[<<] [>>] by Phil Cordingley
28th November 2006 (The MacRobertson Shield)

GREAT Britain v. USA

GB complete their comprehensive win over the USA by winning two of the last three doubles for an overall 19-2 victory.

Robert Fulford came close to another two-sxp win in his and Chris Clarke's match against Bob Cherry & Danny Huneycutt. With four peels done and everything under control in game 1, he inexplicably clanged 2b from what looked like about a foot dead in front. He made no such mistake in the second, completing a text book turn for his 5th sxp of the tournament. After Chris had made the 1b leave in the first, the Americans had claimed a wiring lift. The referee had used a mirror placed on the ground at 45 degrees to the vertical to conduct the test. After much speculation, we later learned that this was to avoid the referee having to get down inelegantly to ground level to sight the balls. Either that or Danny was worried his make-up had smudged.

After a somewhat scrappy first, Mark Avery and David Maugham took the second clinically for a straight games win over Rich Lamm and Jeff Soo, David completing an 8th turn TP.

Two triples from Jerry Stark in his and Damon Bidencope's match against Keith Aiton & Jonathon Kirby gave the Americans a second consolation win in the last match to finish. The match was characterized by good play mixed with errors by all. Keith Aiton got the Brits back in the match with a triple at the second time of asking in the second, after Jerry had taken the first with one of his own. Jerry then took the match out to much applause from the locals after the Brits? shooting deserted them in the decider.

We had been receiving reports of a Kiwi fight back in the final six singles of their match against Australia. After our match finished everyone piled back to Rich River to see if they could do GB a favour by completing it, but in the end Australia clung on for an 11-10 victory. So after tomorrow's rest day the fate of the 2006 MacRobertson Shield will be decided, fittingly, by a straight showdown between the hosts Australia and the holders Great Britain. New Zealand and the USA will similarly fight it out for the wooden spoon, and with it the honour of rendering a version of their National Anthem to all assembled at the closing ceremony.

Chris Clarke & Robert Fulford beat Bob Cherry & Danny Huneycutt +14, +25sxp(F)

Game 1

1) Rob goes to II
2) Danny goes to optimum position on E boundary
3) Chris misses Danny from A baulk
4) Bob misses double from B baulk
5) Chris goes to 1b
6) Danny misses tea lady
7) Rob peels 1b before 2, 2b going to 4, 3b going to 6, 4b going to 2b. Peelee stays in jaws of 4b, Rob clangs easy 2b thinking about what to do about it
8) Danny goes to 4b with a spread
9) Rob misses long lift
10) Bob makes 1 & 2, gets hampered after 3 and misses sweep
11) Rob finishes from 2b & penult

Game 2

1) Bob lays standard E boundary ball
2) Chris goes to II
3) Danny misses partner from III to IV
4) Rob hits Bob from A baulk, fails to get a rush to 1 or roll up, joins partner in II
5) Danny hits opponents from 1 to II but clangs 1
6) Chris misses opponents at 1 from 2 into I
7) Bob hits 7 yarder at partner, makes 1, rushes partner to 2 but clangs it to cross wired position
8) Chris misses partner by IV from I
9) Danny misses opponents in IV from 2
10) Chris goes to 1b
11) Bob misses tea lady
12) Rob finishes (peels 1b before 2, 2b going to 4, 3b going to 6, 4b going to 2b, penult going to 4b, straight rover)

Mark Avery & David Maugham beat Rich Lamm & Jeff Soo +7, +26tp (M)

Game 1

1) Mark lays ss
2) Jeff goes to E boundary level with rover
3) David hits Jeff from A baulk but clangs 1
4) Rich hits 6 yarder from A baulk, goes to 4b with a ?B? spread (opponents balls open across peg). Croquets partner towards IV and goes to II.
5) Mark misses in II from B baulk
6) Rich lays up on E boundary by 4 with opponent balls at 1 & 3. Mark hits opponent on E boundary from 1, grovels through 1 and has to retire to E boundary near partner
7) Jeff hits partner on E boundary from 1, also grovels through it, but can hit escape ball. Jawses 4b peel after 3, grovels through 6 and has to hit escape ball. Does peel going to 1b anyway, but clangs 1b after over-hitting longish approach short
8) David does SPO, leaving partner (for 1) on E boundary with hoop 6 in way of roll up to 1b, himself in I
9) Jeff takes contact in I, but takes off the lawn N of Mark
10) Mark rushes to III, takes off to partner in I and leaves rush to 1
11) Jeff misses III to I
12) Mark gets going with good rushes to 2 and 3, but misses 3 yarder at hoop 4 pioneer, randomly finishing in the jaws
13) Jeff shoots at ball in jaws from 5, misses, but cannons off hoop to S boundary
14) Mark runs 4 from within jaws to S boundary, picks up Jeff and finishes

Game 2

1) Rich lays ss
2) Mark goes to optimum position on E boundary
3) Jeff misses Mark from B baulk
4) David misses Mark from A baulk
5) Rich misses opponents from ss position
6) Mark goes to 4b with an MSL
7) Jeff misses short lift
8) David runs hoop 1 by 18 yards, roquets hoop 2 pioneer and finishes

Keith Aiton & Jonathan Kirby lost to Damen Bidencope & Jerry Stark -26tp (S), +15tp (A), -26tp (S)

Game 1

1) Keith lays ss
2) Damon hits from I, croquets Keith towards II and goes to IV
3) Jonathan misses partner from B baulk
4) Jerry hits opponent double from B baulk, rolls off 1 from 8 yards, but clangs 2 after backward take off approach
5) Jonathan clangs 1 to W boundary off partner
6) Jerry misses partner 3 yards E of 4 from 2
7) Jonathan misses 8 yarder at partner
8) Damon goes to 4b with an MSL
9) Keith lifts ball on 2 and misses short lift
10) Jerry finishes

Game 2

1) Damon lays ss
2) Keith joins 2 yards E of ss
3) Jerry misses to level with penult
4) Jonathan hits 11 yarder from B baulk, goes to 4b, popping Damon to 2. Misses 4 yard rush on partner after laying spread
5) Jerry hits 6 yarder at the peg, rolls off 1 from 8 yards, but just grovels through. Hits hoop 2 pioneer, makes 2 and rushes escape ball into penult. Recovers and goes to 4b with an MSL
6) Jonathan misses short lift
7) Damon clangs 2 on Keith
8) Keith makes 1 with standard TP laid, but misses 3 yard return roquet after 2
9) Jerry lays up with rush between 1 and W boundary, opponent hoop 3 ball 4 yards N 4 and 4b ball 3 yards W of 2
10) Jonathan misses partner at 4 from 2
11) Damon clangs 2 on Keith again, but this time wired from him
12) Keith misses partner by 3 from 2 to E boundary
13) Damon runs 2 and misses double at 3
14) Keith finishes, with gratuitous combination peg out

Game 3

1) Keith lays long ss
2) Damon misses ss from I, going partially cross pegged
3) Jonathan misses partner from A baulk to 9 yards off B baulk towards 2
4) Jerry misses 9 yarder from B baulk to W boundary by 1
5) Keith misses partially cross pegged ball, bouncing off peg to 5 yards from partner
6) Damon hits 10 yarder from peg towards 2, goes to 4b with spread
7) Jonathan hits 4 taking short lift, staying by it
8) Jerry cuts partner to 4 yards E of 1, takes off back to ball by 4, sends it to 2 getting rush on peg ball to 1. Finishes