CNZ AC Open Championship

Good Morning from Mount Maunganui! The weathe has been stunning all week and we’ve got more sunshine today. Today we’ve got Edmund Fordyce vs Josh Freeth on Lawn 4 and Chris Shilling vs Greg Bryant on Lawn 3. I’ll be focusing more on Edmund v Josh bit will try and provide updates from the other game too

There are currently 3 players warming up... Freeth is true to form and a touch late

Hoop setting has been rather disappointing for a national event such as this and will pose no problems to these players I would imagine. Lawns are a touch on the slow side, I’d estimate 10 seconds at most

And we’re off.
Game 1.
Fordyce (BK) vs Freeth (RY)

1. B to WB
2. Y just south of C2
3. K misses partner
4. R shooting at partner? Hits

Josh and I had an eventful doubles right from the get go earlier this week, with him texting me during the opening speeches that he was locked in his accommodation

Let’s hope he’s that locked in today

In the other game shilling hit 4th turn and is through 1 should be a clip to 4b

Freeth failed to get a rush to h1, lays up in C2 with B possibly wired somewhere around 2 and K on WB

5.Fordyce plays B to C3

6. Freeth makes 30 degree h1 and is building break

Through h4 with all the balls now

In other news shilling has made an NSL, nice break that’ll give him some confidence

Bryant lifts balls at h4 and is shooting down the line... curious bowls chap rocks up behind him to have a look, Bryant just misses in C4

Freeth also making a nice NSL

7. Fordyce lifts B from h4 and will also have a ping down the line

Fails to make another ball move on lift

8. Freeth rush to h1 goes 5y to the side... this time runs a 40 degree hoop

In the plate Logan McCrokindale and Lindsay David are the main contenders, both with only 1 loss to their name. I’ve gotta duck back to the house for some supplies unfortunately. Be back in a bit

And we are back

Freeth peeling rover from 1 yard

Shilling having ball to peg

Peelee just thru. Bad jump caused hoop and roquet

Freeth attempting pegout from 4y off the NB

HITS!

SB not NB

Josh Freeth takes the first +26tp

Shilling (4b and peg) has nice spread vs Bryant (1&1)

The panther is stalking

Long lift again

Restalk...

Hits!

Game 2

1. Freeth plays K to EB

Oops again Freeth playing R and Y again

2. Edmund plays B to just S of C2

3. Freeth hits Y with R, takes off to B, snicks 3yarder, croquets it peg high along line of 1 and 2 and smacks off back to partner

4. Fordyce centres R from A baulk and will take croquet for the first time

Greg has made 1 and has break

As has Fordyce, will update with leaves

Greg loads 4b so we’ll be having a cheeky 3 ball ending to start the day

Tidy spread by Fordyce who looks as fluid as ice after an hour under the Mount Maunganui sun.

Freeth takes lift down the line.... bosch

Meanwhile Bryant (peg and 1) vs Shilling (4b and box) has finished his break... not sure what the leave was but Chris doesn’t have much

Freeth has made 1 with Y and will be having a ball to 4b

Chris approaches 4b from near C2 and fails tough hoop

Was approaching of Greg’s peg ball so he just joins up in C2

Chris taps thru 4b and is shooting!

Misses

Die to shilling’s miss Bryant couldn’t hit the ball in C2 so decided to play peg ball and set a leave

Due*

Lays up in c3 with a longish rush to 1, Shilling near h1

Meanwhile Freeth has made a spread with Fordyce’s 4b ball at peg.

Shilling takes on potentially last shot, not close

Fordyce lifts B (h1) and walks to corner 3... reconsiders and walks to A baulk

Short lift time

No he’s just playing with us

Walks back to C3

Greg under approaches 1, 1.5y angly

6. Fordyce misses into C4

Bryant considers cornering, then hits his hoop shot into middle of near wire

Has ended in an ok spot though, no free shot for shilling

Shilling to C4

7. Freeth wipes his sweaty hands with a paper towel and takes the lawn with a chance to go 2-0 up

Bryant misses 8 yarder At partner

Shilling snicks Bryant’s peg ball from C4 to peg high on line of 1 and 2

7.Freeth again approaching h1 from 6 yards to the side

Shilling takes off to 1y straight at penult!

