Welcome to Cairnlea for what come be a thrilling day 5. Whilst the England v USA match is already won at 11-4, net matches could be important if no team wins all 3 rubbers, so England will be looking to extend their lead to at least 16-5. Meanwhile we are poised at 7-7 in the Australia v NZ Test with 6 singles and pegged down doubles to play.
Google tells me that it is currently 7 degrees, but feels like 4 degrees. It's cold!! I asked some of the players yesterday which of the many factors such as balls, lawns, wind, rain, cold and simply pressure was causing the most problems and "wind" was the general answer. There is minimal shelter around Cairnlea and it's going to cause more problems today. At the end of yesterday it died down and playing conditions were easier. t was interesting see Ian Dumergue turn down any attempt at a laid standard tp in game 1 but complete one in game 2 yesterday - playing to the conditions is playing intelligently.
So, I'll try and post regular updates on the six Aus v NZ singles today. They are widely spread across the courts, so I may struggle with some of the more distant lawns.
Practice starts at 8.30 and the matches will start at 9am. Only the Kiwis are here so far.

Whilst it is cold outside, the heating is on inside the clubhouse and it is lovely and warm. It will be a popular location for players on nearby lawns.
Lawn 1 Robert Fletcher v Paddy Chapman
Lawn 5 Malcolm Fletcher v Jenny Clarke
Lawn 7 Edward Wilson v Aaron Westerby
Lawn 4 Dwayne McCormick v Felix Webby
Lawn 6 Stephen Forster v Edmund Fordyce
Lawn 12 Ian Dumergue v Greg Bryant

All of these matches could go either way. The top singles is often critical as the standard of play is likely to be highest and it could finish first. Neither player is on top form, but nether player has played badly either. Robbie did really well when Jenny put him under pressure, hitting crucial shots in games 2 and 3. Paddy had a lovely delayed tp to win his doubles against Robbie yesterday.
Malcolm has looked in pretty good form so far, with a great finishing turn off the contact to beat Paddy in straight games. jenny had a good match against Robbie and has played a lot of good turns in the doubles, but has also made some early errors.
Neither Edward nor Aaron are anywhere near their top performance levels. Edward has shot randomly and looks uncomfortable running hoops gently whilst Aaron has had problems with the hoops.
Dwayne started weakly, but has come into his own over the last 2 days. Felix has been excellent with good shooting and few errors.
Stephen has looked good for quite some time but has failed the odd critical hoop to lose games. Edmund has been excellent and whilst less likely to complete a tp than Stephen could shoot his way to a win. Actually, that's completly unfair - Edmund has played lots of really good break pick-ups and his breaks and leaves have been at least as tidy, if not better, than many more seasoned campaigners.
Ian has looked pretty good in recent days. Greg has looked really good in patches, but has often found a random error.

Anything from 6-0 to 0-6 is possible.
The bell has just been rung for practice to commence

Out in Siberia (lawn 12) Greg and Ian are chatting. Most people think this will be the last match to finish. Will the Test still be live at this stage? The temperature might peak at 13 degrees later today, but the wind is expected to feel chilly throughout the day. So, what do top players practice? Approaching h1 from various positions will be popular. Maybe approaching h2 from the corner. Rushing to h1 from the E boundary and some shooting parctice, maybe a short 2-ball break. The players will know the hills on most of these lawns and will have adapated their lines of tactical play to utilise these.
On lawn 2 Essick is still missing during his practice session. I had thought that by day 5, he'd be firing on most cylinders. He's playing James Death who has also struggled to take croquet.
Back to the big match. Felix and Dwayne both have good lawn presence and seem confident when they are on the lawn.
The match on lawn 6 is a contrast in experience. Stephen is playing in his 6th Mac whilst Edmund is in his first. Edmund has won all 4 matches so far - very few Kiwis have won all 5 in a Test.

Edmund is back in the clubhouse and confirms that "it's even colder than yesterday". We played in 42 degrees at Mission Hills last time and I always find it easier to play in high temperatures than low ones.

Samir's phone is telling him that it's 9 degrees but feels like 3.

The referees are now checking the hoops. They've done a great job so far. Lots of players have asked for replays thinking their balls have jammed, but no hoops have been the wrong size. The referees are "on request" as most players are used to rather than "in charge" as happens in Australia. There have been no problems so far.

