Chris on Friday

19.36

2. Reg leads 6-1 in the first. I'm getting a headache, so that's it for today. I hope I've added some colour to the event.

Chris

19.33

R attempts the jump.................perfect shots through to the S boundary for a straight games win

19.26

Y calls a ref and plays a sweep/poke blocking U from running the hoop or jumping

U clears Y gently blocking R from running the hoop..........good shot

R attempts to jump for the match.........awful shot lands on U which goes 5y SE of 13. R goes 3y W of the peg

K to 5 foot position

Y misses what it could see of K, hitting the hoop

U takes 2 ft position

R hits K rushinh it near C3 and going off in front of 13 itself....good shot

K tAkes position possibly blocking Y at 13

Y hits U but finishes down by 4

U now needs to play back in to blocking position from 8 yards............great shot

R now needs to either jump from 7 yards or clear U to still be in a bad position

19.19

U plays 3 feet NE of 13

R plays 4.5y straight in front of 13

K calls a referee. plays 3y ENE of 11

The referee says "he could have belted the hell out of that and it wouldn't have been a fault"

19.18

Rutger plays a shocker as Y finishes in 4-b. That should give Rob enough tempo to get K back in the hoop

19.16

Rob has generated a northwards clearance which he has to hit - 13 yarder............hits quarter ball and removes both oppo balls. His partner ball is 3y NNE of rover. Rutger tries to move it from 8 yards away, but flicks it to 5ft NW of the hoop. Robs partner ball is within 6y of 13 and onside...........he has to try and run this. Good news..........it's through. Bad news............by 1cm

19.14

1. Hisham Aboesbaa wins 7-6 7-4

2. Reg leads 3-0 in the first

4. Rob has now lost control of rover, but it is still competitive

19.02

3. After much controversy at hoop 9, Mark wins the decider 7-2

4. I'm not entriely sure why Rob just cleared partner to the north boundary, but he is now 5-6 down.

Rutger clears from 14 yards with Rob in front of 12.

Rob still has control at 12

18.53

4. Rob has a ball 5 feet in front of 11 and a ball 8 feet in front off 11. Both are blocking Rutger from running the hoop and he can't hit the ball near the hoop. He plays an attempted jump shot that hits the front ball, cannoning it onto the other one and clears both.........a stroke of good fortune

2. Reg starts the match by running 1 and 2 in the same stroke ............as you do

18.50

4. Rutger has just made a wacky decision. From the middle of the E boundary, he has declined to take position at 11, but attempted to hit his partner ball out of 10..............and failed

3. Mark is now 6-2 up in the decider

2 Reg and Duncan are practicing

1. Is still a long way away.

4. Rutger hits a 15 yarder to get back in hoop 11

18.47

4. After a long battle for 10, Rob jumps over Rutgers ball to make it 5-5. It's not the next ball to play, but it will still cause Rutger a problem

3. 6-1 to Mark

18.42

3. Mark takes a massive 5-0 against the ex-World Champ. Someone seeded this guy outside the top 40!!!

18.40

2. Nezar takes 3.5 yard slightly angled position at 13

Dawson leaves his approach short of level

Nezar sticks another one in there 3 yards in front

Dawson misses narrowly

Nezar has a 3.5 yarder for the match...................it's through and that's some relief for the Egyptian camp

That's 2 of the U21's in the QFs

18.34

3. Mohammed misses a 4 yard clearance and Mark takes a 2-0 lead in the decider

Mark runs 3 from 6 yards down to 3y W of 4

2. Dawson needs to clear from 6 yards.................does so, but doesn't get it wired.

Nezar now needs to clear from 12 yards..............misses. That should be 6-6........yes

18.31

3. Mark runs hoop 1 in the third

4. Rutger is game and 5-4 up

1. Aboesbaa took advantage of being rushed through 12 to take 13 and the first game

3. Mohammed fails a short but slightly hampered hoop 2

2. Dawson has a slightly better position at 12 than Nezar

18.27

2. Nezar runs a good 10 and Dawson fails to take position at 11. Nezar pulls out a good 11 yard clearance and now has a 5 footer to take a 6-5 lead.............runs it off the S boundary to much Bravoing

4 Rutger leads 5-3, but Rob has control at 9 despite winning 8

18.21

3. Mohammed levels at 6-6.

Mark plays to 3 yard position from the W boundary - good shot.

