Game reports by Phil Cordingley
GB loses the first round of doubles 1-2 on the first day of the New Zealand test, their first losing day in the event so far.
Disappointing thought the result may be from our point of view, truth be told this was the kind of day the Mac is all about. Before the start of play the players and officials had observed a minute's silence in respect of Remembrance/Veterans Day etc. With incredible irony, Prince and Wislang fought back at the eleventh hour to win the deciding match of the day against Clarke and Fulford. Ultimately the Brits demonstrated how costly an error could be at this level when, at game up and pegging out after a TP to take the match in the second, Clarke rushed partner onto the peg to end the turn. Wislang now turned down his chance of immortality by spurning a laid 3 ball TP, in favour of a solid break to the peg. Prince soon applied the coup de grace to level the match at 1 game all, and then finished an immaculate, never-in-doubt TP to clinch in the third.
GBs hitherto unbeaten pairing of Avery and Maugham went down to an equally combatibve Garrison and Bulloch. Maugham's shooting had been off, but the Brit's still might have levelled when Bulloch pulled off an amazing pick up to win the second as the single ball in a 3 ball ending.
Burrow continued his run of strong finishes in his and Mulliner's straight games win over Bryant and Parkinson. As the single ball in a 3 ball ending in the first, he set up the winning break by approaching hoop 5 to 9 inches from the W boundary. In the second he completed a TP.
Game 1: Clarke goes to corner II. Prince goes to E boundary level with the peg. Fulford misses down E boundary. Wislang misses Fulford, leaving rush down the E boundary. Fulford puts out pop ball too deep behind 1 after 3, so goes to 4b with no pops and makes a spread. Wislang misses long lift. Clarke mis-approaches 1 from close but to the side, and retires to W boundary level with partner who is at hoop 2. Prince hits from hoop 1 to 2, runs an angled hoop 1, but rushes too close to hoop pioneer to send a ball to 3. Thus clangs hoop 3 off Clarke. Clarke hits, but takes off the lawn going to ball in corner IV. Wislang sticks in 1 on Fulford. Fulford lays up for Clarke with a tight rush to 1 tight in corner II, hoop 1 ball on S boundary behind 1, hoop 3 ball on N boundary behind hoop 3. Prince hits from North boundary to corner II. Gets going, but clangs 4. Clarke hits 7 yarder from hoop 5 to hoop 4. Straigth rover peel sticks in jaws and he jumps clean over. Hits deep ball, rushes the other ball to in front of rover, cannons partner to complete peel getting rush at same time. Pegs out.
Game 2: Wislang lays supershot. Clarke goes to corner II. Prince hits in II, runs 7' hoop 1 clean and misses return roquet into A baulk. Fulford goes to 4b popping Prince to 3, laying up tight in corner II with hoop 3 ball in corner IV and hoop 1 ball in middle of W boundary. Wislang lifts from middle of W boundary and misses short lift in corner II. Clarke gets going but clangs 4. Prince goes to 4b, spurning (more or less) laid TPO of Fulford. Lays up in corner II, with opponent's 4b ball in middle of W boundary and hoop 4 ball on E boundary 11 yards N of corner IV. Fulford lifts from midlle of W boundary and hits partner down the E boundary. Lays up in corner IV with opponents 4b ball in corner I, hoop 1 ball in II. Wislang misses from II to I. Clarke completes the peels, but rushes partner onto the peg after straight rover peel. Wislang goes to 4b, leaving Clarke 1 yard E pf corner I open on the peg, Prince with a rush to 4b 7 yards S of corner 3. Clarke misses peg, just to corner 3. Prince 2 balls 4b and penult. Rushes back to corner 3, makes rover off Clarke rushes to hoop 2, plays thick take off putting Clarke to N boundary behind 2, doesn't get behind partner just out of corner 3. Puts partner off the lawn trying to roll to middle of E boundary, leaving 4 yard join on E boundary. Clarke misses peg to S boundary behind 4. Wislang trickles off partner, rolls up to the peg leaving Prince 4 yards from it, and pegs out. Clarke misses Prince from S boundary. Prince pegs out.