It's been good to see all players respecting the "no hoop to be run at a pace that would send the ball 7 yards if the hoop wasn't there" rule.

And we're off....7 minutes early
Dwayne 9 yards N of C4
Felix just S of C2
Dwayne shoots at Felix from B-Baulk....misses
Felix takes what looks like a double from B-Baulk........misses into contact with red, which will make Dwayne's pick-up more difficult

Both Felix and Dwayne are fairly fast, so this could finish early if they play well. Dwayne gets a rush to partner and rushes 3 yards S of it. Unbelievably, he's taking off a layer of clothing!! Runs a good h1, but by 16 yards and has a 10 yard return roquet which he hits.Approaches h2 from the corner, but is short and plays of the E boundary 8y S of C3 leaving an 8 yard join with partner W of h3.

Interesting opening on lawn 6. Stephen plays to C2. Edmund plays just N of C4. Stephen plays 2 yards N of Edmund. Edmund hits partner from A-Baulk.

Robbie plays an anti-Duffer - very Southerly. Paddy plays just S of C2.

Jenny misses the ball in C4 4th turn after a C2 opening and Mal shooting from C3.

Felix takes an 18 yarder from h4 to h3...........hits

Robbie plays 8 yards N of C4 to leave a long rush to h1. Paddy goes to B-baulk and shoots at partner (must think it is flatter).......hits

Looks like Mal has either taken off teh lawn near C2 or short and missed, but Jenny has the innings

Aaaron has the first break against Edward

Greg has the innings gainst Ian

Stephen has the first break against Edmund

Paddy has taken off well to Robbie's ball and has a good chance after rushhing really well to h1.Over-approaches to leave a 40 degree 6 inch hoop - flips it through. Plays a super croquet stroke and obtains a rush to C2 which he plays perfectly t get the first break.

Felix makes a leave and Dwayne misses

Ian shoots from h2 t N of h1............misses. Greg fils h1 off partner

Jenny has over-approached h2 and will be retiring to C3, 12y away from partner. Mal takes a 9 yarder at Jenny's hoop 1 ball which is his shortest and safest shot.....hits

Aaron's break is still going and he has reached h6

Stephen's break is still going and has reached 2-b

Felix is on h3 with a break

Paddy is approaching h4

Ian shoots from h2 to partenr near C4, missing. Is Greg cross-wired? Can he run h1?

Mal is through h1 by many yards and should be able to pick up a break from here.

Mal needs to rush partner from h1 to h2 for a break Mal does not make h2 and leaves Jenny a 7 yarder, which she hits.

Greg hits a 6 yarder at partner

Paddy, Aaron and Felix all have good breaks

Steohen has reached 4-b with an NSL

Edmund lifts the ball at h2 and takes the short lift...........misses

Aaron reaches 4-b with a diagonal spread

Greg has made h1 but still has work to do for a break

jenny fails h2 leavig Mal a 5 yarder which he hits abd should get going with his h1 ball.

Stephen plays some poor strokes and has to roll off h1 from 13 yards - fails and plays 8y N or C4 leaving an 8 yarder at partner, guarding Edmund's shot from h1, but not guarding a 12 yarder from a ball 8 yards E of teh peg.
Edmund takes this 12 yarder......hits

Edward misses the long lift. Aaron fails h1 leaving a 5 yarder, which Edward hits to the S boundary and will need to approach h1 from there

Paddy has reached 4-b. he's laid up in C4 - are Robbie's balls not cross-wired at the peg? If not, he'll have a 9 yarder.

Felix has reached 4-b with an NSL

Mal has a 4 ball break

Greg did not get going and Ian is taking a long shot at partner.......misses and Greg hits a 5 yarder at partner

Edmund fails to approach h1 and lays up there. Stephen shoots and misses, giving Edmnd an easy chance.

Robbie lifts the ball at the peg and takes teh short lift.........hits

Dwayne shoots at Felix's balls from where his h2 ball lies..........misses

I'm not 100% sure what happened, but Edward failed to approach h1 at his first attempt and is now having another go. He's got an 8 foot hoop.........clangs. Aaron takes a 15 yarder at partner near C2........misses

Robbie has made h1 - tpo, pops, 1-b leave or just a ball to 4-b?

