Morning all.

Welcome to day 4 at Nottingham, I will be covering this match on lawn 4, while Chris will be covering the other 2 this morning.

Lawn 1 was timed this morning at approx 11.2 Plummers.  A little slower than yesterday but there is some moisture around.  Hopefully they will speed up during the day as the sun is out, though there isn't much wind this morning.

NZ need to replicate the result the USA got last week and close back to 8-7 down to have a chance to win tomorrow.

Rutger has been practicing for several minutes, Greg and Jenny are just joining him on the lawn now, haven't seen Dave yet though

Here he comes

Jenny (U) supershot 3yds NNW of 5

Dave (R) peg high E boundary

Greg (K) shoots at R from corner 3, misses to corner 4

Rutger (Y) shoots at R from A baulk, missing on the left

Jenny takes 14yarder at Y missing left.

Dave comes out for a go, all the balls on the E boundary, starts by getting a cannon 8ft N of peghigh.  Is promoting U to 1 going to K in corner 4

Played it thinner than I thought, U only to near the peg R within 2ft of K

Rushes U to 4 yards ESE of 1, approaches to 2ft 10degrees and Dave is off and running.

Jenny and Greg have parked a couple of chairs in a gao in the rhododendrons and are sat by corner 4, Rutger is in the hut

We have a pneumatic drill running on the road right outside lawn 2 as the council give the bus stop a refurbishment.

Dave is upto 3back with an MSL coming, K on hoop 2.

Y&R on E boundary 13yds N of corner 1 with rush pointing at 1.  Good break Dave

Greg lifts K off hoop 2 and is taking the short lift

Centre balls R

Greg has picked up the break and has just made hoop2

Swapped the hoop 4 pioneer over and has rushed U into the peg, R waiting at 3.  Was probably going to be a TPO but can he get the escape ball up to 3?

He's really not happy with the spot he's in, he has looked at it from all angles, discussed it with Jenny and is still thinking

Finally plays the roll, U level with 3 6yds W, 4 yarder left on R, rushes R 2 yards past the hoop and is now back in control, jawses the 4back peel and has a rush south

Went back after 4, 3yd rush peel stayed in the hoop, take off to 5 brought peelee back out of the hoop by 2inches, gets 2yd rush peel after 5.

There is currently a weblink literally between Chris' and my own laptop as a spider is busy creating a link between them 

Second peel after 6 and everything is back on track

Crowd is upto about 20 on this lovely Sunday morning and the drilling has stopped from by the road

Glued the rover peel on the right wire before 2back, jawsed the peel going to 3back

Finished the peel after 3back, now just has to finish the break and make a good leave.

Discussion on the leave with Jenny before penult, making penult off partner, R, now for the peg, by the peg Y by rover.

Dave's R has now been pegged out, U is level with hoop 4 and K in corner 2.

R Box

Y 1

K peg

U 1

Rutger rolls U to 2yds S of 2 and takes position at 1

Rutger had failed to take position at 1.

Jenny misses her 9 yarder at K in corner 2.

Rutger shoots at ball and a sliver in corner 2 from 1 ESE of 1....

...BANG!

centre ball, really should finish from here

Plays the cannon back out of corner 2,  U 4yds N of 2, K 3yds NW of 1, good takeoff and runs 1 to N boundary.

Rutger now for 1back

CLANG

Stuck in 1back leaving Jenny a 4yarder with a ball at 2yds N of 1

Ian Vincent on to watch the shot, hits to N boundary

Took off 4yards short of K and rushes it 5yds past the hoop.  This could be a big swing in this game

Runs 1 but no forward rush and Y still near the N boundary.

Rolls to 3 and position at 2, 5ft straight

Runs it to the N boundary, now Jenny has the break

My esteemed colleague thinks Jenny was going to Y, not approaching 2, in the roll. I'm more generous and think she went for the hoop all the way.

Currently making 5

Jenny's break is getting somewhat scruffy but is making 3back, the break should see her home.