Josh runs 1.5 yard h1 with control

Shilling is through and has 7 yarder

Centres it

Approaching rove from middle of WB

4 yards straight-ish... cleanly through!!!

misses 4 yard return! Could Bryant sneak another +1 victory

Bryant shooting from near C3 with h1 ball at partner 4 yards off SB... misses

Shilling to C4

Freeth looking comfortable through h4

Greg has made hoop 1

Time limits are 3 hours for first game, then 2.5hrs added for each following game

Only 9 minutes left for Greg!

Approaches hoop 2 to 1.5 yards, runs it with rush to 3

Good rush, approaching from 4 yards straight, gets forward rush to 4

wasnt actually that good of a forward rush, approaching decides to load 5 and get some sort of a hoop shot... over approaches, still has B in C4

Hits

Meanwhile Freeth’s 4b peel going to 6 in somewhere just off wire... trying to rush peel

Greg approach from C4 is 2 yards straight

It’s through! 5 yarder coming up

Snicks it! Great control there

One good croquet stroke is all that is required now to get a rush to 5 on loose pioneer

Back ball a bit short. Approach to 5 is a 1.5yard take off... copes has another 5 yard return

Meanwhile Freeth is on 2b with peelee still in front of jaws of 4b

Bryant hits return off SB

The clock beeps

This is it now for Mr Bryant

He lives for these turns... really good croquet stroke and has a 3bb to win

freeth gets tough 1/3 ball rush peel before 3b... that could’ve gone badly

Still has an ugly take off to play through obstacles to 3b pioneer

Freeth plays it well

Bryant wobbles 2 yard dribble at 2b pioneer. I thought he’d missed

Runs 3b with no sides much to his displeasure

Freeth has made 3b but no forward rush. Has peelee near NB and a decent 4b pioneer

Tries pass roll loading penult going to peelee. Ends up a choice of 8 yarders

Takes the slightly longer one at peelee... hits in the middle

Bryant still unhappy about how good his hoop running is... with no forward rush after 3b

Checks hoop width just for fun

Spoiler alert. It’s not tight

Straight double coming up for Freeth to take a commanding 2-0 lead

Bryant under control approaching penult

Freeth peeling penult from around 2 feet with slight angle

Freeth peels well to 1 yard NE

Of rover

Bryant takes the first game +1 on time with an awesome turn. Never in doubt

Freeth’s rush to rover is good. 2ft straight

Freeth peels cleanly

Josh Freeth takes the 2nd 26tp-9... lunchtime

And we are back again.
Game 2 of shilling vs Bryant sees Shilling the first to take croquet with all 4 balls on EB

Game 3 of Fordyce (Blue and Black) vs Freeth (Red and Yellow)

1. Supershot with blue to 2y NW of 5
2. R to just out of C2
3. K misses leaving double
4. Y shoots and hits a lot of it

Shilling set a decent leave which Bryant missed off opening and is through h1 with all the balls

Freeth runs h1 from much closer than previous attempts and will likely have a clip on 4b soon

Fordyce did win a best of 5 from 2-0 down against Freeth once upon a time

Although that was a strange, heavily modified version of the game where each turn lasts one shot

Looks like a spread from Freeth, will Fordyce continue taking the long lift from C3? I think he’ll take the short one this time

Shilling seems to have managed to not get a 3b pioneer... should cope but might make the leave a bit messier

It’s a pretty flat spread from Freeth.

And for that reason Fordyce will once again shoot from C3

5. Fordyce stalking, crouches to inspect slope... hates it

Misses to C4

Shilling is scrambling together an NSL

Bathroom break for Freeth before he comes back for a possible match winning turn

Freeth would really love to FINISH this one 3-0

Bryant lifts ball at 4 and chooses a spot 3y west of C3 to shoot from.

