Nickel's ball into the centre stake and eliminating him from competition; or Martin could use the 2 bonus shots he received for contacting Nickel, and advance through a distant wicket with a higher probability. The stake was approximately 2.5 meters from their position; a very makable shot for the defending-champ. Regardless of the result, a stake-out attempt would leave Martin with only 1 additional shot, with distance and the stake separating him from the next wicket. He elected to leave Nickel alone, and use his 2 shots to better his position in the game. Martin swiftly connected with his ball, hurtling the brown sphere toward the far side of the pitch, bouncing once or twice before coming to an abrupt stop - at the base of the stake. Unimaginably, the 3-time champion was out of the match! Following a short respectable applause for Martin's superb play over the past 3 championships, the remaining five competitors realized a new name would don the Cup in 2015, and it was still anybody's chance. Though Wile still held the lead, the rest of the field were criss-crossing the pitch and playing with greater risk-reward shots. As Wile neared the final 2 wickets which bookend the stake, last-place Cruise elected a ‘poison ball’ strategy; Cruise would hover around the stake in hopes of coming into contact with the leader, and eliminate him/her by way of stake-out. As planned, Cruise was able to set up a croquet shot on Wile, but Wile's ball was placed so close to a wicket that it was impossible to be sent into the stake. Instead, Wile was cleared away. Meanwhile, Robin Norman had quietly advanced through the course, and threatened to overtake the lead. He reached the same second-last wicket that Wile was going for, successfully passed through, avoided Cruise's poison ball, and just narrowly missed the final wicket, ricocheting to the right. A couple centimetres to the left, and Norman would have been only 1 more shot to clinch. On his next turn, Wile passed through the second-last gate, aiming wide of the stake, with approximately 3 meters to the final wicket, Norman-adjacent, and Cruise hovering nearby. Anything but a ‘through ball’ would certainly result in another poison ball attempt from Cruise, and a potential victory to Norman. 2 past runner-up placements, and an unfortunate history of coming up short, it was a pivotal shot for Wile. With