Mohammed misses narrowly from 12

Mark plays another ball in

Mohammed now has a shot from the S boundary...........tries for the block position and fails

Mark runs 13 to take the match to a decider

2. Dawson makes the crucial 9th hoop for 5-4 lead

18.19

1. Bahr led 6-5 but then rushed Hisham through 12. They are now 6-6

2. Nezar led 4-2, but then Dawson ran 7 and 8 in the same shot. Now 4-4 in the decider

3. Mark leads 6-5, but is game down

4. Rutger is 5-2 and game up

18.12

3 Mohammed has now drawn the score level at 5-5

4. Rutger is game and 3-2 up

18.06

1. 4-4 in the first

2. 2-2 in the decider

3. Mark 5-3 but game down

4. 2-2 Rutger game up

17.59

3. Mohammed 2-4 and game up

4. Rob plays a good jumo through 2 and then runs 3 from the boundary to take a 2-1 lead in the second and get himself into the match after a dismal first. That said, Rutger is playing well.

2. Nezar leads 2-1 in the decider

1 Aboesbaa v Bahr is a long way away.

17.43

4. Rutger takes the first 7-1

3. Mark is 4-0 and game down

17.38

2. Nezar takes the second 7-3 to equalise

3. Mohammed game up and 0-2

4. Rutger 5-1 in the first

17.26

3. Mohammed Nasr takes the first 7-3

4. Rutger leads Rob 3-1

2. Dawson 3-3 and game up v Nezar

17.18

Nafee misses with his first ball

Hamish takes 4.5 yard position with his second ball

Lost ball in the shrubbery

Nafee doesn't shoot, but tries to block and finishes level with the hoop

Hamish quickly runs 13............perhaps I should shout "Come on my son!" Brilliant win.

17.16

1.Nafee has stuck in 12.....surely not deliberately? Hamish has a makeable jump, but rushing Nafee through is disastrous............fails the jump, but Nafee is still in the hoop.

Nafee has made 12. Can Hamish get good position? It's 3 yards and pretty straight - say 10 degrees - can't complain about that.

3 Mohammed has taken the last 4 hoops to lead 5-3

17.15

1. Nafee is in control of 12. Hamish has a key clearance from the S boundary.....................misses.............this is going the distance

17.05

1. Nafee fails his 4 yard hoop 10. Hamish has a clear advantage now

Nafee misses a 20 yard clearance and Hamish has a 4 ft straight hoop 10 for a 6-4 lead in the decider............it's through

After hitting a couple of gentle 9 yard clearances, Hamish misses a hard 10 yard clearance and Nafee runs 11, but only by 5 yards.

2. Jeff is game and 2-0 up.

3. Mark lead 3-1 in the first

4. Rutger leads 1-0 in the first

16.57

1. Two fantastic clearances leave Nafee with the advantage at 9. Hamish misses narrowly from 20 yards. Can Nafee run his 5 foot hoop? That was good.........with control to 4 yards in front of 10.

16.54

1. Hamish leads 5-3 in the decider. The Egyptian contingent applaus loudly as Nafee clear Hamish from in front of 9 from behind 8

4 Rutger and Rob are warming up.

16.50

About to start on lawn 3 is one of the bonkiest most aggressive matches ever to have been played. Mohammed Nasr v Mark McInerney - two great players.

2. Dawson takes the first 7-3 v Nezar. It's turning into the afternoon from hell for the Egyptians. At least their number 1 is safely into the QFs

16.48

4. Mulliner has 5 foot hoop 12 with nothing else close to win the match.................it's through and that's the number 8 seed eliminated by the number 9 (or was it 10). I thought Stephens positional play was very good and Mahdi missed a lot. Stephen plays Ahmed in the QF

16.43

4. Mahdi makes it 5-6, but then misses a 5 yarder and is in all sorts of trouble. After a 7 yarder clearance, Mahdi has developed another chance to clear Stephen from in front of 12 from the S boundary with himself having a 3 yard hoop...............big shot...................misses

