Current state of affairs...

Still the first game, Avery blobbed 1B, Fulford to 4B with 2 pops, Avery’s back ball to 4B, Fulford hit in and set a leave but with the balls the wrong way around, and other stuff probably happened.

Anyway, Rob’s on a TP now, approaching 2B off partner with one peel done. Mark’s on 1B & Peg.

Peelee now in place before 3B. Rushes to the nicely positioned pioneer at 3B but a bit short. Still ends up slightly over hitting the 4B pioneer.

Gets the rush out of 3B via a nice tight approach. Obvs. Knocks Peelee to 2.5 yards straight. Sails through to most of the way to peg.

Conditions have been great btw - not too difficult, but not much room for complacency.

Slightly angled 4B for Rob, with the escape ball NE of the hoop. Smacks it through.

Rushes to near E boundary, about peg high. Leaves a rush on Peelee facing North.

Peelee 1y N of Rover

Slightly over hits the tiny penult approach, strokes it through anyway, hitting the escape ball.

Escape ball 1 at Rover is level with 1, halfway between 1&5, other is right next to the hoop. Peel made, ends up in jaws. Usual set up follows, smacks Peelee a bit, but a 2y peg out.

Done. I’ll try some Markdown for some fancy formatting, so if stuff looks weird, don’t blame me.

Fulford leads 1-0

Straight into the second game - Avery starts, E level with 4. Duffer from Fulford which rushes to 1. Avery shoots at partner, looks confident but noooo...

There’s about a ball and a half between them to go through...

And Rob obliges, straight through the gap.

Tiny promotion from Mark, a bit surprised he didn’t play to the ball at 6, but straight to H1.

On the next lawn, Jimbo’s smashing through hoop 2, seemingly on a sextuple. Not like him to go for the fun stuff in the Swiss! Peeling 1B going to his escape ball which, of course, is in C4. Peels well, but misses the 8ish yarder. Boooo!

“Typical precision from Avery in getting this break perfect” I start to type, before he gets ultra scruffy around H3. But he’s fine. Completely under control now.

Harry won the Plate btw. Paddy was close, but preferred the idea of going home to challenging. Harry says it’s because he was scared, and challenges him to a £1000 1-Ball playoff next time they meet*

• That didn’t happen

Stupid formatting.

Avery bounces partner off H5 instead of sending it to 1B. Not a big deal.

It’s Super, of course. So Avery has partner plus another ball at 1B, to leave partner in C2.

Perfectly in C2. All going to plan...

Oppo’s balls going somewhere around C4, as usual.

Left them a yard W and a yard N of C4. I know it’s a typical thing rubbish people like me consider, but they do look close enough to rush to 3, where his ball goes.

Rob’s obviously not as good as me. He turns down the rush.

Took the slightly W ball and wandered halfway to C3 before changing his mind, going back to partner, and rolling into C1. Left them in C1 and 2-3 yards NE of that. Avery’s fairly obliged to shoot C2 to C3...

Takes it incredibly quickly, and misses.

Here comes “Poppy Rob”...

(Because he likes to get a couple of pops in on oppo on his way round)

Rob runs H1, rushes nicely to 6 yards S of Avery’s balls

Rob’s asking for a ref, not sure why. Maybe to umpire where the balls go to ensure the cannon? Maybe questioning if they’re properly on?

Rob hits the inside ball. The ref was to be sure about which ball he hit.

Poor cannon, only halfway to H2! Rolls, not a nice hoop but very do-able. Takes it fairly quickly and rejected.

It was off Avery’s H1 ball, which has a 7ish yarder, slightly obscured by the hoop.

Mark nails it to the South boundary, pretty much C1.

Other two balls are vaguely around Hoop 3.

Avery 1&4B, Fulford 1&2.

Poor croquet stroke - big roll sends oppo to nearly N boundary by 2, and leaves a 6 yarder. Hits, of course, but now has a 5 yard roll to a ball at H3 which he wants to rush to 1...

Very, very good. 3 yards S of H1 for the approach.

Ahhhh, but H1 shot doesn’t get any wire, so a 6 yard return. Misses!

Avery H2 ball S boundary by H1, 4B ball N of 4B, Rob’s H2 ball near N boundary by 2, and H1 ball a few yards NE of H1.

Rob lags his H1 ball to near partner, but rolls off a bit, leaving a rush for the H2 ball pointing mostly West.

Avery shoots his 4B ball at one of Rob’s balls. Misses.

Rob shoots his H2 ball at Avery’s near C2, only 6 yards or so but nearly misses - skims it. Not got everything here. H3 pioneer is nearer H6, has to cut to H2. But manages. Should be fine to go round this turn.

Normal 3 ball break going on. H5 pioneer is East, which is a bit weird seeing as the fourth ball (Avery’s H2 ball) is S of H1. Rushes partner to C4 after H4, sends It to 6 going to the stray ball.

And he has a 4 ball break. Probably only wants one pop, as Avery has somewhat done the first for him.

Popping H2 after 1B...

...jawses it.

Partner going to 3B before 2B.

Rushing back to the H2 ball after 2B. 3B pioneer is a couple of yards E of 3B, which isn’t ideal.

Gets the rush peel, takes off pretty nicely to 3B. Oppo balls both by H2. Avery will be 3&4B, Rob will be 1&4B. Let’s see what the leave will be...

Rob rushes partner to pretty much C4. Taking off back to oppo balls at H2.

