[<<] [>>] by Samir Patel at Surbiton
11th September 2011 (AC - Championships)

James Hopgood Won the Chairman's on 10 Wins, Ahead of Samir Patel, Mark Avery and Jeff Dawson on 9 Wins

Conditions at Surbiton are dry, with a light breeze. Lawns look good, and are predicted to run at around 11 seconds. Lawns 1 and 2 are usually slightly quicker than 3 and 4. The hoops and firmly and fairly set, but there's enough moisture in the ground to ensure that we are unlikely to see many failed hoops. A motion was put by one of the players that the whole event be played super-advanced, but this failed to get unanimous approval. 2 of the 4 first-round games were Super Advanced. The manager has ruled that players have an all-or-nothing choice for super-advanced laws - i.e. TV0 or TV3, not TV1 or TV2.

Round 1

• Samir to 1-back; tight reverse spread; James hits, fails 2-back. Samir SXP, but fails combo peg-out. Some interaction. +19(3)
• Mark to 4-b, sent ball off setting contact leave; Robin cross-wired himself after 1-back on TPO; Mark +19(3)
• David got first break eventually, to 4-back with bad leave, Jeff missed, David failed 2, Jeff to 4-back and then TP.
• Miranda won an interactive game against Chris +5 (0)

Round 2

• Jeff had a quick +26tp(0) win against Miranda
• Chris reports that nothing of any note happened in his game against David
• Samir had a first ball to 4b with 2 pops (TV3), after some interaction Robin had a TPO, and while Samir hit enough to get 2 squeezes, missed after 3.
• Mark had a first ball to 4b (TV3), James didn't get going off the contact, but Mark failed 2. James TPO, Mark finished from contact.

Round 3

• Mark to 4b (TV3) turn 4; David took innings off contact, but missed cut after 2; some interaction during which David got to 1b, before Mark TP
• Samir hits own duffer, misses 7 yd after 1; Miranda to 4b, TP fails Irish at rover; Samir to 4b with good reverse NSL; Miranda hits, Samir misses +16TP(0)
• James misapproached 2 on turn 4, Chris to 4b NSL; TP failed at hoop 6, James to 4b DSL and rough TP
• Jeff beat Robin +16tp(3) eventually

Round 4

• Samir 5th turn TP failed hampered after 4; Chris 4b NSL; Samir TP (again) hits partner after rover. Chris TP fails 4, Samir +14(0)
• Mark first to 4b (TV3), Jeff TPO direct from contact but missed pegout. Elects to scatter, Mark finished from lift to position
• Robin can't quite remember what happened, but reports it as interactive.
• After a mixed start, Miranda to 4b OSL, TP failed Irish at rover, James 4b old NSL, TP and is now checking his ranking

So, at the end of day 1, we have the most likely set of results (4,3,2,2,2,2,1,0) had all games been determined by random chance, which suggests that the event is closely contested, with all 8 players very much still in the running. Lawns 1 and 2 are being cut tonight.

Morning reports are that five players had a long night, but I think they're all still talking to each other. There has been some overnight rain, and while it looks like there's been quite a lot, the rain gauge reports only 2mm. Lawns 3 and 4 have been cut this morning.

Round 5

• Robin 5th turn TP from supershot
• James to 4b in two breaks (TV3), TP (27 minutes, about 20 minutes after the other three games finished)
• Jeff to 3b (TV3); Samir extremely generous from the contact (loaded Jeff's 3b ball to hoop 1 and then fell of the lawn by his hp 1 ball); Jeff QP
• Chris auto-pop to 2 on turn 2, Mark 5th turn TP

Round 6

• James failed 1, Jeff to 3b (TV3), James 2 breaks to 4b, TP
• Chris to 4b (TV3); Robin TPO from contact, but failed at hoop 6; Chris finished
• Mark to 4b 4th turn; Miranda hits to 4b NSL; Mark hits with fwd ball has leave; Miranda hits fails 2b; Mark TP
• Samir +20stp(3) after much interaction including 5 peels from Samir

The players of the Chairman's would like to know what circumstances might require a player in the President's to need spare underwear.

Lunch is roast pepper and horseradish cream blini, followed by pancetta wrapped chicken breast stuffed with gorgonzola and cranberry, minted new potatoes. Snow cheese and fruit compote or orange in caramel. Mark has gone to the greasy spoon.

Round 7

• David failed delayed TP, but still won (!)
• Samir to 4b turn 5 (TV3), Some interaction during which Mark got to hp 4, but missed return. Samir lifted hp 1 ball from baulk and hit 9yd, TP
• Robin to 1b (TV3), SXP but failed 1b. James to 3b, missing hampered after 2b. Robin failed STP, some interaction, James +3QP(3)
• Jeff won an interactive game, including 3-ball finish against Chris

Round 8

• Mark +26tp turn 6 (TV0) after Robin declined TV3 in favour of an all-or-nothing supershot
• Jeff to 4b (TV3); David TPO but failed 4b from nowhere with 2 peels done. Jeff +17
• Chris first to 4b with DSL; Miranda hit to 4b with NSL; Chris hits but misapproches 1; Miranda hits, to peg; Chris TP despite jawsing peelee in 3 (not 4b), failing cannon, half jumping and rush peeling.
• James +26tp in three breaks NC after Samir missed all three by nothing

After play, Liz arranged a cider tasting: Dawson, Williams and Aspalls. Dawson good on nose, very dry; Williams less nose, more buttery notes, but two years older; Aspalls commercial, sweeter.

