Blue is not very close to Red for his rush to 4-back. Has 1y hoop. Runs ti to boundary. Peelee currently 2yN of penult.

G2T7 Chapman Blue has small backward take-off to penult, so he's not getting forward rush. Otherwise balls are where you'd want them for a straight rover peel.

G2T7 Chapman Blue lining up straight rover peel from 1y in front. Not dead in front judging from where he's squinting by the peg. Think there was a slightly duff take-off else Black would be nearer. Red is 1Y SW of rover, Yellow 3y SE of rover.

G2T7 Chapman Blue has peeled Black thru rover by 1'. Blue very close to hoop. Calls ref on. Hoop is trivial, but get very close to Black. Ref still on. Can he see Red?

No I haven't lost my connection Chapman still hasn't played his continuation shot after rover.

G2T7 Chapman Blue roquets Black after rover. Has 9y peg-out, with possibilities of combo if he gets close.

It seems to be the custom over here to have peg-outs umpired, yet Chapman is not having an umpire.
Black finishes within 1' of peg.

G2T7 Chapman Blue croquets Red to E bdry, gets rush on Yellow to about 5' of Black, pointing roughly in the right direction. Black may be only a few inches from peg, I am 50 yards away!

Umpire is on this time.
Combo peg-out fails.
Chapman pegs out Blue.

Chapman has a 25-0 lead. As a Mangler,I once pegged down a game at this score.

G2T8 Patel Yellow hits Black, rolls to Red, rolls Red and Yellow nr 1st corner.
Black ball is 7y N of 4th corner.

Umpire on again.
G2T9 Chapman hits peg.

Chapman wins game 2 +26, and leads 2-0

I guess the lack of umpire earlier was because Chapman couldn't see the peg.

I'm hoping we're pausing for lunch.

Oops I forgot to book lunch.

During lunch here's a little puzzle for you.

Those following my commentary on Hakes v Mulliner yesterday may recall my puzzlement after the 3rd turn.
To recall:
T1 Hakes Red 12y N of 4th corner.
T2 Mulliner Blue just S of 2nd corner
T3 Hakes Yellow hits Red from A-baulk. Takes off to Blue. 7y short. Hits.

When I next looked, Mulliner was taking aim at a single ball target of 2 balls in contact in 2nd corner.
This was not a tactical novelty - what is the simple explanation?

Answer to my little puzzle. Hakes played the wrong ball. As this is an error, not a fault, he is allowed to place Yellow anywhere in contact with Blue (not in the yard-line area), so he obviously chose to give Mulliner a single ball at which to aim.

G3T1 Patel Yellow supershot 3y NNW of 5
G3T2 Chapman Black to just S of 2nd corner
G3T3 Patel Red misses Black. Only just. Maybe 1" gap.
G3T4 Chapman Blue has 13y double from B-baulk. Hits Black (and Red).

G3T4 Chapman has run 1, but only just. Has 6- or 7-yarder, hampered, but not sure how badly. Ref is on.

G3T4 Chapman hits the hoop but not the ball. Fault, but ball cannot be replaced as it didn't move.

G3T5 Patel yellow roquets Blue, sending it just back thru 2-back (handy).

G3T5 After making 1, Patel now has big roll from S of 1. Overruns his hoop 2 pioneer, rolling up from 5y. 2y hoop...

... runs 2 to boundary. Now has 6-yarder at Black for 4-ball break. Gets it!

G3T5 Patel still trundling round. Hoops a bit longer than I'd like, but hey! Just approaching 1-back. Is Patel a spread man?

G3T5 Patel POPs Blue thru 2 after 1-back, by about 5y. (Sorry I didn't predict that.)

After 2-back Patel Yellow rushes Red nr end of B-baulk. POP is all very well but can he get a good leave?

Red is croqueted toward W bdry, Yellow rushes Blue 3yN of 3-back. Makes 3-back off Black, has 4y return roquet on Blue. Hits. Croquets Blue 8yN of 4th corner, yard or 2 in lawn. Rushes Black to W bdry. Little roll puts Black peg-high on W bdry, rushes Red nr 2nd corner. Leaves 1y rush fro Red due South.

Clips: Patel Red 1 Yellow 4-back; Chapman Blue 3 Black 1.

G3T6 Chapman lifts Blue to B-baulk. Misses Red to the left (ie South). (13y)

Maybe the gap between Red and Yellow.was nearer 2'.

G3T7 Patel Red roquets Blue, promoting Yellow to 2y short of Black. Blue is croqueted to 2, Red hits Yellow. Now should have dolly rush on Black, but it;s a cut. Rushes it 5y past hoop. Rolls up, 2' hoop...