1. Hamish has a 3.5 yard hoop to go 5-2.................it's through and he gets a big round of applause.

16.40

After a little afternoon tea break, we have some good games to go back to

4. Mulliner takes a 6-4 lead and needs just 1 of the next 3 points to eliminate El Mahdi

1. Hamish takes a 3-2 lead in the decider. He fails a fairly easy hoop 6 leaving Nafee a 2 yard jump. This hits the crown and goes over the hoop. 4-2 to Hamish in the decider

2 Dawson continues his good run and takes a 6-2 lead in the first v Nezar

3. M. Nasr is practicing.

It has clouded over again

16.17

1 The decider starts

2. Dawson 2-2 v Nezar

3. Ahmed beats Marcus 7-4, 7-3

4. Mulliner is game up and 4-3.................Mahdi in trouble

16.11

The crowd is now about 90 and the dark clouds have gone away. This could be a dry day.

2. Dawson takes the first hoop v Nezar

16.10

1 The players are taking a break before the decider

2. Dawson is practicing

3. Ahmed is game up and 5-3

4. Mulliner is game up and 3-3

16.02

3. Ahmed has just had a 5 yard jump through 7 to go 4-3 up and game up

4. Mahdi is 3-2 up and game down

1. Amazingly, Hamish has clawed his way back to 6-6 against the number 3 seed. This is big time stuff now

Nafee takes 8ft position at 13

Hamish tries to take position from C1, but finishes level with 13

Nafee plays another ball in

Hamish misses from the S boundary

Nafee runs the hoop to equalise

15.53

2. It's game all and 6-6. James has played 4 yards in front of 13. Mark hits his 15 yarder at it and both balls are about 4y W of C3

James floats another ball 3.5 yards in front of the hoop. Mark misses from the S boundary.

James has a go from 3y W of C2..............hits the hoop and bounces 5y W

Mark gently clears Y, which plays back to 8ft position. U is now going for the hoop boundary.............ITS THROUGH!!!! Great match. Well played to both.

15.49

Then, with an 8 yard clearance at hoop 11 to get into a fantastic position, James cuts Marks ball into the jaws of 11. This could go to hoop 13 now.

15.48

If there is ever a time when you need a good shot, then 4-4 in the deciding game of the world is it. James Goodbun has just run 9 from the boundary and 10 in the same shot to go 6-4 up

15.44

1. Nafee leads 5-2 but is game down

2. Mark fails a 3 yard hoop 8, James jawses and Mark fails the jump to make it 4-4 in the decider

3. Marcus leads 3-1, but is game down

4. 1-1 in the second, Mulliner game up

15.39

2. Goodbun fails an easy hoop 7. That could be crucial. But no, despite getting back into the hoop, Mark still loses it and it is all to play for at Mark 4-3

4. The biggest set of Bravos so far today as Mahdi gets a good jump shot to take a 1-0 lead in the second, game down.

1. Nafee takes a 4-2 lead, game down.

3. Evans game down 2-1

15.33

1. Nafee game down and 3-2

2. Mark leads 4-2 in the decider

3. Ahmed game up 1-1 in the second

4. Start of game 2, Mulliner game up.

15.29

4. Mulliner plays back into position. Mahdi tries to dribble in a block, but fails and Stephen runs a 2 foot hoop to take the first. Big time trouble on lawns 1 and 4 now for Egypt.

15.23

4 Mulliner is back to 6-6. Oh no.......he's come up short of 13...........nightmare!!

2. Mark leads 3-1 in the decider

1. Nafee trails by a game but leads 2-1

So, back to lawn 4. Mulliner tries to put in a close blocking ball from the E boundary. Mahdi now had a 6.5 yarder for the game. It hits the hoop, it bounces back, it spins forward, but not through. Mulliner is now back in charge. Mahdi's other ball is in C3, Mulliner dribbles another ball in but doesn't get the block and Mahdi hits. Still advanatge Mulliner, since Mahdi's ball has finished on the S boundary.

15.18

4. Mulliner 6-5

3. Ahmed takes the first 7-4

2. Mark lead 2-1 in the decider

1. Nafee is game down and 1-0

15.15

Mulliner has transformed from a forelorn figure on lawn 1 to his usual strident pacing self with regular fist pumps. He now leads 6-4 in the first. The Egyptians are starting to be in a bit of trouble.

