Gordon has retired from commentary for the day so I will take over this one for now.

G2
Paddy B an K
Ben R an Y

Y to EB 9yn c4
K just S of c2
R misses Y from SB
B hits r, rushes Y to 1ft E of C2

Patel has just pegged out in the third to give Eng the match 2-1. That takes the test score to 10-2 in Englands favour

Also, the lawns have sped up significantly. The patches are starting to appear on the lawns are running at about 10.5 (Lawn 4 which is one of the slower lawns)

Paddy has made h1 and rushed back to SB level with 5. R is in the middle of h4 an the EB and it appears he has just got a 1ft rush to c2. Should be round now.
It's also started to heat up with the temperature sitting at 23 degrees, and a slight breeze. If we have this for the next 2 days our final day could genuinely be quite challenging. So stay away rain!!!

appears to have over approached H3. He's an extremely good player but will be doing well to run this one 5 inches close to 45 degrees. Jump stroke coming up or abort?

commentators curse saying he should go round. Sorry Padster!! B retires to c2
K 3y s of 3, r 7yS of k an y 8yS of y

R shoots at Y....

No dramas.. rushes to EB 2yN of c4

Rothman established a break, but missed his rush to H4 I think? Current clips, Ben 1 an 4 vs Paddy 1 an potential break - has just made h3 to the SB, hit r to c4 has B 7y s of h3 and 3 5y N of h1

Sorry again folks - been off helping dig new hoop holes. Currently paddy 4b an potential break vs 4b an 2.

Off to set more holes so will try an get someone to come jump on this game

ok, jenny here on couttsie's pc.
paddy had hit in with his 4b ball fro hoop 3, has made a good leave... red and yellow cross-wired, yellow lmost no north boundary behind hoop 2, red almost on west boundary 10 y n of c1. Blue and black 4y n of c4, with black having a rush pointing at c3.

Ben has cornered with red to corner 1.

Black, for hoop 1, can just about cut blue to yellow, ...no, a poor cut to behind hoop 3 on the boundary.

over rolls to get a rush on yellow back towards hoop 3. cuts it to between hoops 3 and 4, and takes off to corner 1. a few connection problems here, but hopefully we can stay online as Paddy tries to clinch the test for NZ.

Approach from corner 1... gets a 2 foot hoop with red between hoops 1 and 2 - nice stroke that, but runs 1 by only a few inches. Looks like he has a shot on red though - yup - hits that while we sort out a continuing power supply - I didn't see the stroke.

So now Paddy has red and yellow both at hoop 3, and is off to hoop 2 to make that hoop off partner - great setup for a standard TP if he can get control (or a good croquet stroke) out of hoop 2).

Slightly angled hoop 2. Still a few spectators here, despite a cold wind and horrible stuff coming off trees into my eyes. including croquet players probably a good 20+ people watching.

Runs 2, but with a rush pointing south, is now about 5 y SW of hoop 6, and rolling partner to peeling position

Over-rolls partner to well east of hoop 3, will be looking at either a long jawsing from a horrible angle, or a delayed TP. I think the latter.

Well, the Americans will take some small consolation from the day with the win for David Maloof in his debut singles match. He is shooting excellently, and has an immaculate hoop stroke. Good to see a few of the NZ youth squad here watching the last couple of days also - there were about 22 at a youth squad training camp in early October, which included 3 days coaching and a 2day handicap GC tournament which also had around 20 other entrants.

Meanwhile, Paddy is through hoop 3 and has roqueted partner, rolls it to about 18 inches SW of hoop 3 - it rolled on a bit. Lawn 3 was reported earlier today as being 11 seconds, and Chris reckons lawn 6 was 11.5 for his afternoon match.

Blue left up for the peel, and Paddy has a longish hoop 4 pioneer which shouldn't trouble him too much.

Promising sounds in the background of hoops moving to new holes. (forget promising - I found the older holes much easier today!!!) The noise of the maul on the hoops might have been distracting but for the thumping music of some Pasifika event out on the field.

Croquet stroke puts out a good hoop 5 pioneer but needs a bit of a cut to get pioneer close to 4 ... plays it well, and the subsequent longish hoop approach. Will be thumping this through.... don't think it touched the wire.

On Paddy's previous break when he got in when on 1 and 3, he ran 3 down to the south boundary - and demonstrated that the hoops are a little tired when he wicked off the wire of three and ended up nearly on the end of A baulk!!

makes 4, puts out the escape ball for the delayed 4b peel going to his hoop 5 pioneer - and it's really short. He'll have a chance for an angled take-off peel/jawsing if he gets good control out of hoop 5, otherwise things are getting really delayed.

Approaching hoop 5 from really close - not much room to get a forward rush, and he runs 5 to just north of red - huge cut moves it forwards about 3-4 yards and in a useful direction, but needs a really good croquet stroke to get a crack at the peel before 6...

nope - good red, but black ends up east of blue - can't get that in front for a peel attempt - will be looking to rush back and peel after hoop 6 now probably

The two youth squad lads are looking decidedly cold now, but big ups to the hanging in and following the action here - both are really promising players already.

And it looks like Paddy will be instead playing to peel 4b on the way to 1b as he roquets it to the west and then croquets it back to 2 feet in front of 4b. Needs a good rush out of 6, and he has yellow in a good position to get it.