... Patel makes hoop 1. Should set up standard TP from here.

Good leave from Patel, albeit leaving a 13-yarder. Had Chapman hit, it's not trivial to pick up break for 3 with all the balls on W bdry. And missing has presented Patel good chance to finish.

G3T7 Patel Red peels Yellow thru 4-back after 3, by 1'. Other balls in good order.

G3T7 Patel Red jawses penult peel after 6.

G3T7 Patel Red rush-peels penult after 1-back.

G3T7 Patel Red fails 2-back off Blue. Trivial pick-up for Chapman.

Chapman is playing Black perforce. Blue clip is on 3.

Clips: Patel Red 2-back, Yellow rover; Chapman Blue 3, Black pocket
Black has just made 1 with a break.
Do we fancy an SPO? My expert is uncharacteristically unsure.

Yellow is Chapman's hoop 5 pioneer so if he fancies an SPO it's all there for him.

G3T8 Chapman Black tries to peel Yellow thru rover after 5. Jawses it.

G3T8 Chapman Black is hampered after 6. Sweep shot. Made it appear simple.

G3T8 Chapman Black rush-peels Yellow thru rover before 2-back.

Various Z players return from Wellington. The Club let them play till about 2.30, but will soon be preparing the lawns for tomorrow (Saturday). The main event semis are on lawns 1 and 2, with both Plate semis on lawn 3.

G3T8 Chapman Black making penult off Blue.

What contact leave are we expecting? My expert doesn't know. I need a new expert.

G3T8 Chapman Black has Yellow and Blue by the peg, making rover off Red.

Players are properly dressed today, with the possible exception of Ed's yellow shorts. Kiwis in all black, others in white.

G3T8 Chapman Black fails rover off Red

As long as he can rush to 2-back from by the peg, Patel has easy finish.
Not a good rush, rolling up from 4 yards...

5' hoop....

... runs it to boundary.

Patel should finish.

G3T9 Patel grovels thru 3-back. Only an inch thru, so should be OK. Copes.

Patel's making a 4-ball break look difficult, but he's still going. Two hoops to go.

Patel's made rover, needs to rush Yellow to peg from rover.

Patel wins game 3 +13. Chapman leads match 2-1.

Now Jenny's been giving me commentarial coaching in bold and italics so here goes;

Patel v Chapman Game 4

Hey it worked!

Except they aren't ready to start. Ref checking hoops.

Rome was built on 7 hills. Wellington has many more, some quite steep. There is even a cable car from the City Centre that passes about 150 yards from here.

On lawn 3 hoop 1 is out of the ground. How many referees does it take to set a hoop? One to do it, three to watch.

There are 5 lawns here at Kelburn. We are in the hut by the East boundary of lawn 1, where the final will be played one presumes. Today Bryant and Mulliner are playing there. To the South of lawn 1 is lawn 2, which has the infamous sandpit. The lawn has been narrowed to exclude the sandpit, today it's being used for Z games. Directly to the West of lawn 1 is lawn 3, which is where Patel v Chapman is. To the South of that is lawn 4 (Wilson v Riva), to the South of that lawn 5 (Bamford v Hockey).

All compass points are in the croquet sense, not geographical. No idea which way true North is. Did you know the sun goes the wrong way round down under?

Patel v Chapman Game 4

G4T1 Chapman Black supershot
G4T2 Patel Yellow max distance E bdry
G4T3 Chapman Blue hits Yellow

G4T3 Chapman Blue is approaching 1 from W bdry. 18" but quite an angle- 30 deg.?. Blue rejects to just out of A-baulk.

G4T4 Patel Red makes 1 off Blue, has 4-ball break.

So a player who shall remain nameless asks me why Chapman's airshot earlier was a fault. Er... because it is.
He then comes up with a more interesting supplementary question.
Suppose the oppo is responsible for your ball. You play an airshot. Are you now responsible?

G4T4 Patel Red has reached hoop 6.

G4T4 Patel Red has failed hoop 6.

G4T5 Chapman Black hits 4-yarder at Yellow. Yellow is croqueted nr 5. Umpire on to watch Black hit Red. Red clip now on 1-back. (It was most of the way thru 6.)

G4T5 Chapman Black again approaching 1 from W bdry. Makes it this time. Then misses 5-yarder at partner.

So Yellow is between 4 and 5, Red 2y S of 2, Black 4y N of 1st corner, Blue 2y NE of Blue

G4T6 Patel Red misses Blue into 1st corner.

G4T7 Chapman Black snicks Red (4y). Needs to rush Yellow to 2 for break.

G4T7 Chapman Black approaching 2 from 4 yards. He's through and away.