15.12

3. Ahmed fails a 5 yard hoop 10 and Marcus fails a fairly straightforward hoop that would have made it 5-5 with Marcus having a ball near 11. Ahmed now has a 3 yard hoop 10.......runs it for a 6-4 lead. That was a real turning point

4. Mulliner 4-4

15.04

1 A couple of good clearance from Hamish and a miss from Nafee give the Kiwi a 6-5 lead. Nafee misses another 14 yarder and it's an incredible 7-5 win in the first. Can Nafee raise his game?

2. Break at game all

3. Marcus is in the jaws of 9 and Ahmed will need to jump - not his strong point. Fails the jump and Marcus is back to 4-5

4. Mulliner 4-3

14.56

1. Hamish is now level 5-5

2. Mark equalises by taking the second 7-4

3. Ahmed 5-3

4. Mulliner 4-2

14.50

1. Nafee 5-4

2. Goodbun 2-5 but game up

3. Ahmed 4-1

4 Mahdi 2-1

14.41

1. Good clearance from Hamish on the E boundary takes Nafee away from good position in front of 8

4. Mahdi runs hoop 1 in the first v Mulliner

14.37

3. After a long battle, Marcus takes the first hoop against Ahmed, but it's soon 1-1

2. 1-1 game 2

1. Great news for Hamish fans!! The scorer had put the wrong score up around hoop 4 and he has now made a comeback to be only 3-4 - much better than 0-5!!

14.28

1. Nafee goes 5-0 up. Hamish gets on the board by running 6.... 1-5

2. Goodbun runs 11to 2y NW of 12............perfect.

3. Marcus is still fighting at hoop 1

4. Mulliner is practicing for his match v El Mahdi

2. Goodbun makes 12, Mark plays K to 3 yard positon. James misses and then with his second shotfrom the south boundary puts R 1 foot in front of 13..........it must have run hoop 10 to get there. Mark then fails his next shot and now needs a 25 yard clearance .................fails and that's a 7-6 win for James from 4-6.

News from the cricket pitch is that we have had a 39 point match. Howard Cheyne took the first 7-6, Duncan Dixon equalised 7-6 and it reached 6-6 in the decider. Duncan had set up for a rush to 13 and took it off the N boundary and then ran his 7 yard hoop for a fantastic win. Big congrats to both players.

14.25

1. Nafee goes 3-0 up

2. Goodbun fails 11 from 5 foot straight

3. Ahmed's first shot lands 3 foot straight in front of 1, Marcus misses with his first, but hits with his second

4. Bahr wins in straight games 7-6, 7-5

14.20

2. Goodbun runs 9 from 6 or 7 yards to go 4-5, but misses a 15 yard clearance at 10 and Mark takes a 6-4 lead.

4. Louw has a fan club and receives a large round of applause as he runs 11 to stay in the match

1. Nafee takes a 2-0 lead

3. Ahmed and Marcus are practicing

The crowd numbers about 50 on the front lawns

14.16

2. Goodbun hits his 18 yarder at Mark's ball in front of 2-b, but it hits the hoop and stops 2" straight in front.........5-3 to Mark

3. Marcus is practicing for his match against Ahmed Nasr............doesn't come much harder than that.

4. Louw misses a 7 yarder............that could be crucial.................yes Bahr runs 10 to go game and 6-4 up.

1. Nafee is all over hoop 1

14.13

If Hamish wins this last 16 match, it will be a fantastic win. Nafee is the best Egyptian at jump shots and has an all round game.

2. Goodbun has made 7 to go 3-4 in the first.

4. Hoop 10 in the second is still being contested.

14.11

Possibly most importantly, it has started to cloud over and is now cool. There may be rain within the hour.

14.09

4. Has just failed hoop 10, but is game and 5-4 up

2. Mark is 4-2 up in the first

1. Hamish and Nafee are practising

13.52

2. Some highly impressive play at hoop 3 from both players. About a dozen clearances were followed by James only just failing to run the hoop from the boundary and finishing in the jaws. Mark jumped over from 5 feet to take a 2-1 lead in the first.

