Mark Avery & Sam Murray v James Death & Samir Patel

Samir has won his Plate game, Mark and Sam have been woken up, we'll be starting shortly on lawn 2.
Alison Maugham is currently on lawn 2 against Nelson Morrow, and may well finish this turn.
The Manager has not imposed any format, but he and James have offered everything.
Avery and Murray have accepted both SuperAdvanced, and Alternate Stroke Doubles.

Alison finishes.
Murray is warming up on lawn 5, having not played since this morning.
Manager is bashing hoops in.
I haven't seen top class Alternate Stroke Doubles, this should be fun.
Eugene is broadcasting.
Here comes the toss.
Avery and Murray win the toss, and elect to go first.
Death chooses Red and Yellow.

T1 Avery Blue 8y N of 4th corner.
T2 Patel Yellow hits the corner peg on the W bdry of 2nd corner.
T3 Murray Black at Blue from A-baulk. Misses leaving perfect double.

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T4 Death Red misses double from A-baulk.

T5 A&M Blue rushes Black into Red, promoting it ~3y. Croquet stroke is a bit hard, but good cut rush to 1 by Avery. Avery runs 1, and will be playing croquet strokes to see if they can get thru 2.

T5 Murray Blue rushes Black 2y S of Yellow. Take-off loops alarmingly. Avery approaching 2 from 3y W of hoop. Murray faced with angled hoop, fails.

T6 Patel Yellow has 8-yarder at Black. Hits.

T6 D&P Yellow rolls out, rushes Blue nr Red (which is 7y S of 3). Patel has cut rush to 1, good shot. Now they have 4-ball break.

Mulliner is playing a Z game on lawn 1.
Alison Maugham is playing Eugene Chang in the Plate on lawn 3.

Death & Patel have reached hoop 4. Maybe thinking about POPping Black, but Patel runs 4 too hard for the rush over to 1.

Death and Patel still contemplating POP, doing it with what has to be called a death roll by Death going to hoop 6.

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Hoop 6 is longer than you would like - maybe a yard. Patel runs it, Death misses 7-yard return roquet.

A fairly generous leave - ball in A-baulk and 2 balls near hoop 2.

Mulliner is attempting a sextuple. He needs his spectacles to line up the first peel.

Avery & Murray have 4-ball break.

There's a lot of waving and pointing in Alternate Stroke.
Someone's flying a kite from the neighbouring recreation ground.
There are rumours of a lawn 8 somewhere out there.

Now Murray has a tricky return roquet after 5, maybe a 5-yarder. Copes.

Avery & Murray are making 9 hoops. Yellow has been left near 2nd corner. After 3-back, Black is rushed into 4th corner. Red is rushed to the W bdry, ~12y N of 1st corner. Yellow is adjusted slightly, now 2yE of 2nd corner. Blue into 3rd corner.

Clip update: Avery & Murray: Blue 4-back, Black 2; Death and Patel: Red 1 and Yellow 1-back.

Death & Patel lift Red, knock Blue just S of 3rd corner. Death plays big roll sending Blue 8y N of 1, Red roquets Yellow. Another roll to B-baulk, maybe 5y W of 3rd corner. Leaves 2y rush for Yellow to 1-back.

Avery Blue misses Yellow.

Death & Patel Yellow hit Blue, fail to get rush on Red. Blue is 2y SW of 6. They leave dolly rush to 1-back from B-baulk, presumably wired from Blue.

Blue is going to 3rd corner, but not in it lest Red rushes Yellow for a cannon.

Patel Red rushes Yellow into 3rd corner. Blue is 1' S of corner. Red rushes Blue to 1' W of Black. Red rushes Black to 2y W of 1. Red makes 1 harder than he'd like. Good thrash to near Blue.

Red rushes Blue to 3y W of Yellow. Take-off a tad short, but good cut to 2. Crowd wants sextuple attempt, but sense prevails.

Death & Patel are going for the TPO. Red peels Blue thru 4-back after 3.

Patel has a strange mallet. The top 6" or so of the handle is bent at 15 degrees.

A few big rushes and the TPO is still on track.

Death & Patel Red peels Blue thru penult after 6.

Death & Patel Red peels Blue thru rover before 3-back.
Black clip is on 2, Yellow clip is on 1-back.

Death & Patel Red has Blue, the penult pioneer, nearer to 2. The aim is to peel Yellow after 4-back, but the rush is overhit.
Much discussion ensues.

Death & Patel Red pegs out Blue. Yellow is rushed to near 4th corner, maybe 2y W of it. Red into 1st corner.
Crowd was hoping for 2 balls off, but that was never going to happen.

Avery Black takes contact from Yellow. Yellow is croqueted into the jaws of 3. Black roquets Red. Big roll is too big, Red careers off the N bdry. Black is beyond hoop anyway.
Will Death & Patel take their wiring lift with Yellow? It's a 5-yarder at Red.

Yes, Yellow is lifted to the end of B-baulk. Death Yellow rushes Red into 2nd corner.

Death & Patel Yellow has 3-ball break to finish.

Not many chaps left. Only one other game in play (Eugene and Alison on 3).

Death & Patel Yellow makes 4-back with full control.

Death & Patel win game 1 +12tpo

And that's it for tonight folks.

See you tomorrow for the Singles Semis.