That does not sound "easy" to me.
W Prichard wrote:
I reproduce an article written by my father on this very subject in the Nov 82 Croquet Gazette:"The three ball triple is described as easy in an article in the Gazette (p.19 Autumn 1980). Nevertheless the only recorded instances in a serious match in this country are:
| Date | Player | Opponent | Event | Position of 4th Ball |
| 1964 | JW Solomon | EPC Cotter | Open Championships | SW Corner |
| 1975 | GN Aspinall | W&D Prichard | Doubles Championships | SE Corner |
| 1978 | KF Wylie | WP Ormerod | Open Championships | Middle of South Boundary |
| 1982 | WdeB Prichard | DR Foulser | Test Team v The Rest | 2 yards N of SW Courner |
In no case was the fourth ball touched at any stage in the break. A few other three ball triples have been claimed where the break started or finished by touching the fourth ball and leaving it where it lay. No instances are known a three ball triple where only three balls are left in the game."Garth Eliassen wrote:I think the position of the fourth ball in Keith Wylie's three ball triple demonstrates his style.
Neil Spooner played a three-ball triple (American rules!) against Bill Roche in the August 1988 Western Regional Championships at Meadowood Resort. It was the first three-ball triple in the American game, and, I think, is still the only one. I reported it play-by-play in the November-December 1994 National Calendar, based on a video Bill Blanton sent me. I think it's one of the greatest American games.Phil Cordingley wrote:Spooner was a peeling fiend who loved to peel at any opportunity, his own balls or the opponent's. I remember playing with him at Sonoma-Cutrer, and he would, for fun, always peel my balls as well as his own on the way to a characteristically rapid victory.
One of Spooner's greatest peels was in a game against Jack Osborn during a major American-rules tournament in Florida. Osborn and Spooner didn't get along very well. They had both cleared #1, then Spooner attacked and went on the first break; as he passed the sidelines he overheard Osborn telling spectators that it wasn't so bad to lose 26-2 in the American game - that only meant that you never had a chance; but if you lose 26-3 it meant you had a chance and blew it. Osborn missed the leave. While taking the second ball around Spooner peeled one of Osborn's balls through #2. Ending score: 26-3. Osborn was furious.
In those days (and still today) American-rules players would go to corner IV after clearing #1, thinking it was the safest place to sit and wait against a strong opponent. One of Spooner's favorite plays when he was playing red and yellow was to put red in corner I if blue had gone to IV. Then black would clear #1 and join blue. Then Spooner would clear #1 with yellow, roquet his partner ball at corner I, do a horrendous cross-court split loading red to #3 and sending yellow to IV, roquet the back ball and nudge it toward #4, split-rush the other ball to #2, clear, and embark on the four-ball break. He also had several variations on the theme, and could hit the ball in corner I after clearing #1 about 75 percent of the time; remember, that's American rules with balls nine inches from the boundary and no going out-of-bounds. I don't think anyone else has ever routinely made those cross-court loads and attacks, and Spooner made them look easy.
Spooner was also the first to win 26-0 in American competition (only two or three have ever been done), and such a game is called a full-Spooner. A half-Spooner is 26-1 in the American game.
Depending on how pedantic you want to be, I think you'll find that KMH Aiton's well documented 3rd turn TPO against David Peterson in an Oxford Open Weekend tournament only had three balls on the lawn.The pedantry concerns whether you feel:
(a) that there are only 3 balls 'left' on the third turn
(b) any game in an Oxford Open Weekend tournament can be regarded as importantI'm sure you will agree, William, that such pedantry can be left to antipodals to decide.