4. Bahr game up and 3-3

13.44

4. Louw is game down and 3-2

1. Greg has clawed his way back to 4-6

2. Goodbun has a centre ball clearance at 3 from the E boundary. Still 1-1 in the first

Mohammed Nasr takes the match 7-3, 6-7, 7-4

13.41

1. Greg runs 9 from the boundary to go 3-6

2. 1-1 in the first

3. Bahr is game up and 2-2

13.38

I think the game on lawn 2 could be a good one. James is a good steady player whilst Mark is an aggressive powerful one. It could be close unless Mark finds top gear.

13.35

Back on the front lawns.....

1. Mohammed Nasr has just run hoop 8 from 15 yards to go 6-2 up in the decider

2. James Goodbun has just started and is 0-1 v Mark McInerney

4. Louw is game down and 2-1

13.31

OK, I'm back from the pitch and here's what happening

7. Rutger won the first 7-2 v Anton and is 2-1 up in the second

8. Duncan is game down and 5-5 in the second. Upset time?

9. Reg won the first 7-5 v Pierre and is 5-2 up in the second

10 It looked like Rob won the first 7-5 v Sherif and is 2-2 in the second

13.18

With lawns 2 and 3 empty, I'm off to the cricket pitch to find out what's happening over there.

13.13

I have to say that I expect Mohammed to move up a couple of gears in the third. I expect 7-4 or better

4. William has equalised at 6-6. Bahr has the first go at 13 from 3.5 yards and runs it off the south boundary to take the first 7-6

13.10

2. Marcus runs 9 for a huge 6-3 lead in the decider

4. Bahr takes the lead for the first time at 6-5

1. Bury runs a 3 yard 13 and leaps in the air with a fist. He's so excited, it looked like he tried to shake Mohammeds hand. There's another game left before that Greg!!

Marcus jumps through 10 to win 7-3 in the third - well played!

13.06

2. Marcus has the better position at 9.

1. Greg has levelled at 6-6. Can he take the match to the third?

4. Bahr levels at 5-5 in the first

13.03

2. Marcus keeps his 2 hoop lead as it goes to 5-3 in the decider. Now the all important hoop 9.

3. Aboesbaa runs 9 and 10 in the same shot to take the match 7-3 7-3.

4. William takes a 5-4 lead

1. M. Nasr is game and 6-5 up

Entertaining comment of the day. One of the "officials" to me.........."Is Hamish your son?"

12.56

2. Marcus misses a 7 yard clearance at 7. He now needs to hit a 15 yarder.............misses. Essa makes 7, but only by 7 yards to trail 3-4

3. Aboesbaa goes game and 5-3 up. I'm still completely unimpressed.

4. Bahr comes back to level at 4-4 in the first

1. M. Nasr leads 5-3

12.52

2. Marcus takes advantage of his good luck and take a 4-2 lead in the decider.

3. Tibble game down and 3-3

1. M. Nasr game up and 4-3 up

4. Louw 4-3 up in the first

From the limited amount I have seen of Mohammed Nasr this event, it looks like it is taking 45 minutes for his wrist to loosen up and the pain to minimise. He certainly seems to improve during matches.

Essa fails hoop 7,  but Marcus doesn't have a ball within 18 yards.

12.48

2. A couple of poor strokes from Marcus look like allowing Essa to square at 3-3, but a fortuitous double clearance keeps Marcus in the hunt for hoop 6

3. 2-2 in the second. Aboesbaa game up

4. Louw leads 4-2 in the first

1. M. Nasr is game and 4-2 up

12.43

1. M. Nasr took the first 7-3 and is 3-2 up in the second

2. Marcus leads 3-1 in the decider

3. Aboesbaa took the first 7-3 and it is 1-1 in the second

4. William Louw leads Amr Bahr 3-1 in the first

On the pitch, Howard Cheyne (the best of the Brits I hadn't seen before) has taken the first against Duncan Dixon 7-6

12.15 I'm hungry, so please excuse a 30 minute break

12.12

4. Great win for Hamish 7-4 in the third. This is some compensation for him unluckily not getting a medal at the U21.

3. Aboesbaa 3-1 in the first

2. Marcus lunching before the decider

1. M. Nasr 4-2 in the first

From the pitch, a great win for Dawson 7-5 in the third

12.05

4. Will runs a good 3 yard hoop 9 to just past 10, but Hamish puts in a partial block with his second ball. Will misses, but clears with his next ball. Hamish plays a great 6 to 7 yard take out which leaves Will in C2 and gets his own ball near 11. Will needs to hit Hamish's ball which is 2 feet in front of 10..............misses. Hamish leads 6-4 in the decider with decent position at 11