Game 3: Prince lays standard boundary ball. Clarke goes to corner II. Wislang hits partner down E boundary, takes off the W boundary going to ball in corner II. Fulford misses in II. Wislang goes to 4b. Could have a perfectly respectable OSL, but elects to separate, leaving partner in corner 4 Clarke in OSL position by the peg and himself in corner II. Fulford shoots from where he lies, just off the W boundary 8 yards out of corner II, and hits. Sends croqueted ball out taking off to corner IV. Prince hits 8 yarder from corner IV to hoop 4 and finishes.
Game 1: Avery lays supershot. Garrison goes 6" S of corner II. Maugham misses in corner II. Bulloch hits double in corner II, goes to 4b, but leaves 3b NSL ball open, so croquets partner to corner IV and retires to corner II. Maugham lifts to B baulk but misses partner on the W boundary. Bulloch misses Maugham down the W boundary. Avery lays up for Maugham by hoop 1. Bulloch misses partner in IV from hoop 2. Maugham clangs 2 on Bulloch, who hits 6 yarder and lays up behind hoop 4. Maugham misses partner at hoop 3 from W boundary level with 6. Garrison finishes.
Game 2: Avery goes to E boundary level with the peg. Garrison to 6" S of corner II. Maugham misses partner down E boundary. Bulloch misses partner in corner II. Maugham misses partner back down the E boundary. Garrison goes to 4b, but misses short roquet after 3b. Maugham TPOs Garrison, leaving partner on E boundary N of 4, himself in corner II. Bulloch rolls off the S boundary trying to approach hoop 1 from E boundary. Avery retires from 1 to corner IV. Bulloch takes position at 1. Maugham has wide join on E boundary level with hoop 4. Bulloch runs 1 and hits Avery in corner IV, but goes off trying to get rush on Maugham to 2. Maugham lays up with partner in corner I, himself at hoop 1. Bulloch retires to middle of W boundary. Avery centreballs 5 yarder at partner and lays up in corner IV. Bulloch misses in IV. Avery makes 1 but clangs 2 on Bulloch. Bulloch hits 7yarder, but clangs after approaching from 7 yards. Avery hits, but fails to roll off 2 off partner, lays up in corner II. Bulloch goes to middle of W boundary. Avery gets going using a stop shot approach to 2 from middle of W boundary. Mis-approaches hoop 5 to tricky, but eminently runnable position. Retries to corner I. Bulloch misses from hoop 5 to 6. Maugham misses partner in corner I from hoop 6. Bulloch takes position at hoop 3. Avery shifts him to the E boundary and lays up tight in corner 1. Bulloch hits in I, and with the cannon sends a ball to the middle of the S boundary and rushes to 9 yards short of 3. Takes off to 7' position, runs it, hits pivot and takes off 11 yards for a rush on the S boundary ball to hoop 4 and finishes.
Game 1: Parkinson lays supershot. Burrow goes 9" S of corner II. Bryant hits in corner II but clangs 1. Mulliner goes to 4b with an NSL, but with 3b ball un-rushable to 1. Bryant lifts W boundary ball and misses short lift. Burrow over-approaches 1, and misses shot at 3b ball, which he has previously ignored. Bryant hits his 7 yarder at the 3b ball and TPOs Mulliner, leaving the hoop 1 ball on the E boundary level with 4 and his ball in corner III. Burrow rolls from III to 2 and the E boundary ball. Fails to roll off hoop 1, takes position. Parkinson retires from 1 to corner IV. Burrow runs 1 to the N boundary, but misses cut rush after making hoop. Bryant lays up in corner IV. Burrow misses from hoop 2 to IV. Parkinson fails to approach hoop 1from S boundary, takes position. Burrow retires from E boundary level with rover to corner I. Parkinson maeks 1 with no rush, rolls off hoop 2, rushes to 3 and makes it with no rush, lays up on N boundary wired by penult. from Burrow in I. Burrow moves from I to III. Parkinson lays up just out of corner I. Burrow takes position at 3. Parkinson makes 4 and 5 off partner with no rush. Fails to get position at 6 off Burrow, retires to West boundary level with hoop 2, wired