The players are out of lawn 2. It looks like Maugham might do a bit more practice today.

Lamm R

Soo Y

Maugham U

Rutger K

T1 Y to 9y N of C4

T2 K to just S of C2

T3 R hits Y centre ball from A-baulk. Takes off to K, hits it and croquets it between hoops 1 and 2 before dribbling back to Y leaving a 2 yard rush West

T4 U misses R from A-baulk

Y has picked up a break with a good rush to a yard straight in front of hoop 1

Good start for the Yanks who have the first break on all 3 lawns

Y is on 4-b and is making a diagonal spread with U at the peg

K misses long lift at R

R has made hoops 1 and 2, but his hoop 4 pioneer is 5 yards E of the peg and K is still in C4.

He now has a 3 yard backward take-off to hoop 3

Copes

R now has a good break

The forecast for dry weather predictably means that it is now raining steadily

R is on a 4-ball break with Y as his 1-b pioneer. It has stopped raining

R is just going to the peg with no peels

R is now on the peg and has a diagonal spread with U at the peg and K 5 yards in from the W boundary (might be a 14 yarder from B-Baulk)

U lifts and shoots at Y from A-Baulk............hits

The shot at K looked at least 2 yards shorter.

U has a 4-ball break and they are deciding whether to peg R out or go to 4-b

The rain starts more heavily this time

Steady rain means we're seeing some waterproofs emerging

Well, I was wrong again. They are finding my ladies 1-b leave

Y is on the S boundary 2 yards E of C1.

R is 1 foot NNE of hoop 1 wired from Y and Dave is rushing to 1-b.

No, wrong again. The balls are obviously hopelessly open and Dave has made 1-b.

Good concept though - well done guys.

It'll be a Riggall now

I'm attempting to win the "How many times can I be wrong in a single break" Award.

It now looks like U will be stopping at 4-B and making an NSL with Y on hoop 4.

R is 2 yards SE of C2

No wrong again.

Y has been croqueted 5 yards NE of hoop 4 and U has rushed K to C2

R has been sent 17 y N of C1 and 1ft in from the boundary.

U has played just S of K

I hope my readers enjoyed that turn as much as me!!

They have lifted Y, their 4-b ball and Soo is taking the short lift at K from B-Baulk.............................hits centre ball

Y rushed U poorly to R and ended 6 yards N.

He croqueted U to 4 yards S of rover and failed to get anywhere near getting a rush on R which he is now taking croquet from 11 yards N of C1.

Looks like the Brits are going to get a bonus shot.

R and Y have a "Heap corner" at C3

K is near C2

U is 4 yards S of rover

K shoots at U..................hits

Rutger has looked increasingly good as this event has progressed

Almost a good pick up. He missed a 5 yard return roquet after hoop 1 for a standard tp.

The leave isn't disastrous though. The US are playing R - their peg ball and a miss will give a standard TP away.

Misses badly.

K misapproached hoop 2 and calls on ref to watch him try and smash it through on the ground.

Heavy rain now

This is off Y - it should be to win or to lose the first game

Smashes it through to the N boundary

K has peeled U through 4-b after hoop 3

All the peels are now done. K is on 3-b

K finishes. First game +5TP

GB lead 1-0

Test score GB 8 USA 4

Lunch being taken - illegally early??

Lamm R

Soo Y

Maugham U

Rutger K

T1 R to 9y N of C4

T2 K to just S of C2

T3 Y at R from A-baulk missing

T4 U at R from A-baulk.................misses

R has misapproached hoop 1 off partner and tried to guard all shots, which isn't easy

K shoots from C2 at Y n of 1. Misses, hits hoop 1 and fortunately bounces off to the end of A-Baulk

Y has either taken off next to K or missed. Anyhow. K has a good chance of a break

Good turn from K who is round to 4-b and who this time has remembered that his partner has a leave named after him.

R is at hoop 4, Y at hoop 2

R has lifted and is taking the long lift..................hits the wrong ball

R fails hoop 1 off Y.

U shooting at Y from N of hoop 2..................misses - was a good looking shot though

Y taking 6 yard pick up at K - HITS

Sorry that should have been U not K. Anyway, Soo now has a 4-ball break

Y got all the balls for a TPO, but then sent his hoop 4 pioneer into the peg and will now be sending K to hoop 4. Was it going to be a TPO - we will never know.

Y is round to 4-b and has made a diagonal spread with U at the peg

Y 4-B

R 1

K 4-B

U 1

U has lifted and is taking the short lift at R..............misses

R should be able to rush Y straight to hoop 1 because K is a good enough hoop 2 pioneer

That is what he has done. A standard TP is ahead of him to level the match. For a team of strong favourites who were 7-2 up, GB are starting to get into trouble.

I would have given long odds on NZ getting 9 wins against Aus before GB got 9 wins against the US.

R failed to get Y into peeling position after 3 and has just jawsed Y in 4-b before hoop 6.

Meanwhile Bast and Huneycutt have beaten Fulford and Lines on lawn 3 to make it GB 8 USA 6

The last match is a big one now.

R has failed to rush peel Y and is now for 1-b with a 4-ball break

This is just a ball to the peg.

A diagonal spread with K at the peg

R peg

Y 4-B

U 1

K 4-B

The spread is very horizontal.

U lifts and shoots at Y..................misses

Dreadful approach from straight in front of 4-b leaves Y by the side of the hoop. R is at the peg, U is 5yards N of hoop 4. K is near the N boundary behind 4-b

U at R is about 8 to 9 yards

Y goes to C2

U shoots at K..........hits

Takes-off to get rush on R ends up pointing at C4.

Rushes 5 yards E of hoop 1

Overapproaches hoop 1. Looking at joining up with K near C3

Just to clarify, these conditions are completely trivial.

Joins up with a rush pointing to middle of E boundary

Yanks still discussing options

R shoots at opponents......................hits U in the middle

Leave is U in C3 cross-wired from K about 3 yards E of hoop 6.

Y is in C2, R is 1 y E of C2

K shoots at R.......................misses

Y rushes R about 1 yard S of U in C3

Dinks R out a couple of yards and rushes U to 4-b.

Y runs 4-b to the boundary and now has  a 4 yarder on R

Big shot

Hits

Good croquet stroke sends R to rover and gets a good rush on U to penult which he clubs 3 yards past the hoop. Backward take off coming up

Good shot gets straight hoop. Runs penult to the peg and has a 4 yarder.........................snicks it.

That should be enough

Smashes the rush to the peg which hills off the peg.

Misses 2 yard peg out to 2 yards North East of end of A-baulk. Pegs out Y

R peg

K 4-B

U 1

K lifts and hits R. Rover is slightly in the way of rushing U to 4-b.

K has made 4-b with a rush pointing at red SE of rover

Snicks rush

Takes off to get 3 yarder pointing at C2

Rushes 3 yards NW of penult

Downpour.

Fails penult. I think R can see all of K and has a 2 to 3 yarder

R hits and finishes +16

Match score GB 1 USA 1

Test score GB 8 USA 6

Tea time

Game 3

There's a big difference between 9-6 and 8-7, so plenty riding on this.

Maugham U

Rutger K

Lamm R

Soo Y

T1 K 13 yard supershot

T2 R to just N of C4

T3 U shoots at R.....................misses leaving double

No, it was bad enough not to be a double.

T4 Y shoots at K...............misses narrowly. A bit of luck for GB

T5 U hits R and croquets it to hoop 2. U hits hoop 4 leaving a 7 yarder on K which will miss to about 6 yards from R

U dribbles at K joining up about 4 yards apart. R has a range of 13 yarders for all the balls

R hits U and has break

R in still on his 4-ball break and has reached hoop 6

R has reached 4-b and made a diagonal spread. K is at the peg. U is 5 yards in lawn. Y and R are about level with hoop 5

R 4-B

All other clips on hoop 1

U lifts and takes long lift from B-Baulk at Y......................................

..............misses

Y has made hoop 1 with a 3 ball break ahead of him and U in C4.

Cuts K off the S boundary behind hoop 4 after hoop 1. U is slightly W of the corner

Croquets K to 3 yards NE of hoop 4 and hits U.

Hogan roll coming up

Y croquets U to 4 yards W of hoop 3 and finishes 1 foot away from R. Good shot

After hoop 2, Y doesn't get a rush on R and rolls it 2 yards S of 4-b. He has a pretty good position now and really should finish.

Grovels through hoop 3 and is hampered on red. Rushes U down towards K. It's delayed now.

Soo put K a bit too far South to peel 4-b before 6 and has opted to make hoop 6 off R and try and rush back in front of 4-b after hoop 6

Makes 6 and rushes R 4 yards in front of 4-b.

R finishes just off the left hand wire. Soo is looking at whether or not it will rush peel later

It's going to have to be an STP, because he's left R at 4-b and is now approaching 3-b

Soo has rushed U 3 yards E of penult after 3-b and is looking at taking off to R first and trying the rush peel

The rush peel bounces out in front of the hoop. It now looks like a single peel going to the peg

Recap

Y peg

R penult

U 1

K 1

We have a cross-peg. I'm not in a position to tell how good it is. U is 2 ft E of the peg, K is 5ft W

RY are laid up just N of level with hoop 5 with a rush at UK

K is lifted

K shoots at R from A-Baulk.................misses

Apologies to everyone who was looking forward to video footage of Chapman v Fletcher tomorrow. I'll be staying at Bowdon and will try and get someone else to video it.

R finishes +26

Match GB 1 USA 2

Test score GB 8 USA 7

An excellent day for the USA. Despite all 6 of their players making at least one error, they have achieved the whitewash needed to get back into contention. Tomorrow promises to be a great battle.