Looks well hit but slides by

Freeth makes 1

Shilling also makes 1

Freeth now taking off to ball in C4 after 3... it’s level with hoop 4

Pressure shot... misses

First real error of the match

Here is Fordyce’s big chance

Doubt we’ll see a tpo from Edmund but the balls are set nicely for it

Fordyce makes 1 off Freeth’s 4b ball. Considering what to do

Shilling positioning for delayed tp up to h5. No tpo from Fordyce as he chooses to tighten up break instead

Shilling has nice forward rush after h5

Disaster for Edmund as he crashed into h6 taking off to h3 pioneer. Nicely dribbles of his 6 yarder and is back in control

Shilling gets 4b peel and rushes nicely to 6

really big turn for shilling in the context of the match I feel. Needs to put that game 1 loss out of his mind and a +26tp would be the way to do it

Looks like it will be a spread from Fordyce who has just made 3b

Shilling making 3b off partner with other two balls up at penult. Got a bit scrambly there but will still have chance for a straight double

Fordyce completes his spread as Freeth ducks off to the bathroom

Freeth lying down... might have a bit of a target

Not enough to justify shooting at as his lifts his h4 ball and will shoot from 4y west of C3

Casting.... casting... not close. Makes it to C4 though

Shilling is through 4b with peelee handy to penult

2ft penult peel

Fordyce’s rush to one isn’t great. Taking off from half way between 1 and 5

Well short

Shilling’s peelee goes past rover by a yard but is well off to the side

after Edmund plays back to 5y from partner, Freeth opts for a 9 yard wide join. Edmund centres 5 yarder off SB in front of one

Shillings rush rover is 2ft 10 degrees

Rush to rover*

Turns the hat backwards to line up the peel like the cool cat he is

Meanwhile Fordyce is setting a leave

Long stalk from shilling... effective! Peels to 1y off SB

Good leave from Fordyce with Y (h4) East of 3 R 2y SW of two and a dolly rush to h1

##shilling equalises 1-1 +26tp##

The crowd erupts

And by that I mean myself and one other person clapped

Freeth plays R to C4... interesting choice but assumes he’ll get another shot

##Game 3 of Shilling vs Bryant##

1. Supershot from Bryant 4y SW of peg
2. Shilling just N of C4
3. Bryant misses and isn’t happy about it

Fordyce has failed h2 with all the balls out

Was approaching from distance

4. Shilling connects well and will have good chance of first break

Big shot by Freeth loading 5 going to partner at 3 from WB.... stays in by just less than a ft

Misses 5 yarder

Fordyce has choice of 10 yarders

Crunches one with his h2 ball

He is taking croquet in C4 with a ball at 4 and a ball at 3

Shilling has blobbed h1 and Bryant hits his 5 yarder for a break

Fordyce has made 2 and has a chance of a standard tp

Bryant pops blue to h2

Fordyce gets 4b peel after 3 but is hampered from escape ball

Calls ref... hits it but now has to play the roll

approaches 4 from 4y straight... 1.5y hoop. Crushes through to boundary and is in full control again

Gets penult peel after 6.

Bryant pops blue through 2 after 1b

It'll be a straight rover peel for Edmund who is now approaching 4b

Bryant has made 3b and has nothing resembling leave

Yet

Fordyce doesn't have peelee as tight as he would like... 2y east

Will have nice tight rush on it though

Rushes peelee to 1y 30 degrees

Sub optimal

Definitely makeable

Won't be Irishing

Greg has made a reverse OSL with blue on WB

Gets peel... Angled hoop

Jumps it through but had 5 yard return

Misses

To B baulk

Shilling shooting at ball in middle of lawn with blue and misses to near corner 3