from Burrow 5 yards N of 6. Burrow shoots at Bryant at 5, but ricochets off the peg to just off W boundary level with 1. Bryant retires from 5 to 2' W of corner IV. Burrow misses Parkinson down the W boundary, joining with it. Parkinson rolls to 6, refuses 6' hoop and retires to S boundary behind 1. Burrow takes position at 3. Bryant moves from corner IV to 2 yards E of corner II. Burrow runs 3 to S boundary and hits Parkinson behind 1. Plays a thick take off to corner II, takes off to very long position at 4 and clangs. Parkinson misses partner in corner II. Burrow retires from hoop 4 to corner III. Parkinson makes 6 & 1b off partner, and lays up in corner II and middle of W boundary. Burrow hits the short lift in corner II, rolls to hoop 5 and middle of W boundary, fails to roll off 4, retires to 2 yards off E boundary level with 5. Parkinson misses 6 yarder from hoop 5 at partner off S boundary behind 4. Burrow hits 13 yarder at Bryant behind 4, rushes other ball to 3 yards S of 4, fails to get position sending croqueted ball to 5, takes position. Parkinson misses from hoop 5. Burrow hits Parkinson on E boundary, sends him to 5 getting a rush on the other ball down by the S boundary, but mis-approaches from 3 yards to the E and clangs to the E boundary. Bryant hits partner at hoop 5 from the S boundary, rushing him onto hoop 5. He rolls to W boundary level with 5. Burrow hits from the E boundary, makes 4, rushes to the S boundary, splits to hoop 6 and ball on W boundary, rolls off 5 from W boundary to 9" slightly angles, runs it and finishes.
Game 2 Parkinson gets first break, but sticks in 6. Mulliner goes to 4b with an NSL. Bryant misses long lift shot. Burrow does the 4b peel by rushing partner back after hoop 4. He then over-rolls penult. peelee to position from 5 yards N of penult., but cannons it into position with the pioneer. Later clubs the 3b pioneer into the peg after 1b, but recovers to jaws the rover peel after 3b. Finishes.
GB wins the second round of doubles 2-1 to tie the test with New Zealand at 3-3.
A day which seemed to fluctuate quite a lot, but we ended up with two straight games wins, and a chance to win the decider in the third. The New Zealanders had their chances again today, but failed to convert with the clinical efficiency they had yesterday. Indeed today it was the Brits who came back from the dead.
We had the rare sight of Fulford being untidy when on a standard TP, to the extent that he had to resort to that old agricultural standby, the death roll penult. peel. Being the spawny waster he is, the peel goes through rover as well as penult. to get the peeling back on schedule. In game 2 we were treated to Bryant taking an hour and three minutes to take a ball to the peg with no peels. By contrast, Mulliner took a ball from 2 to the peg in the same time as Bryant was going from 4b to rover.
In their second game Prince looked like he was going to snatch victory as he was going out with the single ball in a three ball ending after Maugham had stuck in 3 for no apparent reason. He in turn stuck in 3b, and this time Maugham made no mistake.
Burrow produced another strong finish to their second to level the match, but couldn't repeat the process in the third.
So with Australia leading the USA 6-3, the position is that any combination of seven GB wins or Australian losses will see GB retain the Shield. The USA having a mathematical chance of sharing were they to win their remaining matches and GB to lose all theirs.
Game 1: Parkinson goes to E boundary level with the peg. Clarke goes to 1' S corner II. Bryant misses partner down E boundary. Fulford misses partner in corner II. Bryant hits partner back down E boundary and clangs 1 on Clarke. Clarke goes to 4b, pops Bryant to 2 and makes an NSL with the hoop 1 ball on 3b. Bryant misses long lift. Fulford gets standard TP going, but puts out 1b pioneer to 2 yards off N boundary. Makes 1b, death rolls penult. and rover going to 2b. Finishes.