Felix has all the balls in-lawn and is approaching h1 from 3 yards. Makes h1 with a standard tp ahead of him.

Edmund is making hard work of his pick up, but is still in ok position

Mal breaks down at h6 and Jenny has a break

In the distance, it looks like Greg has failed h2 and Ian has hit

Edward shoots from h3 at Aaron's ball near c2 which must be a double, hits and has a break

Robbie has a 4-ball break and has reached h4

Jenny has a 4 ball break and reached h4

Ian has the innings on lawn 12

Edmund is looking at various places to tried and guard Stephen's shots - that tricky when partner is 5 yards WNW of the peg. Plays of the W boundary level with partner

Felix jawses the 4-b peel after h3.

Stephen plays his 4-b ball near h3 and shoots at partner 3y N or C4..........misses. Edmund now takes his 8-9 yarder at partner in-lawn.........hits it the middle crunching it off the E boundary.

Edward, Jenny and Robbie all continue with 4 ball breaks

Felix has badly misapproached h4 - I think it's impossible.

Edmund gets a rush on the ball in C4 to h1......that's not great when you're on h2. Smashed it to 15y S of C2

Robbie is going to 4-b with an NSL, no pops.Paddy's 4-b ball will be at 3-b.

Felix scatters the ball at h5 well, finishing 4 yards W of h1. Dwayne shoots with his h1 ball near h2 at partner near h2.........misses. Felis shoots with his h4 ball at h1 at partner in the jaws of 4-b.........hits with a fist - that's a hge roquet which he should finish from providing he copes with the long take off from the N boundary to a ball in C4.

Edmund fails to approach h2 and and up 15 yards from partner (now sure how). Stephen shoots from h2 at partner near C4.........misses. Edmund shoots from 15y S of C3 at Stephen's balls near C4.............hits

Felix has coped with the long take-off

Ian is at h3 with a 4-ball break

Edward reaches 4-b with an NSL with the ball at h4 in the front of the jaws

Robbie reaches 4-b with an NSL. Paddy lifts his h1 ball at h2 to A-Baulk and shoots..........snicks the boundary ball - has the option of a long promotion, but I'll think he'll play a more precise option.

Jenny reaches 4-b with an NSL with Mal's h6 ball at h4

Ian continues his break

Paddy has picked up the break just as I would have. He's got a dolly rush on partner to h1 and left the opponent balls a few yards apart near h4. All he needs now is to rush to h2 for a standard tp.

Felix is still going but has his peelee (for penult) at 1-b

Mal lifted the ball at 3-b and hit Jenny - didn't see from where.

Aaron has lifted the ball the ball at h2 and missed the short lift. Ed makes h1 and has a good chance to finish

Ian has broken down on lawn 11 - not sure where, maybe h6??? Greg is in

Mal makes h6, 1-b and misses a return rqouet giving Jenny a 7 yard lift from B-Baulk with balls at h1 and h2..................hits

Edmund has failed to approach h4 and is thinking about what to do with hos last shot. He scatter partner to near C4, but Stephen still has a 12 yarder with his h1 ball near h5. Stephen shoots...........misses. Edmund really needs to take this beak round now.

Paddy is making h4 under full control with 1 peel done.

Felix looks like this might just be a ball to the peg. Partner is going to be sent t penult, but he's already got a rover pioneer.

On lawn 7, something weird has happened. Edward was only a standard tp, had a hampered shot after h3, which he hit and the balls are now back. I've just discovered he played the wrong ball after h3. Aaron is now in

Felix lines up an angled penult peel......plays it well with an irish peel. Peelee goes through by 6 yards.

Paddy still under good control about to peel penult after h6

Edmund has a break,

Jenny has a tp.

Felix jawses rover and is jumping.......he's got a good deep ball, so this should be a full jump.............gets the half jump, hits teh underneath of the crown and goes through with a another fist. Rushes to the peg to take the first +25tp.

Jenny doesn't get the 4-b peel after h3 and it looks like she'll be just going to the peg

Paddy has done 2 peels but needs to take off to his 2-b pioneer from the jaws of h6. Does ok but has a 2 yard side approach which he underhits.........2 foot 30 degree hoop.....smashes it into the far wire and it bounces straight back. Robbie has standard tp.