3. Tibble 1-1 in the first

2. Still Evans 4-6 in the second

1. M. Nasr 3-2 in the first

Mulliner wins 7-5 7-4 on the pitch

11.56

4. Hamish has massive come back from 1-3 to take a 5-3 lead

3. Tibble 1-1 in the first

2. Evans game up and 4-6

1. M. Nasr 2-2 in the first

11.53 News from the pitch

Nezar beats Walters in 3

Mulliner is game up and in a close second game

El Mahdi is game all, but 4-2 up with control of 7 in the decider

Jeff and Walid are just starting the decider

11.49

4. Will clears Hamish from in front of 3 from behind 2 and takes a 2-1 lead which soon becomes 3-1

3. Tibble and Aboesbaa are warming up

2. Evans is game up and 4-4

1. Bury lead 2-1 in the first v M. Nasr

No news from the cricket pitch - I'll go for a walk

11.33

3. Nafee runs 13 from the boundary to win 7-4 7-6. Given the amount of random stuff that went against him during this match, I thought this was a very impressive win. Both Ahmed Nasr and Sherif Nafee looked in good nick this morning.

11.30

4. Will runs 12 from 10 yards to win 7-5 and take the match into a decider

3. Levick leads 6-5 but is game down. Nafee clears Levick from 12, getting into the NE section of the lawn. Levick jawses 12 from the N boundary. Nafee plays good jump shot to stay in the game. 6-6

2. Marcus is game up. 3-3

1. Mohammed Nasr is warming up to play Greg Bury

11.23

1. Ahmed wins 7-2 7-3

2. Marcus is game up and 2-1

3. Levick is game down, but runs 8 from 10 yards to go 5-3. Nafee makes 9 to go 4-5 and has complete control of 10 until Levick jawses hoop 10 from near corner 1. Nafee fails his jump shot

4. Hamish is game up and 5-5

11.11 Update from the cricket pitch.....

Mulliner takes the first

Nezar levels v Walters

1. Ahmed game up 5-3

2. Marcus game up 1-0

3. Nafee game up 2-3

4. Hamish game up 3-4

11.03

4. Hamish game up but 2-4 in game 2, but has just cleared Will from in front of 7 from corner 3 to stay in the game

3. Nafee game up but 2-3 in game 2

2. Marcus takes the first 7-5

1. Ed has just run 6 from 20 yards but is game down and 2-4

10.57 Feedback from the cricket pitch.......

10.53 Apologies for the delay - battery died and there isn't coverage within 80 yards of the lawns

4. Hamish takes the first 7-4

3. Nafee takes the first 

2. Marcus leads 6-4

1. Ahmed takes the first 7-2

10.30

4.  Will runs 7 to make it 2-5 and then gets back into the game by running 8 from 7 to go 3-5.

3. Levick does exactly the same on the next door lawn to go 3-5

Ahmed 1-0

Marcus 2-2

Sherif 5-1

Hamish 5-1

10.23

4.  A dream start for Hamish sees him take the first 4 hoops

3. Nafee is monstering all over this game tactically. With K in fron of hoop 5, he's just nudged R onto a wire of 3-b so it can't get anywhere near K. He takes a 4-1 lead

Ahmed 1-0

Marcus 2-2

Sherif 5-1

Hamish 5-1

10.15

 Levick is trying to gently control hoop 3. Perfectly good tactics against a lot of players, but I don't think it will work against Nafee

On lawn 1, Ed seems to be shooting at something each turn.

3. Nafee fails a 1 yard 20 degree hoop 3 and then Levick fails an 8 foot straight hoop. An impressive (by Egyptian standards) 2 yard jump over Levicks ball gives Nafee a 3-0 lead

Ahmed 1-0

Marcus 1-2

Sherif 3-0

Hamish 3-0

10.07 Ahmed 0-0

Marcus 1-0

Sherif 2-0

Hamish 1-0

3. A great start from Nafee who wins the toss and plays U to 2 foot straight in front of hoop 1. Levick misses his 2 shots. Nafee then runs a 4 yard hoop 2

4. Will has the first go at hoop 1, but misses badly and Hamish runs a good hoop all the way up to just E of hoop 2

2. Marcus has control at 1 and runs it up to near hoop 2.

09.58 I'm expecting  comfortable wins for Nafee and Nasr, but the other two matches should be highly competitive. All 8 players are out on the lawns practicing. As usual, the Hurlingham front lawns look fabulous. They are running at about 10.5 Plummers and the hoops, depsite being reset yesterday afternoon, willbe on the easy side of easy for the rest of the event.