Game 2: Parkinson goes to 6“ S corner II. Clarke goes to 6“ N IV. Bryant misses in IV. Fulford hits double in IV, but fails position at 2 from corner II, and retires to partner at hoop 3. Parkinson misses from 2 to 3. Fulford goes to 4b with an MSL. Bryant misses short lift. Clarke gets hampered after 6 and has to hit 1b pioneer. Jawses 4b peel going to new 1b pioneer by 6, leaves split to 3b and peelee short after 1b, and misses peelee, hitting wire and staying close by. Parkinson misses from 2b to 4b forgetting the lift. Clarke rush peels 4b and rebuilds break. Sticks straight rover peel in jaws from close range and fails to jump. Bryant goes 4b. Attempts to leave ball in front of 2b hidden from A baulk, but leaves it 1' in front. Recovers by rushing escape ball to 4b and continuing break to the peg. Makes reasonable contact leave: partner (for 1) in corner IV. Clarke (rover) in II, Fulford (rover) on E boundary level with 3, himself in middle of W boundary. Fulford lifts to contact with W boundary ball, goes off lawn trying to get rush on partner in corner II. Bryant hits in corner II from middle of W boundary. Sends Fulford to 2 yards N of hoop 2, Clarke 5 yards SSE of hoop 1, and with final stroke joins partner (in corner) 1 yard W of corner IV. Clarke hits in corner IV, makes rover and pegs two balls off. Parkinson takes long position at 1. Fulford goes to3 yards off E boundary level with the peg. Parkinson takes better position. Fulford goes to 1 yard E of 4. Parkinson hits from hoop 1, splits to hoops 2 & 1, runs 1 to N boundary and misses 8 yard return. Fulford hits 10 nyarder, splits to N boundary between 2 and 6, takes position at rover. Parkinson misses to S boundary. Fulford runs rover to S boundary and finishes.
Game 1: Prince lays standard E boundary ball. Avery lays Duffer Wislang misses partner down E boundary. Maugham hits Duffer but immediately sends thick take-off off. Prince makes long, angled hoop 1 and goes to 4b with an OSL. Avery misses short lift. Wislang clubs off the peg rushing to W boundary, goes to W boundary ball, plays thick take off to 2' position at 1. Gets going, but clangs hoop 4 after poor approach. Avery peels Maugham to 2, goes to 4b with a reverse NSL with 4b ball on hoop 2. Prince (for 4b) misses. Maugham clangs 4, but leaving Wislang at 5 partially hampered from ball at 4. Wislang misses partially hampered shot. Maugham finishes.
Game 2: Avery lays E boundary ball between peg and rover. Prince goes to corner II. Maugham misses partner down E boundary. Wislang misses partner in II. Maugham misses partner on return journey. Wislang makes 1 and lays up on S boundary behind 5. Avery misses from 6 to S boundary. Wislang goes to 4b with an NSL. Avery hits short lift, fails to approach hoop 1 after poor rush from 4, lays up by hoop 1. Prince misses partner by hoop 4 from hoop 2. Avery TPOs Prince, leaving Maugham on E boundary N of 4, himself in corner II. Prince doesn't get going. Eventually, Maugham for hoop 3 lays up wired behind hoop 2 with no rush. Prince goes to E boundary level with 3. Maugham splits partner to 4, rolls off 3 from E boundary, but clangs. Prince hits Maugham, plays thick take off sending Maugham to 2 getting rush to hoop 1 on Avery by 4. Gets going but sticks in 3b from nowhere to difficult but runnable position. Avery lags to Maugham by hoop 3. Prince runs 3b, just, and misses Avery to N boundary. Maugham has 4 yard pickup and finishes.
Game 1: Burrow lags from B baulk to 2" off standard E boundary position. Garrison goes tocorner II. Mulliner lags to partner leaving rush to II. Bulloch misses down E boundary. Mulliner fails to approach 1, retiring to partner on E boundary. Bulloch corners from hoop 1 to III. Mulliner lays by hoop 2. Bulloch misses partner from hoop 4 to hoop 3. Mulliner makes 1 and misses 2 yard return roquet. Garrison moves from hoop 1 to E boundary level with partner at 3. Mulliner misses partner at hoop 2 from the S boundary. Bulloch goes to 4b with a spread. Burrow misses. Garrison has 4b peel by cannoning it to position before 3, but clangs in 4. Burrow double peels Bulloch but has 7 yard peg out off the lawn following poor rush after straight rover peel.. Garrison finishes from contact.