Aaron has a standard tp and has just run h3 in full control.

Edmund has reached 4-b with a diagonal spread. Recap 2+4-b v 1+4-b

Felix tells me he was too close for the full jump, so had to half-jump.

Greg is laying up with an NSL having reached 4-b

Stephen lifts his backward ball at h2 and takes the long lift....misses to C4

Robbie has made h1 all the balls and looks like he's in full focus mode.

Jenny is still progressing with her 4 ball break.

Aaron has reached h5 with 1 peel complete and the other balls near h6

Ian lifts the ball at h4 and goes to B-baulk to take the long lift...........misses to C4

Edmund under-approaches h2......it's possible....turns it down and in plying back to partner at h3, runs into it. Stephen shoots from h2 to h3 with his 4-b ball...........hits the ball that was further away, could have been a target, Will he make any hoops Stephen makes a leave with no hoops made.

Jenny reaches the peg with no peels. Recap 4-b+peg v 2+2-b. Makes a diagonal spread. Mal lifts the ball at the peg and takes the long lift.....misses

Felix plays 9y N of C4. Dwayne shoots at it and hits, approaches hoop 1 (we'd been wondering what he was going to do), gets 3 yard position, fails h1. I'm not unhappy with that choice from a NZ perspective. Felix misses his 6 yarder, bouncing off the hoop to 7y N of C1. Dwayne hits and has a 4-ball break.

Robbie on hoop 6 with full control.

Jenny fails to get a good rush to 4-b, rushes it the N boundary 10y W of C3, Takes off to 4-b, makes the hoop, hits a 6 yarder, plays a good croquet stroke to get a rush to penult, rushes 5 feet away, makes the hoop and finishes +18

Edmund misses, but Stephen hasn't got a rush and will need to play a roll out of C4 going to Edmund level with h3. Partner only gets just past the peg, and his rush to h1 finishes S of h4. Needs a good roll to h1...super shot gets a 2 foot straight hoop which he runs with a forward rush. Somehow break down at h3 and Edmund has the innings

Dwayne continues his 4-ball break.

Look like Greg has the innings on lawn 12

Aaron peels rover straight and the peelee just gets through the hoop. Needs a full jump now. Never had his feet far enough forward and hit peelee half way up. Tris to peg out from 14 yards gently. Sends it near the peg and will be making a leave and pegging the striker's ball out to leave peg v 4+4-b

Dwayne reaches 4-b with an MSL - not sure exactly where the ball at h4 is. Felix lifts the h2 ball and takes teh short lift..........

Edmund is making hoops with his 4-b ball

Edward lifts his 4-b ball and takes a 14 yarder at partner S of C2......misses. Aaron takes game 1 +13

Robbie has excellent control for a straight rover peel to finish

Felix moves the ball in h4 4 feet, but it's called as a miss. From where the striker's ball finished, I think it looks like a good decision by the world's best referee, Graeme Roberts. Remember, this event can be as nerve-racking for the refs as it is for the players. Dwayne fails h1. Felix misses 7 yarder.Dwayne hits 6 yarder and has made h1 off partner with a standard tp ahead of him.

Robbie plays a good irish peel, but the striker's ball sticks (first one of the event) For some strange reason, he opts for a replay instead of just getting the hoop reset and now has to play the irish peel again. Copes to take the first +8tp.

Edmund is now peg and h2 with a reverse OSL. Stephen lifts his backward ball at h2 and takes the short lift from B-Baulk......hits.

Ian has the innings on lawn 12

Good 5 minutes for the Aussies.

Jenny plays 9y N of C4. Mal to just S of C2. Jenny hits partner from? digs Mal out of C2 and makes a leave giving herself a long rush. Mal goes to B-baulk and misses to C4.

Dwayne jawses the 4-b peel after h3.

Aaron runs a good h2 to pick up a break early in game 2.

Stephen has a break and we can expect a one ball game 4-b v 2

Dwayne misses a short roquet on peelee in 4-b from the northern side. Felix has his third 6 yarder of the game.........hits the ball in 4-b moving it three yards SW. Recap 6+4-b v 1+1 Felix game up.

