Two days in, the main championship knockout is underway and down to five players. Stuart Lawrence, the wildcard after block play, beat Jeff Soo in the play-in round and is up a game in his quarterfinal match against defending champion Danny Huneycutt. The winner will play Harper Peterson, 2-0 winner over Mike Taylor. On the other side of the draw, Brian Cumming (2-0 over Bob Cherry) and Doug Grimsley (beat Rob Hurst in the play-in, then 2-0 over Jim Bast) will get an early start on their semifinal.

The remaining championship players will play Plate games tomorrow, leading to a Plate knockout on Sunday.

First Flight started today with all players playing three games. Two rounds tomorrow will complete the cross-block, with 8 of the 10 advancing to a single-game KO.

Conditions have been surprisingly challenging, the recent cool weather enough to send the warm-weather turf back into dormancy, resulting in fast pace and some unpredictable rolls. The Cherry court is even faster, but truer, so presents a similar level of challenge.

Last modified on 14 April 2012