Josh rushes ball on b baulk to near 1b

Playing his h4 ball

Bryant has left himself a rush to 1 a bit on the long side... 10 yards

Approaching from 7 yards east

Well short

B is at 2, K at 1 Bryant lays up near corner 3

Freeth is just building a break

Shilling hits with h1 ball from h1 down to h2

Shilling has made h1 but has got much of a H2 pioneer

Freeth just having a ball to the peg, maybe a go at a stp

Nope he will not

Shilling approaching 2 off partner from WB

1y straightish

Freeth just about to approach 4b

Shilling makes 2 and now a good chance at a break

Will be a tight spread

For Freeth

Shilling has break under control approaching 5

Again very flat spread, Josh sa
us Edmund has a third of partner at peg which is 5 yards

Going from a baulk... It's quite long

To stay in the match

HIT
BOSCH

##Edmund takes a game back, 2-1 to Freeth##

Edmund just informed me that he missed the ball he was aiming by 2 ft

Once again proving the hypothesis that there is no luck in AC

GC specialist Hamish McIntosh is laughing beside me

Shilling has made good NSL with Bryant’s 4b ball at 4

Bryant pacing around A baulk purposefully

Taking long lift with 4b ball

The line has not been kind to him today

waiting for some more oblivious bowlers to walk by

Still waiting

Finally the line is clear of spectators... Bryant misses

Shilling ends up approaching 3 from h6... looks angled... blobs it

Failed off Bryant’s h1 ball... Bryant contemplating if he has enough of the ball to shoot at. R is in C4 and he decides to have a shot at it instead... middles it

Tries to croquet R to 2 but gets a bit of the peg. Lovely 1 y rush to 1 and he has a potential finishing turn

##Game 4, Fordyce v Freeth##

1. Freeth (RY) to EB
2. Edmund plays K 1ft south of C2

3. Freeth misses partner by not much

4. Edmund misses balls on EB

Greg is through h2 with a standard tp in front of him

5. Freeth rushes partner well to h1 gets a rush pointing at c4

Bryant gets 4b peel after 3

Freeth takes off to h2 from corner 2, it’s 1y straight and its creamed into the wire!

First hoop failed from Freeth all day

6. Edmund has 10 yarder. Misses to middle of SB. Freeth’s R and Y are wired through 6

Taking on 9 yarder into C2... gets a quarter of it

Will Freeth try the approach again?

Yes he will

It’s very angled

45 degrees

Think he’ll head back to partner

Nope I’m wrong

Hoop attempt gets near wire

Greg didn’t get peel after 6... plays death roll going to 2b... clean peel but 5 yarder at 2b pioneer. Approaching from 4y to the side

Greg has very angled 2b

30 degrees 1 yard... cleanly through

Edmund shoots from corner 2 to SB... misses

Josh shooting ball at hoop 2 too ball on line of 3 and 4 level with h6

Chokes on some macadamia nuts first, then centres it

Classic freeth

Thick take off loading 3 going to B and K on SB

I’ve seen Greg have to hit a series of 5 yarders. Which he does

Freeth under approaches 2 from 3 yards. Runs a good hoop

Should be a ball to 4b now for Freeth

Greg approaching penult with peelee pretty close to rover

Josh blobs hoop 4 out of nowhere! Was a bit angled but just a badly hit shot

Looked under hit

Edmund misses 6 yarder.

Few errors creeping in from both now

Bryant peeling from reasonably short range slight angle though

Josh runs 4 from his favourite place... the jaws. And will resume his break

Clean peel from Bryant

1ft pegout

##Greg Bryant takes a 2-1 lead over Chris Shilling, winning game 3 26tp-11##

Bit of a loose croquet stroke trying to dig ball out of 1 but dribbled off 3 yarder at pioneer nicely and now has as ball in lawn

Balls

Freeth makes a spread.

