Dan Greenaway reports as follows:
Secretary's Shield Match Nottingham VS Middlesbrough Saturday 11th Aug 2012
Nottingham Team: Omeid Hallam (4.5), Dave Gunn (8), Dan Greenaway (10), Alan Scott (12).
Middlesbrough Team: Roger Staples (4), Michael Akester (12), Nigel Roberts (14), John Fitzpatrick (16)
Morning Games:
Hallam and Gunn lost to Staples and Akester -22
Greenaway beat Fitzpatrick +9
Scott lost to Roberts -14
Afternoon Games:
Hallam beat Staples +10
Gunn beat Akester +20
Greenaway beat Roberts +17
Scott beat Fitzpatrick +2T
Nottingham win 5-2
On a nice sunny day in Nottingham, Middlesbrough made the trip down for a match in the Secretary's Shield. The visitors made the better start in the morning; the doubles match of Hallam and Gunn verses Staples and Akester started tight, but then Akester got in and went round giving Middlesbrough a lead Nottingham couldn?t claw back ending in a +22 win for the Teesiders. On the other lawn Greenaway scored Nottingham's first point. A break with the white gave him a good lead but Fitzpatrick using his bisques picked off hoops narrowing the margin to a +9 win to Nottingham. The second game on lawn 3 was a tactical battle between Scott and Roberts; Roberts took an early lead which Scott couldn't get back resulting in a +14 win on time for Middlesbrough and an overall 2-1 lead going in to lunch.
The weather carried over to the afternoon for some more top croquet. On lawn 2 Staples took an early lead against Hallam, but a stumble on hoop one allowed Hallam back in who promptly seized his opportunity and won +10. Gunn changed his morning form around and was firing both barrels in the afternoon giving himself a +20 win over Akester. Over on lawn 3 Greenaway had a good game against Roberts resulting in a +17 win. In the second game on lawn 3 Scott was making the most of the weather again with his game going to time again. This time he reversed his fortunes with a +2T win meaning Nottingham finished the day with a 5-2 win, to give them a chance to defend the trophy in the final against the Bear of Rodborough.