Ed is back on lawn 1 which may help him psychologically since in his last game there, he ran hoop 5 from the south boundary, then hoop 6 from hoop 5 and then hoop 7 from having run hoop 6 - an impressive sequence, but not good enough to persuade the seeding committee that he wasn't the worst of the remaining 32 players - a bit harsh imo.

There is a gentle breeze and the matches are about to start

09.54 Good morning from a dry, if chilly Hurlingham. I’ll be trying to cover the front lawn matches today. For those of you who don’t know Hurlingham, the 4 front lawns are laid out with the E/W boundaries together and are layered downwards from lawn 4 to lawn 1.

Surprisingly, lawn lawn has suffered from flooding this event which may be due to work being carried out on the nearby outdoor swimming pool. Anyway, no need to worry about flooding this morning as the sun is breaking through and it should stya dry until around mid-afternoon

The 4 matches are;

1. Ahmed Nasr v Ed Cunningham
2. Marcus Evans v Moustafa Essa
3. Sherif Nafee v John Levick
4. Hamish McIntosh v Will Gee

21:00, 21st July
Firstly, a big thanks to Dick Strover for lending me a computer. I'll see how I get on at Hurlingham tomorrow and try and give a flavour of the knockout games. We had the draw at about 18.00 tonight after a decision was made earlier in the day to delay the start of the KO until tomorrow. This was due to a bad weather forecast for this evening and the added bonus of keeping the cricket pitch for longer.
 
We had some crunch play-off games tonight. I watched Yasser Esmat play Jonaton Andersson. Firstly, I have a preference for using net games followed by net points to determine the toss for these games in the future. This seems to be an improvement over a simple coin toss. Anyhow, Yasser won the toss and made hoop 1. Jonaton then rush-peeled Yasser through hoop 2 and soon it was 3-0 to Yasser. I have to say, I thought this would be enough, but the ability to hit 7 yarders in the middle gave Jonaton an amazing comeback and a "comfortable" 7-4 win.
 
The last qualifier at Hurlingham was determined in a match between Andrea Pravettoni and William Louw. William took a 4-2 lead and I took advantage of Marcus Evans' generous 4-1 price on Andrea. This looked like a good bet when at 4-5. Andrea had a straightforward jump-shot through 10 that would have given him first play at 11 as well. However, this, and a subsequent jump failed and William became the second Springbok to make the last 32.
 
The draw for the KO is always an interesting spectacle. Firstly, the top 8 seeds......
1 A Nasr
2. Bamford
3. S. Nafee
4. R. Fulford
 
No great surprises there, although I think Fulford is seeded higher than his chances of winning the event.
 
5. M. Nasr
6. M. Nezar (rewarded for recent great results)
7. H. Aboesbaa (a massive shock to me. I had him at 40-1 in my book)
8. A. El Mahdi (should have been higher in my opinion)
 
At this stage, it is probably worth commenting that only 21 of the top 32 "seeds" qualified. This is a very low number in any sport.
 
Good news was that after "seeding" Mark McInerney outside the top 40 in the initial seeding, despite him being a medallist in NZ, he was seeded in the 9-12 section in the real knockout.
 
But enough of seeding..............what did the draw produce? In my opinion, the top half is stronger than the lower half and Reg has got a decent draw. The pick of the first round matches for me are;
Beijderweelen v Varnas
Mulliner v Andersson
Goodbun v McInerney
 
Thereafter, we should get some really good games in the last 16.
 
I've kindly been given a "Clarke's commentary" slot on the main page of the 2011 worlds website, so I'll do my best to give flavour of some of the best and most interesting performances tomorrow. I still think Reg is a strong favourite, but it's a strange game and there are still over a dozen possible winners imo.