##Game 4 Bryant v Shilling##

Shilling to EB level with h5

Bryant hits Corner 2 yard peg

Fordyce lifts ball at 2 and will shoot down from corner 3

Can someone hit a shot down the line

Again checks slope of ground first... just hit it harder bro

Misses by nothing into corner 4

Shilling misses partner 3rd turn

Bryant makes double from b baulk... centres it

Josh underushes to1... 2 yard take off falls short! Bit of a slow patch there I think.

Contemplating

Meanwhile Greg’s hoop stroke is still as good as ever. Running 1 with no sides leaving a rush to nothing

Freeth smacks of centre of NB

Fordyce misses partner in C4

Freeth has 12 yarder to hit...

Bryant trying a load of 3 getting position at h2... however the other ball looks in the way

It’s short

But runnable

Not tempted he joins up on SN

SB

Freeth to corner 3

Interesting

Shilling shooting from h2 to Greg on SB

Takes a bit of the lawn with him... dribbles past by nothing

Fordyce take off to Josh in corner 3 and hits testing 5 yarder

Croquets it 3y NW of 1 going to R on NB

Thick take off sendingR 2y south of h2going back to partner

Meanwhile Bryant is through h2 on his first break

Freeth shooting with Y (4b) at Edmund in C4... looked like a wide double

Freeth hits

Sets leave with K 1y E of 2, B on SB level with 4, R with rush to 1 in C3

Fordyce shoots with K at R and Y... likes it but misses

Josh over approaches 1 from 4yards SW

Edmund has 13 yarder at josh... opts for C4 his other ball is at h3.

Josh has 4 yard cut rush to 1... plays it very well. Approaching from just behind

Third time is not the charm for Freeth who under approaches thru the same slow patch

Trying almost impossible jump...

It’s through! Cracking shot

Now what though

Freeth chooses huge roll from h1 loading 3 trying to get a rush to 2 on K which is N of 3... well short

Who needs a rush when you can just play a big roll to position?

This hoop looks angled... but less than the last one. This one is 45 degrees

Jumping...

Pops it through

This is the type of tight break play you expect from us NZ youngsters

Freeth can’t help himself but giggle as he’s walks past

The paper towel comes out for the sweaty hands

Greg has made an OSL vs Chris

Good h4 pioneer. Approaching 3 from 4y west though

Taking off

1 yard hoop run by 7 yards... snicks return and all of a sudden Freeth has a chance at a delayed tp to take the match

Take off to corner 4 is a touch short... hits 4 yarder

Shilling misses 13 yarder from A baulk

I think Greg also popped partner to 2 at some point

Bryant’s rush to h2 is short... copes and is now on finishing break

Both Bryant and Freeth on match winning turns at the moment

Bryant has standard tp, Freeth a delayed. Bryant get 4b peel after 3

Freeth gets 4b peel going to 6

Paper towel comes out again

Bryant peels penult after 6

Freeth has angled 3b... nice way to increase chances of a forward rush though

No problem

Crashes into peelee losing penult means it’ll have to be a third straight double

Loading*

Bryant looking under control approaching 3b

Freeth Peeling penult from 1.5ft straight

Peels it to 2ft past peg... however gets a bit of hill which might make rush difficult

He will have a side ball and no deep ball, trying to get decent rush

Bryant has peeled rover from close range

Josh slightly hampered

Make that moderately hampered

He is straight on it though

1.5yards straight

##Greg Bryant wins game 4 +26tp to take match 3-1##

Josh peeling from 1.5 yards btw

Might like that deep ball now

Peelee into middle of wire. But bounces off harmlessly. Red curls nicely to Josh’s happy place, the jaws

He’s quite fortunate to be in a makeable position

Josh gets a spread out of it

Fordyce shooting from near end of B baulk at josh who is in lawn

Last shot...

Misses by absolutely nothibg

Thought it had hit

One good rush is all Freeth needs now

Rushes R into Edmunds ball near WB

1 yard take off now

Plays it well

Rush is decent. 1.5y NW

Can he get a rush back to red

Yes but it’s a 2 yard rush

Nails it

##Josh Freeth wins game 4 +26 to win the match 3-1##