There doesn't appear to be any news of late night activity, although players seem more lively than yesterday so I suspect it wasn't as late. Surprise has been expressed that "3/3" and "Andrew Gregory" have appeared in very close proximity in the Selector's report.

The sun in threatening to break through the clouds for the first time, and although the forecasts are variable on sunshine, they are no longer forecasting rain this afternoon. Once again all four lawns have been mown since the end of play, so we may see a little more pace in the lawns later today. We can also expect the hoops to start putting up more resistance.

Round 9

• Jeff hits duffer turn 3, gets rush on yard line ball and to 4b (TV3); Samir has leave; Jeff corners, Samir goes off the lawn (see round 5); Jeff TP
• Chris to 4b turn 4 (TV3), James TPO from contact, Chris failed 1 off contact and after some lurking James finished
• Miranda to hoop 5 with impromptu leave; Robin hit and had leave, Miranda hit and won in three breaks
• Mark and David had an interactive start, but Mark got into a TPO aiming for 3 v 2b and two balls off, but was faulted in the jump shot (lawn damange) after straight irish peel at Rover. Post event inspection revealed a V-shaped indentation the same width as the mallet head, with traces of lawn on the mallet. David then plays some really odd promotion through rover from the contact and ends up wired from everything after the first croquet stroke. Despite some odd choices in the two-ball finish, Mark prevailed +6(3).

Round 10

• Mark to 4b turn 4 (TV3), Chris to 1b from contact, 4b and NSL, TP ("one of my best")
• Standard Super Advanced 7th turn +26tp in three breaks
• Miranda had all the early play, but sent a ball off approaching 4 on second break. Samir to 4b with reverse PSL and TP
• James to 4b in 2 breaks, David hit and TPO but failed 4 with 4b jawed, James +23TP(L)(3)

Round 11

• Robin 4th turn to 1b, tight cross-peg. SXP with 6 peels, but hampered after rover. Wins shortly after.
• Miranda 6th turn TP against tournament leader Mark
• James hits turn 3, DL. Jeff hits 4b (TV3). James joins Samir in donating free TPs to Jeff, who makes no mistake
• Samir turn 4 to 4b (TV3), Chris has leave, Samir hits + TP

With one round remaining tonight, we have three players on 8 wins. Mark has to play both James and Jeff, so any of the three can win outright if they win all of their remaining games.

Round 12

• Some interaction, James to 4b DSL, Miranda hits, to 4b OSL, TP fails at 2b, James TP
• Samir turn 4 to 4b (TV3), David leave, Samir misses, David TPO, but eventually missed a 4 yd shot leaving Samir a 15 yarder. Samir +12 OTP(3)
• Chris first break, fails 4, Robin to 1b tight XP, SXP but faults hampered rush to 2b with 3 peels done, Chris to 4b in two breaks, Robin STP 2 peels, leave. Chris hits TP
• Bit of messing about at the beginning, then Mark to 3b (TV3), Jeff missed an 8yder setting up leave off contact, Mark hit 12yd and finished

With 2 rounds to play, Mark and James are both on 9 wins and can still ensure an outright win. They are due to play each other first thing tomorrow which will be a key game. Jeff can get to a play off with two wins, but needs the top two to each drop a game. Dinner conversation revealed that James has found a location from which he can't check the rankings - from Chris Williams' front room while staying during the Maugham Salver.

Another 3mm of rain overnight, so combined with a fresh mow of all lawns once again means we can expect conditions to be more or less the same as for previous games. David's two games are dead, but all other players can influence the result. The critical Mark v James match is up first on lawn 3.

Round 13

• Interactive game with Chris to 4b, then David to 2b first, Chris to peg, David to peg with pop and riggal, leaving 3b and peg v 4b alone, but forgot he was leaving only a lift, and put a ball in I, from which Chris finished.
• Jeff beat Miranda +26tp turn 6 (TV0)
• Mark had early play and was first to 4b. Some interaction from the contact, before James finally got a TPO going. Mark failed 1 off the contact, and didn't take croquet again.
• Samir to 4b (TV3) turn 5 after Robin missed own Duffer. Robin has leave, Samir hits and has leave then TP

Round 14

• Mark hits from III turn 3, but hits hoop 4 rolling to Duffer, has leave. Samir hits to 4b (TV3). Mark has leave. Samir hits 25yrd, TP
• Robin took an early first break to 4b, which was followed by much interaction, including Robin sticking in 1b from nowhere on a TP before James got a break and pegged out Robin. Robin finished from the contact.
• Two errors from Jeff were enough to ensure Chris recovered from peeling 4b off the lawn to win +26.
• Miranda first to 4b (TV3), David got going off contact, TPO. Some interaction later, David got going to win.

With the final round to play, James needed to win to secure a win. Mark and Jeff needed a win and hope James lost to reach a play-off. As it was, Samir and Chris had quick wins over Mark and Jeff, bringing the winning line past James, who was struggling against Robin, having put down a TPO. Clips as I write are 1+Penult (Robin) plays 2+4 (James), at which point James wins the Chairman's Salver.

Positions after 14 Rounds

Results to date: