Day 2 (USA names first)

Round 1 singles

• Stark beat Burrow -17tp, +25, +26tp
• Drake beat Fulford +20tp, +20tp
• Bidencope lost to Gibbons -26tp, -17
• Cherry beat Mulliner +20, +24tp
• Soo lost to Lines +26, -11tpo, -26tp
• Huneycutt lost to Death -15, -26tp

Round 2 doubles

• Bidencope & Cherry trail Burrow and Gibbons 0-1
• Huneycutt & Soo trail Fulford and Lines 0-1

USA leads GB 6-4

Drake performed magnificently against the world #1 Fulford. He did make one error in the match, croqueting a ball off the lawn while making his 4-back leave in game 1. Fulford went to 1-back with a defensive leave, peeling Drake through 1 and leaving a wide join in corner III. Drake hit the 35-yarder, took off to the corner ball, getting a good rush to his hoop. He then organized a break and a delayed-triple finish. In game 2 Drake again had the first break, this time with a proper leave. Fulford hit the lift and went round to 1-back, as usual peeling Drake to 2. He again attempted a defensive leave, but didn’t quite get his ball into the jaws of 3 as he intended. Drake hit another “tea-lady” shot and finished with a standard triple.

Stark and Cherry also won their matches for the USA, while GB’s less experienced crew of Gibbons, Death and Lines won to pull GB even on the day. GB then took the lead in each of the two remaining matches from the “floating” doubles round, Burrow and Gibbons with a fifth-turn finish against Bidencope and Cherry, and Fulford and Lines with a scrappier win over Huneycutt and Soo.

Saturday will be all doubles, with up to five matches to be determined.

Last modified on 26 March 2005