Take off keeps going, but the crowd seem more nervy about it than Fulford. Not got a useful rush anywhere, though.

Rolls the (now) H3 ball to a yard or so outside C2. Doesn’t have much of a rush with the 4B ball but seems happy leaving it on the W boundary a little S of H2. And shoots into C1. Avery’s on the lawn and taking his H3 ball to C4 before Rob’s our his clips on 4B.

So Avery thick take off from C4, get within a foot of the H1 ball, sending the other ball up the E boundary level with H4. Taps the H1 ball. Sending it to H3 going to partner.

Rob H1 ball East boundary level with 4
Rob 4B ball 4 yards SW of H3
Avery laying up probably wired from the 4B ball W of H2.

Rob straight over to the ball at H3.

Rob shooting his H1 ball at his ball at H3. 20-something yarder...

This game probably hinges on this one shot...

Missed.

Avery rushes to H3, talking off back to the ball Rob just missed with. Doesn’t look like he can get Peelee in front.

I know nothing, Jon Snow. Peelee in good enough position. Avery rolling from N boundary loading H4, getting position to rush to H3. H4 pioneer great, rush position not so much, but this is Avery, so cuts it perfectly.

Basic triple to make it 1-1

Oh. But runs the hoop a bit too cleanly. Gets an annoying curve, can’t see peelee. Plays escape ball first.

Against Jamie earlier, Mark left his H5 pioneer at 4B. Doesn’t seem to be doing so this time.

Nasty curve on a little take off at H4! Horrible hoop!

Avery doesn’t think so, straight through. Maybe I should follow him around, and ask him to tell me what to write. He’s be okay with that, right?

He rushes to NW (boundary) of H6 after 4. Puts it near 4B as a H6 pioneer, positions Peelee nicely.

Wind has suddenly picked up, and there’s a little rain. God wants Fulford to win, it seems...

No rush after 5, and roll to Peelee veers off course. Angley peel which he jawses.

Rushes to N boundary, almost directly N of 4B after 6.

Basically perfect. Rush peels 4B.

The crowd is thinning. Weak mortals.

After 1B doesn’t get great rush position on Peelee, but cleverly* bounces off the hoop to make it better.

• I don’t think he meant that.

Those bullet points are the asterisk things. Ruining my flow.

Doesn’t get the peel, but fine on 2B and rushes back to penult.

Not trying the peel before 3B, just tidying up ready to do it before 4B.

He’s so annoying. He wasn’t tidying up, he jawsed the penult peel superbly, getting to ideal position at 3B.

He’s only doing this to make me look like I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s just rude.

Wanders down to rover to have a look. Planning to rush peel all the way down and take off back?

Yeah, I know what I’m talking about! Rushes to rover. Nasty take off back to 4B pioneer avoiding peg, but he’s fine.

Rush after 4B pointing W, but cuts it nicely to Rover.

Quite a few crowd questions similar to “Why is X ball there?”

Basically things are losing control a little. Thick take off back to penult isn’t great, but rush to the hoop is.

Straight rover peel coming up to make it 1-1. Rolling from E of penult to a ball NE of Rover, rushes 3 yards W of Peelee, which is 1 yard W of rover.

Ew! 45 degree peel! Cut the little rush.

Will have to jaws and leave the half jump

Striker’s ball too far - can’t half jump!

Tries anyway. Gets the peel but doesn’t make the hoop. Fulford has all 4 balls together at Rover to make a standard triple to win the title.

Wow!

Rob rushes a ball E, and sends it to 2, but ends up basically in the jaws of rover! Samir is on to ref. It’s a straight shot, but that was poor!

Making H1 off partner, I get the feeling I can right the rest of the commentary now...

All very much going to plan

Jimbo and I are lamenting the lack of beer time if this is the final turn

4B peeled after 3.

I’m struggling to find stuff to commentate about here. Asking to help.

For help, not to help.

They’re no help.

Suggested the possible peel of penult before 5. It’s dumb - we know that.

Penult peel after 6 was a bit ugly. Left peelee only just through. Jimbo suggests rushing escape ball to N boundary with striker’s ball knocking peelee out a little, as it doesn’t matter where the escape ball goes. And Rob seems to try it, but just misses. Good attempt, everything’s still fine.

Rob speeding along. Rover peel very possible before 3B, as he runs 2B.

Pretty flawless, this. Take off peel doesn’t touch the sides going to 3B.

I’ll try to make it more exciting now.

3B pioneer FAR too close to hoop. Most delicate shot needed.

Survives. VERY lucky.

Leaves a rush on Peelee, but Rover is in the way!!!!

Just manages to avoid it

By a foot or so.

Peelee is MILES from the peg! No idea how he’ll get it back there, with only 3 hoops to go.

A child just shouted! Maybe Rob will lose his nerve...

Difficult 2 inch straight penult...

Makes it

Is Rob going to peel oppo on rover to make it exciting?!?!

No. Seems not.

DISASTER! Hits a ball after rover on the hoop stroke!

4 inch peg out. I’ve seen these missed.

But not this time. Rob Fulford wins the Surrey’s, and was really quite good. Unlucky to Avery, and to me I guess.

Rob’s kids celebrate with him :)

Avery: “I’m not going to shake his hand”

COVID or mega-anger? Possibly the former.

Brilliant tournament, great people, great lawns, great food, great everything.

Well done Rob!