Good morning from Surbiton,

I've been allocated the Aiton/Mulliner match today..........I must have done something very bad in a past life!!

I really don't know how the Aussies lost last night - although an unwillingness to take position at penult when Mulliner missed after hoop 5 and they could rush him to C4 certainly had something to do with it. Mulliner took 11 shots in the 3 ball ending - the Aussies seemed to choose a position after each hoop that would give Mulliner the safest shot possible. The tactics were some of the most astonishing I have ever seen on an easy lawn.

I must mention the facilities at Surbition. The club has done a superb job - the best I have ever seen at any Mac venue and it's just a shame that it has been so wet recently. We've got fantastic food, amazing volunteers, really good scoreboards and loads of spectators who have a BBQ running from about 11a.m. until late.

The question is, will the hoops be moved after day 3? This would be good. Heaton Park moved them every other day which was really good.

Mulliner is here and is doing press-ups.

Apologies for the delay while the Good Doctor sorted me out with a dongle

T1 U 15y supershot

T2 R just S of C2

T3 K hits R from B-Baulk, fails to get in front of 1 and makes a leave.

T4 Y misses 15 yarder

T5 K goes to 4-b with MSL where ball at 2 (Y) is open from B-Baulk

T6 R misses Y

This should be a standard TP now for Dumergue - can he make hoop 1?

Underapproaches hoop 1 from 4 foot W............short and angled.......

plays a flip - excellent shot.....too good - he's got a 7 yard return roquet..................

misses, running 2-b and finishes 2 inshes in front of hoop 1 wired from R.

Can Y see K which is 6 yards away? Yes, Mulliner is taking it.............

Hits - this should be a TPO now.

Stephen has played a few poor strokes and needs to position the peelee from 6y W of 4-b. Good shot, he's now peeling 4-b after hoop 3, but it's slightly angled.

It's through, standard TPO now.

K peeled through penult after hoop 6

K is peeled through rover before 3-b

Hugh Carlisle joins us and takes advantage of being able to sit on the grass - a luxury for Hurlingham members

R is in C1

Y is in C4

Had a really good chance to get Y into C3 - disappointing that they chose C4.

U has contact

The way I play this is to take croquet from Y, split it North of hoop 2 going to R. Roll R anywhere into the lawn towards hoop 3 trying to get in front of hoop 2 and then you get to try and run hoop 2 off the peg ball for a break

Needless to say, the Aussies won't be doing anything like that

Dumergue opts to take his lift and places U 1 foot E of C1 and rushes R 1 foot N of C1.

Rolls up to hoop 2 - finishes in unrunnable position 4y W of the hoop. Takes on 30 yarder at Y in C4................misses

Mulliner rolls U 8y S of C3 going to R. Rolls R down towards C1. He'll be thrilled to have had a turn where it was the correct tactical decision to play two huge rolls.

RY are near C1 and R would a 3+yard pick-up if U shoots. Mulliners last shot was short and he is lucky that he's only left 1.15 balls to shoot at.

Dumergue is shooting anyway despite the fact that he's on hoop 2..................hits the .15 of the extra ball meaning he's now got an extra 2 yards of room and can croquet R almost to the peg with his first shot

Good first shot from Dumergue gets R 3y NNE of the peg andf holds for decent rush to hoop 2 which he takes to 1 foot W - three very good shots.

That should be 1-0 to the Aussies and we've been fully punished for giving that extra 0.15 of a ball target.

Dumergue has made hoop 3 and has a perfect break

Still all under control after hoop 6

Sends his 2-b pioneer 2y SE of 2-b

First glint of hope for GB.....needs a big croquet stroke after 1-b

Decent effort. 3-b pioneer is perfect. U finishes with a rush on Y W and will now have a 3 yard backward take-off

Good shot - easy hoop

Full control again

Comment from Hugh Carlisle on the game on lawn 7 "Is that the first time Maugham has pegged out this tournament?"

Aus win the first +13 OTP(M)

Game 2

T1 R 16y narrow supershot

T2 U 18y S of C3

T3 Y hits U from B-Baulk.......makes hoop 1 and has a break

Sorry.......I really shouldn't say things like that.........Mulliner misses 8 footer after hoop 1

T4 K hits R, makes hoop 1 and has a break

It's an MSL with Y a few inches W of hoop 2. R is in the jaws of hoop 4

Meanwhile, Andrew Gregory who is watching another astonishing disply of 1-ball tactics from the Aussies on lawn 6 says that he thinks there is scope for some football chants in croquet.