Game 2: Burrow lays anti-Duffer from B baulk. Bulloch goes to corner II. Mulliner joins partner leaving rush to II. Garrison hits down E boundary and goes to 4b with opponents balls in spread position, NZ balls 4 yard join on E boundary. Mulliner hits double down E boundary and lays up at hoop 1. Garrison retires from hoop 2 to middle of E boundary. Mulliner makes 1, misses another short roquet. Garrison lays up un corner IV. Burrow corners from 1 to III, with partner 2 yards off N boundary just W of line of hoop 3. Bulloch sets up standard TP position before hoop 2, but eventually bumps into straight rover peelee after running rover himself. Pokes peelee 2 yards back through hoop 5 and pegs himself out, leaving Mulliner 5 yards SSW of 2 and Burrow on the E boundary between 6 and peg. Mulliner misses partner on E boundary from end of B baulk. Garrison misses peg gently, hits hoop 6 and stays there. Mulliner goes to the peg, laying up in corner 1, leaving Garrison a double of peg and ball from 2 yards SW of corner III. Garrison goes to S boundary behind 4. Burrow rushes Garrison along S boundary, but fails position at 1 from stop shot approach. Garrison misses 10 yarder at peg to middle of E boundary. Burrow finishes.
Game 3: Mulliner lays supershot. Bulloch hits, puts Mulliner to 2 yards off E boundary level with 3 and goes to corner I. Burrow rolls from I to partner, putting Bulloch just off W boundary level with 2, lays a spread. Garrison hits from A baulk goes to 4b with an NSL. Burrow misses long lift. Bulloch misses hampered shot after 1. Mulliner hits, rolls ball to 1 going to partner in corner IV. Takes off and gets longish position at 1, but clangs it on 4b ball. Garrison lays up behind 2. Burrow misses from corner IV to W boundary level with 1. Bulloch goes to the peg with 2 peels, opponents cross-pegged, joined on E boundary. Mulliner hits double down E boundary, but puts partner in jaws of when on his approach, and fails to jump it. Garrison misses from hoop 2 to 1. Burrow makes 1 and lays up on the E boundary level with 5. Garrison misses opponents fron N boundary behind hoop 2. Mulliner goes to 4b with a spread. Garrison misses long lift. Burrow gets going, but takes off the lawn going to corner 4 after making 3. Garrison grovels through rover and misses partner by 3 into corner III. Mulliner misses partner on E boundary level with 4 from S boundary behind 5. Garrison rushes his 8 yarder on partner to 3 yards from the peg and pegs out.
GB loses third and final round of doubles 1-2, but maintains a slim 8-7 advantage going into the last day of the test against New Zealand. This means that GB has lost the doubles 5-4 to NZ in both the last two MacRobertson Shield contest. But for the moment that pales into insignificance as, courtesy an 8-yard peg out, Jerry Stark (USA) beat Martin Clarke (Australia) to clinch the MacRobertson Shield for Great Britain, as Australia could no longer win more matches than GB.
Disappointingly, Fulford and Clarke lost their fourth doubles of the event to Garrison and Bulloch. Clarke was generally out of sorts, a magnificent split shot from the middle of the S boundary putting a ball to 3 and getting a rush to 2 on the corner IV ball failing to revive his spirits. An interesting point of law arose when Clarke, having lifted his ball under law 36 (or whatever it is these days) discovered that an opponent ball was misplaced in the yard line. His appeal that he had been misled was upheld, so the Brits were allowed to replace Clarke's ball and let Fulford take the lift instead.
Burrow and Mulliner had their chances but failed to take them in losing in straight games to Prince and Wislang, who made their fair share of errors.
So it was left to the stalwart pair of Avery and Maugham, who finished their doubles with 8 wins and only one loss, to save the Brits from complete ignominy. They showed their fighting qualities yet again after going one down having not taken croquet in the first to emerge 2-1 winners.
Game 1: Bulloch lays standard boundary ball. Clarke lays a Duffer. Garrison misses down E boundary. Fulford misses Duffer. Garrison gets going but sticks in 4. Fulford goes to 4b, pops Garrison to hoop 5 and Bulloch to hoop 3, and lays up tight in corner II with Bulloch in corner IV and Garrison in middle of W boundary. Garrison misses short lift. Clarke fails position at hoop 2, retires to E boundary level with 6. Garrison moves from corner II to middle of S boundary. Fulford lays up on E boundary level with six, Bulloch in middle of S boundary, Garrison at hoop 2. Garrison hits from 2 to E boundary, goes to 4b with a spread. Fulford lifts from the peg and misses partner to W boundary level with 5. Bulloch misses cut rush on Clarke to hoop 3. Clarke lays up in corner III with partner at hoop 3. Bryant misses partner from hoop 2 to E boundary level with 5. Clarke misses 8 yarder at partner.. Bulloch goes to the peg, having peeled partner straight at 4b with no penult. pioneer, lays up separated in corners II & IV with Clarke and Fulford just off boundaries across the peg. Fulford misses Clarke, joining on W boundary. Bulloch misses to S boundary. Clarke makes 2 but splits off lawn beside partner trying to get a rush to 3. Bulloch hits from 3 to 4 and lays in middle of S boundary for Garrison with Fulford and Clarke in middle of E & W boundaries. Clarke misses from W to S. Garrison finishes.