Jenny has got back in control and just has rover to make.

Jenny finishes

+7TPO(B)

Dave (U) supershot 2yds S of peg

Jenny (Y) maximum distance E boundary

Rutger (K) shoots at Y from A baulk....

hits

Rutger made hoop 1 and is going round.

Rutger is upto 2back and discussing leaves with Dave, no MSL for Dave this time

3 ducks from Rutger, lining up on maximum distance W boundary, U Y K working into the lawn.

Greg is looking like taking the shot from A baulk, a few yards out of corner 1

Rushes K to corner 2

Looks like we are haveing an action replay, TPO from Bryant

Second peel after 6

Peeled rover going to 3back, kept in on by just over 10yds!!

As Greg finishes his break, Jenny is kicking acorns off the N end of lawn 5 looking quite bored

Finished the TPO with a good leave. Greg is playing very well again today

K box

U 1          in the middle of the lawn

R peg       Corner 2

Y 1          8yds N of corner 4(better than last time)

Dave takes contact from Y, rolls up to 1 putting Y halfway between 1&2, has 3yd 35degree hoop

Takes 2ft position

Lunch and for any TMS listeners it is over to the shipping forecast

Y to corner 4 after a cracking lunch,

Dave runs 1 with right hand wire and gets a 3-4 yarder at R in corner 2

Dave runs 2 by a small amount cuts R to end of B baulk

Even better, cut it off infront of 3, runs 3 to S boundary with Y in corner 4 and R just S of peg high between 3&4

Dave hits Y and rolls out getting 3yd rush on R to 4. Now has 3 ball break to equalise at 1-1

Dave made 3back by an inch but had straight shot through the hoop

Dave finishes +14OTP(B)

1 game all

Test score GB 9-4 NZ

Jenny (U) supershot 5ft NW of 5

Dave (R) dribbles at supershot from end of A baulk nicks it.  Stuffs U near W boundary just N of 2, goes off 6inches N of corner 4

Greg (K) shoots at U from B baulk. just misses on the right leaving about a 2 ball gap from B baulk.

Rutger goes to the pavilion

Rutger returns to the lawn

He shoots at K&U from B baulk, hits U

Makes 1, has a 3 ball break and partner just out of corner 4

Swapped oppo for partner in corner 4 before hoop 4, now for 6

Discussing leave with Dave while for 2back, then forgets whether he had made the roquet or not.

Rutger is up to 4back with an NSL, U by hoop 4, K max distance W boundary, R&Y max distance E boundary, rush pointing 2yds N of K

Jenny lifts U takes the short lift hitting R

Jenny now has a 4 ball break.  I have been castigated by the WCF president for describing a previous NZ break as 'scruffy'.  Therefore this break is absolutely immaculate.

Jenny is up to 3back having an NSL.  The break really has been tidy and efficient.

Rutger's Y (4back) is by 3back

Dave's R (1) is just off W boundary level with 6 

K&U are 9yds N of corner 4 with a rush pointing at R

Dave is lifting R to A baulk and taking the short lift....

.....misses

Greg puts U in lawn, rushes R to corner 4, shot out of the corner is short, rushes Y straight, finishing 7yards N of hoop 1

Good backward takeoff, runs the hoop nearly peg high, hits return roquet and is off and running for a chance to keep the test alive for another day

Greg has made a 5foot hoop 2 after the distraction of applause from lawn 2

Jawses first peel after 3,  Mulliner practising again...

Peelee is alongside, not jawsed, setting up for peel before 6

Peels before 6, runs 6 by 1 inch, badly hampered...

....sweep shot hits

Setting up for the delayed double, still to make 3back

Puts U 1yd infront of rover from near N boundary before making penult.

Peels rover from 1ft 10degrees, K sits in jaws, 2 short balls to hand

Greg finishes

+7TPO(B) -14OTP(B) +17TP(B)

Test Score

GB 10-5 NZ

The match goes into day 5