The one he has in mind at the moment is "You don't know what you're doing!"

Y lifts and takes the long lift...............hits the in lawn ball.

Just to clarify - he was clearly shooting at the other ball because now he hasn't got a break.

Y has laid up guarded in C2.

U is 4y S of hoop 4

K is 4y SE of hoop 3

K is shooting at R - that's aggressive...............misses

Laid TPO now for Mulliner

Mulliner runs hoop 3 and needs to dribble off the peelee................clips it.

Croquets K in front of the jaws and has returned to it after hoop 4...............rush-peels it and now needs to take-off back to hoop 5

He's made hoop 5 with a forward rush

K is peeled through penult before 1-b

K is peeled through rover before 3-b

R is just out of C2

Y is 8y N of C4

U has contact

On lawn 6, Rob is facing away from the lawn, so the Aussies can't see he's laughing.

Once again on lawn 6................Unsurprisingly, the Aussies succeed as soon as they take the correct decision. GB almost win without playing a good shot.

Back on lawn 5..... Dumergue takes croquet from Y and rolls to hoop 1................fails hoop finishing 5y NW of hoop 1. Y is 4y W of the peg.

The standard play here is Y to C4

Y plays to 1 foot S of C3.......I hate it

U should play to the end of B-Baulk

but doesn't.............U takes 7 foot position at hoop 1

R plays 1y W of C4

U takes 2 foot straight position at hoop 1

R plays 3y N of C4............why??

U takes 9 inch position at hoop 1

Y shoots at R..................misses

U dribbles through hoop 1 and is shooting at Y.........WHY IS R 3Y N OF C4????????????????????

I can feel some underlines coming on

U misses Y...............Phew!!

R rushes Y to hoop 1 and runs a tricky hoop. Follows it with a good cut-rush to hoop 2................chance to finish now

Fails hoop 3.

R is by hoop 3

Y is 8y S of hoop 3

U is 2y NW of C4 with a 17 yarder at Y for the match

Misses.............made it look like it may have been a double

R take on 8 yarder at Y...................misses

T20 U dribbles at Y finishing 7y S of Y........that's a good choice from the Aussies

T21 Y plays to C1.........I preferred C3

T22 U takes 12yarder at R...................hits

T22 cont.  Astonishingly, Dumergue plays a thin take-off from R to U. He really should have sent R into the lawn somewhere.

Rolls up to hoop 2 off Y leaving a 5y 30 degree hoop....................

Runs hoop to the boundary. If R had been in the lawn, he'd have won now

Dumergue has a 7 yarder at Y and rushes it 3y NE of hoop 3.

Runs hoop 3, but doesn't get a rush. Why isn't R in the lawn?????. He'll need another good shot to win now

Rolls Y to hoop 5 going to R . He now has a 6 yard backward take-off for the match

He now has a 5 foot hoop for the match...........................

Runs it well..............that should be that. Loads of good shots in that pick-up from Dumergue.

No 1-b pioneer for Dumergue. But still has control

Approaching 1-b from 2 yards....I can't see any problems

This has been a strong physical display from Dumergue.

He's not got a rush out of 1-b though......clutching at straws time

Decent stroke, Y is within 1 y of 3-b. He's approaching 2-b from 5 feet straight

After 2-b, Dumergue rushes R 6y N of 3-b and now hasn't got a 4-b pioneer. Still under control though.

Rushes short to 4-b and needs to roll up from 5 yards............

Decent approach leaves 4 foot hoop. Clubs through.............we need him to miss a 3 yarder now

No problem, this is really all over now

Slightly angled at penult....................

Fails hoop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's off the peg ball, but we'll take it!!!

Y hits 2 yarder. Sends U to 4y NE of C1. Rolls R 3y SSW of C3 with a guarded rush on Y

The Aussies are shooting - this is an absolutely crazy shot

Hits

No tactical understanding at all

Approaches penult from 3y W.........4 foot angled hoop................

Good shot, runs it with a rush to R

Approaches rover sending R 2y off the S boundary, gets 2 foot straight hoop.................

Runs it by 1 foot and can't hit R..................

He's taking on a 10 yarder at Y...................

....................HITS AGAIN

+12 OTP (M)