Game 2: Bulloch goes to standard position E boundary. Clarke goes to corner II. Garrison misses partner from A baulk. Fulford hits E boundary double from B baulk, goes to 4b popping Garrison to 2 and makes a spread. Garrison misses the long lift. Clark gets going but clangs 3 after mis-approaching from 3 yards. Bulloch goes to 4b and makes a "B" spread with a ball on hoop 2. Fulford hits the peg ball from hoop 2 and lays up on the E boundary level with 3, with opponents one yard off E boundary level with hoop 4 and 1 yard off W boundary level with 1. Bulloch misses partner from E boundary. Clarke mis-approaches hoop 3 and clangs. Garrison hits from hoop 3 to hoop 5, jawses the straight rover peel, which moves back out of the hoop in the half jump. Garrison rush peels rover and lays up with a reverse OSL. Fulford misses triple target from A baulk. Garrison pegs out.
Game 1: Parkinson goes to middle of E boundary. Avery goes 3 inches S corner II. Bryant hits down E boundary and lays a rush to II. Maugham misses down E boundary. Parkinson retires to corner II after failing to approach hoop 1. Maugham misses from hoop 1 to hoop 3. Parkinson goes to 4b with an NSL.. Maugham misses double from B baulk. Bryant gets going with the aid of a promotion cannon to hoop 1, and finishes.
Game 2: Parkinson goes to standard position on E boundary. Avery goes to corner II. Bryant hits partner down E boundary, rolls up to hoop 1 and clangs. Maugham runs hoop 1 with no rush, splits to hoop 3 and 7 yards short of partner in II and misses. Partner hits target in II from peg high between 1 & 2, goes to 4b but sends Avery off the W boundary when making a spread.. Maugham TPOs Parkinson, leaving Avery on E boundary N of hoop 4 and in corner II. Bryant takes off from II to E boundary, rolls to 1 and 2, but clangs 1 to in front. Avery corners from 2 to IV. Bryant runs 1 to N boundary between 2 and 6 and misses in II. Maugham takes off to eight yards short of IV, so leaves Avery a 1 yard rush along the S boundary out of corner IV. Bryant hits the peg shooting into corner IV, and ends up in the middle of the S boundary. With a precision pickup, Avery finishes.
Game 3: Parkinson goes to middle of E boundary. Avery goes to corner II. Bryant misses down E boundary. Maugham misses target down E boundary. Bryant sends split shot off the lawn trying to get a rush on partner. Maugham corners in IV from hoop 1. Bryant fails to roll off hoop 1 from IV and lays up out of IV. Maugham misses from hoop 1 to IV. Bryant fails to approach hoop 2, so retires to partner at hoop 3. Avery corners from hoop 1 to IV. Bryant fails stop shot approach, so lays up by hoop 2. Maugham hits from hoop 3 to hoop 2, but sticks in 1 on partner. Parkinson misses from 2 to 1. Maugham goes to 4b, pops Bryant to 3, lays up tight in corner II with hoop 3 ball in corner IV and hoop 1 ball in middle of W boundary. Parkinson hits short lift but sticks in 3 on forward ball. Maugham lays up by hoop 1. Parkinson misses partner by hoop 4 from middle of N boundary. Avery misses penult. Pioneer after getting hampered at 4b with 2 peels done. Bryant goes to 4b with an NSL. Maugham misses partner from A baulk into corner II. Parkinson lays up by hoop 3. Maugham misses partner in corner II. Parkinson makes 3 but clangs in 4, hard against E wire, where he stays for the rest of the game. Maugham misses partner on S boundary behind 4 from hoop 2. Bryant misses on S boundary from level with 5 between 1 and 2. Maugham makes rover, lays up on N boundary between 2 and 6, with Bryant on middle of S boundary. Bryant misses from S boundary to N. Avery finishes with the aid of a seven-yard peg out.