Close, but slightly angled approach...runs it well to get a rush to the east boundary and is sighting a spot somewhere level with hoop 3.

Nice cut between blue and the hoop to get yellow about 5y south of c3 - he'll be able to get a 2b pioneer and keep a good position on peelee from here.

nice croquet stroke leaves yellow on the way to 2b and good control at 4b

The Aussies and English are all long gone now - 6pm on the first day of the year. The bowls club now belongs to High School Old Boys rugby club and the lovely barman is looking after the troops. In the new outdoor area we have Greg Bryant celebrating his win and having a drink with kiwi legend and former test captain Roger Murfitt. Also in attendance are Chris Shilling, John Prince in his stylish hat, and Bryan Wislang. motion... Chris has just joined the party over there. Lots of US players and partners in the patio area outside the croquet clubhouse.

ok, so Paddy hasn't had it all his own way.. the peelee refused to go through before 1back, but he has made the hoop with a southerly rush and is now rushing to 2back (and looking less than pleased to not be taking croquet from 6 inches in front). Very nice 3b pioneer, and blue is very close to 4b still.

Runs a slightly angled and short 2b, will be looking at a safe go at a straight triple now to clinch the test.

Back just in time to see Paddy rushing to about 8 inches at a slight angle for a straight 4b peel. The escape ball is about a yard NNE of 4b and red is in a great spot about 4feet SSE of penult.

Peels - blue through, black stays in the jaws. Great shot - roquets yellow and has blue in a perfect shot for a promotion which he is now lining up.

Yellow and blue about 2 feet apart but in a perfectly straight line to just north of penult.

Plays the croquet stroke - nice job - blue has squirted out to e about 2.5-3 yards almost dead north of penult and Paddy has a rush north on red. Yellow is now a foot SW of 4b.

Rushes red north of peelee and has plenty of room to put it back as an escape ball - croquets it a yard SE of penult, but looks really disappointed with where the striker's ball landed. Plays a big cut and it's about 18 inches NNE of penult. Maybe 15 deg offline? - definitely some danger in this stroke, but also very playable.

Lining it up carefully and here we go..

Irish peel... blue sticks, black runs onto it, promoting it through by 18 inches - lucky in some ways - black can still run the hoop!

Didn't look like he hit it hard enough to get it down to rover with any amount of wire, but I might have misjudged that

Paddy has run penult to about 1.5 inches north of the peelee. Blue looks to be in a nasty position for a rush to rover - I'm wondering if he'll hit red and go over to yellow at 4b and try to get some sort of promotion to have a clean rush.

No - taking his rush on partner directly - and will be making rover and having a leave. Rushes blue 5ft SSE of the peg and is taking off back up to Yellow. That's the play of a man taking the percentage option to win the test for his country!

Takes off to yellow near 4back, rushes it towards red, is stopping this to the peg for the leave while getting onto red which is south of penult to rush it to rover. Not a great shot and now has to navigate through red, blue and the peg to rush red to rover. Rushes about 2.5 yards short.

Approaches the hoop sending red deep, and has a 2 foot hoop which he powers through to the boundary with a very long and straight followthrough. He has now hit the return, and it'll be some kind of spread I think, although the balls are currently well placed for a standard spread, but yellow is for hoop 3, and will be left at the peg, so not ideal (Ben will lift the backward ball anyway)

Oops - runs onto partner which was next to yellow at the peg - it's going to be more challenging to get a good leave now, as yellow is north west of the peg, and red is towards the west boundary.

stops partner about 4 yards in from the east boundary, bombarding into yellow and promoting it to almost a cross-pegged spot from yellow - very nice.

Blue is well in lawn, which he'll hate with yellow being on hoop 3, but Ben is still going to have to hit something long to save this game.

Stops yellow to a tidy position at the peg, and he has shot off the east boundary to a spot which I think is wired through the peg.

Chris has spotted the option to shoot through red into corner 2 to possibly get another shot, but Ben has gone for the aggressive option with his hoop 3 ball, lifting it from the peg and taking the short shot from the end of A baulk.

He is a very good shot, but this time has missed.

Interesting choice - he chose to shoot at the in-lawn blue ball which wouldn't give him an easy pickup, and which Paddy should still finish from.

Quick recap - Paddy is for rover with blue, and has a 3 yarder on black on the boundary. Ben's hoop 3 ball (yellow) is about 5 yards north of that.

Good start - middles black.

it is amazing the sheer number of hours and effort the volunteers have put in here - Maurice Cook is still putting chairs away, clearing cables from the commentary team and picking up stray cups. Lots and lots of other people doing similar tasks for many many hours. Thanks guys!!!

Paddy has opted to take-off from in-lawn of black, not moving it into the lawn, but has played a lovely shot to get a rush on yellow across to red high and in from the west boundary - should finish now.

Lovely rush to rover.

Lots and lots of hoop moving has been going on this evening also, by the way.

One foot straightish rover with red deep...

Unlucky... runs the hoop with a slight wick and hits red - will be taking off to yellow to try to rush it back across the lawn and finish.

Perfect take-off.

Cuts yellow to 2.5 yards west of corner 4. Needs a good takeoff, as black is on the boundary 7y north of corner 4. Contemplating again... opts for a croquet stroke.

Nope - rearranging for a take-off.

Perfect again. Rushes 1 foot away from the peg. 11-1 - go NZ!!