Here's another question I don't know the answer to. When was the last time (if ever) that all top 4 seeds reached the semis? Could still happen.

The good doctor is using the facilities. Might get the answer to my laws question. My vote is that you do become responsible for your ball after an airshot.

The good doctor agrees with me! Though he may have to check his laws book...

G4T7 Chapman Black has just made 5 on his break.

Quarter-finals day at any major is usually good viewing You often get at least one exciting match. You usually get a 3-0, but not today. All 4 are in the balance. And a nice 3-ball ending in front of me. (Switch to James' commentary if following live.) I hope those of you not here are getting some sense of the atmosphere.

G4T7 Chapman Black is making 2-back off Yellow. Red is at 3-back, Blue by the peg.

Clips: Patel Red 1-back, Yellow 1; Chapman Blue 1, Black 4-back.

G4T7 Chapman Black leaves Red 5y SW of 2, Yellow 1' from peg wired, Blue / Black 10y N 4th corner. ie a Diagonal Spread.

I'm reliably informed that while it is a bit stuffy in the hut, it is really hot there out on the unshaded lawns.

G4T8 Patel is thinking.

I must confess I was distracted by another game. Yellow is 5y S of 2nd corner. The likely explanation of this is:

G4T8 Patel lifts Yellow to B-baulk, shoots at Red, hits hoop 2

But conceivably:

G4T8 Patel thinks he can see some of Red as Yellow lies, misses.

Either way, it could be his last shot of the tournament.

Patel is putting his mallet away. Here this is known as "doing a Jackson".

G4T9 Chapman Blue runs hoop 1 by 1'. He wanted to run it by 10y. Shoots at Black nr 3, missing.

G4T10 Patel Red hits Yellow (10y)

G4T10 Patel Red makes 1-back.

I'm on battery power as Nick is recharging his phone from my socket. In case you were wondering about the pause in lawn 5 commentary.

G4T10 Patel Red will be making 3 hoops and having a leave.

Now Jimbo is borrowing my socket as he's low on power. Not a problem for me inside, kinda tricky in the sunshine.

G4T10 Patel is thinking. He has left Blue hoop 6 high nr W bdry. Black is 1yN of peg-high, 3y in from E bdry. Yellow / Red near 4th corner with rush to Black. What we call an OSL.

Clips: : Patel Red 4-back, Yellow 1; Chapman Blue 2, Black 4-back.

G4T11 Chapman lifts Blue to A-baulk. Shoots at Yellow. Hits (13y).

G4T11 Chapman Blue makes 2 off Black. Yellow is a yard or 2 out of 4th corner, not enough to try a standard TP, I'd have thought. I am wrong to think so.

G4T11 Chapman Blue tries to peel Black thru 4-back after 3. Fails in front of hoop. Rushes Red of S bdry behind 4, takes off to Yellow, stopshot approach sending Yellow to 5, 1y hoop, runs it off the lawn. Hits Red.

G4T11 Chapman Blue croquets Red nr 4-back, so I'm guessing Black won't rush-peel. Gets forward rush after 5.

G4T11 Chapman Blue is unhappy about where he's roqueted Black. It's all happening very close to the hoop. He's managed to get it halfway thru the hoop with a rush on Red to 6.

G4T11 Chapman Blue rush-peels Black thru 4-back. Black will be his slightly deep 2-back pioneer.

Annabel is distributing mints around the hut. I actually caught mine.

G4T11 Chapman Blue has 4y return at Black after 2-back. Rushes it near middle of W bdry. Overhits roll: Black is 2y W of 4-back.

G4T11 Chapman Blue gets forward rush after 3-back. Good rush on peelee avails 5' peel opportunity at penult. Black is 4' through!

Delete last comment. It should read "Chapman's peel attempt misses hoop altogether."
Well I am side on.

G4T11 Chapman Blue setting up for straight double peel. Irish from an angle. Black goes through, Blue hits wire. Ref is on.

G4T11 Chapman Blue makes hoop and roquet of Black. Makes rover off Yellow.

Clips: : Patel Red 4-back, Yellow 1; Chapman Blue peg, Black rover.

G4T11 Chapman Blue making reverse spread.

G4T12 Patel lifts Yellow to A-baulk. Shooting at Red by the peg. Misses, hits hoop 6, stays close to hoop.

Chapman is adjusting the balls as he's rushing out of the "crazy paving", an area where rectangular turves have been laid on the lawn.

G4T13 Chapman Black rushes Blue into lawn, takes off to Yellow, croquets Yellow beyond rover,rushes Red 1y beyond hoop, 1y hoop, through.

Chapman beats Patel 3-1

And the bar is open. Perfect.

Bye for now, Andrew