Game 1: Prince lays standard E boundary ball. Mulliner lays a Duffer. Wislang hits the Duffer and makes a spread. Burrow misses down the E boundary. Wislang goes to 4b with a reverse NSL. Mulliner misses partner down the E boundary. Prince clangs 1 on Mulliner. Mulliner fails position at 1 and retires to partner near corner III. Wislang corners in II. Mulliner lays up on the N boundary behind 6 with Wislang on W boundary level with 1, Prince by hoop 4. Wislang corners in III. Mulliner clangs 1 to the side on Prince. Prince misses him from 5 yards. Mulliner misses partner at 2. Prince hits partner in III from S boundary, fails to approach 1, retires to partner on E boundary level with 6. Burrow corners in IV from hoop 1. Prince sticks in 1 on Mulliner. Mulliner misses partner in IV. Prince runs 1, but misses 10 yarder at partner at hoop 2. Mulliner runs 1 and misses 2 yarder. Wislang hits partner by hoop 4 from hoop 1, lays up on E boundary level with 5. Mulliner corners in III from W boundary level with 2. Wislang lays on N boundary behind 3. Mulliner misses partner 7 yards N hoop 4 to S boundary. Prince goes to the peg with 1 peel and makes a cross-peg. Burrow misses short lift. Wislang finishes.
Game 2: Mulliner lays anti-Duffer. Prince goes 1 foot S corner II. Burrow misses anti-Duffer from A baulk. Wislang misses down E boundary. Burrow misses his cut to hoop 1. Wislang misses along S boundary. Burrow misses partner from S boundary. Wislang retires from corner I to middle of N boundary. Mulliner lays up on E boundary level with 6. Prince misses on E boundary from W boundary level with 1. Mulliner goes to 4b with an NSL. Prince hits the long lift, goes to 4b with a reverse OSL. Mulliner misses the short lift. Wislang makes 1 and lays up behind 2 having failed to approach. Mulliner misses from hoop 3 to 4. Wislang finishes.
GB ties the final round of singles 3-3 to take the New Zealand test 11-10, ending with a record of three tests won and none lost. With the score at 10-9 to GB, David Maugham essayed the position after Dennis Bulloch had missed a shot to give him a standard TP in the third. Matthew Burrow was up against it, being game down and in a tight spot in the second. "I'd be better off with a team of baboons" quoth David, as he strode on to secure yet another clinching point for GB against NZ in the Mac.
With echoes of his final match against Jackson in Christchurch in 1990, Mulliner quickly saw off Wislang in straight games by about 10.30. Both games were won with TPs, the first with the aid of a combination peg out after hitting the straight rover peel.
Avery was not far behind against Parkinson, with a TP in the first and a 3 ball ending having pegged out Parkinson in the second. Avery thus finished with impressive 8-1 doubles and 5-1 singles records.
Detailed game reports to follow
Clarke looked like he might get back on the winning trail a couple of times against Prince, but failed hoops cost him dearly as Prince completed a pretty well flawless straight games win in what may well prove to be his last appearance in the Mac.
Game of the day was reserved, not totally unpredictably, for the second between Fulford and Garrison. In the first Garrison continued where he had left off against Bamford in Wellington last year by hitting the tea lady after Fulford had gone to 1b. He did the same in the second. When Fulford got in again with the forward ball, he obviously decided enough was enough, so laid tight in corner III, with one opponent ball by 4b wired from corner III, the other just off W boundary level with 1. Garrison himself clearly thought it was pushing it to expect to hit his third 30 yarder of the match, so calmly jumped over 4b and hit Robert in corner III instead. Robert doesn't give up that easily, and later on only unluckily failed his fourth sextuple of the event when, with four peels complete and balls in perfect position, he hilled off a hampered 4 yard roquet after running 3b.
And so to the Beast's clincher to finish with an 8-1/5-1 record himself. Clearly he and Mark Avery were enormous for GB, David probably shading Most Valuable Player honours for having done it at 4 order the order, where Mark had had a slightly easier ride at 6.
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