Jenny picks up a 3 ball break

Stephen is making 2-b but doesn't have a ball in the SE quadrant

Paddy standard supershot. Robbie 3y NE of h5. Paddy shoots at Robbie from the end of A-baulk, missing by over a ball.

Felix fails h1 off partner. Dwayne shoots from h2 to h1.........misses

Stephen has recovered his break and is looking to peel partner straight at 4-b

Ian still in play on law 12

Jenny now on h4 with ball still in C4

Aaron on 4 ball break

Stephen has achieved a straight 4-b peel which will make the one ball game much easier penult v 2.

Looks like Ian has had a ball round and is laid up near C2

Felix has made h2 with a 3 ball break

Robbie is going round 4th turn

Jenny now has a 4 ball break

Aaron is 2-b with his 4 ball break

Stephen pegs two balls out leaving the other 2 cross-pegged (yes, that does mean he's left Edmund a 17 yard "rush" to h2 from A-baulk. Edmund lifts to A-Baulk.....misses, but surely Stephen can't shoot here? Stephen tries to take wired position in front of h6. Ed too [osition at h2. Stephen took his 8 yarder, hit - that's good positive play. Too often the player with a big lead plays too conservatively.

Aaron reaches 4-b with an OSL. Edward lifts the Easterly ball and takes the short lift......misses by some way.

Felix has a 4 ball break.

It looks like Greg has hit the lift.

Jenny has reached 4-b with an NSL

Stephen takes off to penult and looks like he's failed it to 2 yards E. Edmund took position at h2. Stephen played just E of penult wired. Edmund failed h2 to 5y SW. Stephen took good position. Edmund hit, rushing it 6y S of C3.. Rolls to leave a 4 yard 15 degree hoop.....clangs to 4 ffot straight leaving a 5 yarder. Stephen hits, but sticks in penult. Edmund "clears" it to the N boundary - this is a good chance

Mal lifts the ball at h2 and takes the long lift.........hits

Aaron has made h2 and has a chance of a standard tp with some good play.

Felix reaches 4-b, but can only make an OSL.

Robbie reaches 4-b with an NSL, but it's a bad one. the ball at h4 is open from A-baulk and his two balls and 2 ball apart 8y N of C4. Paddy also has an open 6 yarder with the ball at h4 which is what he takes....hits..

Edmund takes off from the end of B-baulk to h2, runs h2 to the boundary, misses his 7 yard rush to h3. Stephen took position at penult. Edmund hits rushing it 12y N of C1. Fails to approach h3 and doesn't dare take position for fear of giving away a wiring lift and plays 2 yards W. Stephen plays 5y S of C2. Edmund takes position at h3. Stephen plays 10y E of C2. Edmund runs h3 to get a 4 yadr h4 15 degrees......spanks it through. Can he get position at h5???? Yes, he's got 5 foot straight position - great turn!

Dwayne lifts his h1 ball by the peg and takes the short lift........misses

Aaron has jawsed peelee after h3.

Felix is on a break for h3 with partner at h4

Stephen plays 12y S of C2. Edmund runs 5 to 4y in front of h6. Bad stroke hits the outside of the left hand wire and he finishes in C2. Stephen plays between h3 and C3 - that was an interesting choice - I fancied my 10 yarder. Ed plays 5 yards S of h2. Stephen plays 6y SE of h3. Edmund plays 4y W of the peg. Stephen shoots...........hits, takes off from 3y N of h1 to 1y staright position - good shot. Runs penul to 2y N of the peg, shoots at Edmund.....misses

Edmund takes on his 10 yarder......hits. Recap 6 v rover. Rolls up to h6, gets a 3y straight hoop, bounces off to 9y E of h6 - that was a good chance. Stephen takes 3y 45 degree at rover. Edmund should shoot here - position at h6 is not strong. Ed takes position at h6. Stephen seems to have not tried to get position at rover, but gone wired from Edmund??? Edmund runs h6 and should take position at 1-b (Stephen is 2feet E of rover. Ed turns down position at 1-b and plays 2y NE of h4 trying to get wired, but fails. Stephen takes his 10 yarder......misses

Mal has reached 4-b and I'm afraid I didn't see Jenny's lift, but she's hit. Fails to get a rush to h1 and lays up at h1. Mal shoots with his backward ball into C1 leaving a ball at h2......hits.

Paddy has reached 4-b with an NSL

Aaron has reached peg with 1 peel and needs to play some good shots to get a leave

Edmund hits his 5 yarder, takes off to 1-b, finishes 3y E and takes good position. Stephen plays peg high E boundary. Edmund runs 1-b by 10y and takes 2y position at 2-b. Remember, Stephen doesn't get lifts having pegged Edmund out.

Robbie lifts his backward ball at h2 and takes the short lift........misses badly

Stephen plays 2y N of the peg. Ed fails 2-b to 4y NW of 2-b. Stephen moves his ball a yard further S. Edmund take position at 2-b. Stephen plays 4 yards in front of rover. Edmund runs 2-b, takes 8 foot slightly angled position at 3-b.

Felix reaches the peg with no peels and a reverse diagonal spread

Stephen runs rover to great applause. Shoots at Ed.........misses, but I approve of the positive choice. Ed misses his 9 yarder and Stephen takes a crowd-pleasing first +5

Dwayne lifts the ball at the peg and shoots from C1.....hits. Recap 6+4-b v 4-b + peg.

Edward misses his "last shot". Aaron fails penult. Edward is back in.

Good few minutes for Australia

Paddy played an approach to h3 where he was trying to move oppo out of teh way and get peelee behind the hoop. He's got those 2 balls ok, but has a very short 45 degree hoop himself. Fails h3.

On lawn 12, Ian is running 3-b

Mal is on 2-b with 1 peel done

Ed has a leave and the players are taking lunch

Aussies in play on all 4 lawns

Paddy's error is not terminal because it's Robbie's 4-b ball he's broken down off. Robbie does have a double with his h1 ball from h4 to h3 but I can't see him taking that.

In Robbie's game he's played his 4-b ball and hit Paddy's h3 ball. I fancy croqueting it half way to C3, rushing the 4-b ball 8y N of C4, croqueting it in front of 2-b, getting a good rush on partner to the S boundary in front of h1 and then laying up wired from the 4-b ball with a rush to h1.
What Robbie has chosen to do is simpler, but gives much more away should Paddy hit. He's had a wide cross-wire at h3 and laid up near C1. If Paddy hits, he gets a standard tp again

Dwayne breaks down on his second break at penult. Recap Dwayne 4-b + pen v Felix 4-b + peg. Look like Felix has a 3 yarder with his peg ball or a 15 yard double with his 4-b ball. Plays his peg ball and hits.

Paddy shoots with his h3 ball.....misses narrowly. Paddy says it was hitting 3/4 ball on the left with 3 yards to go and missed on the right. That should be the first point to Australia.

Felix has made a pretty good leave. He's laid up10y S of C3 with a rush to 4-b with a ball inches W of penult wired and the other ball 5y ENE of C1. Dwayne shoots from penult at partner..........hits to applause. To give readers a fee for how Dwayne plays, he's just rolled partner to rover from C1 going to Felix's balls and played it well.

Ian finished what I think was a tp to take the first on lawn 12.

Aussies have had a good hour.

Mal needed a straight double to finish his tp, The penult peel went through 6 yards and he ended up with a 4 foot rover peel which didn't go through. He managed to get the peel after rover and had a long go at the peg out and pegged one out. Jenny had a 10 yarder which she hit and is now in play with a break with her backward ball.

Robbie needs to approach h2 from 4 yards away with the other 2 balls at h3.......gets a 2foot 30 degree hoop and runs it by a yard. Robbie jawses the 4-b peel after h3.

Dwayne has made penult and rover and will be pegging Felix out to leave 4-b + peg v 4-b. He is laid up near C1 with Felix near C3.

Felix and Dwayne stop for lunch.

Jenny has reached 1-b on her break and is still going

Robbie rush-peels 4-b after h4 and takes off back to his h5 pioneer - good shot,

Jenny has reached 3-b and is still going.

Jenny hits h5 going her 3-b pioneer and is wired from partner at 3-b. Dribbles to leave a rush to 3-b. Malcolm can shoot at the peg from 4-b. They stop for lunch.

Robbie doesn't get the penult peel after h6 and now has a very angled death roll peel........fails the peel but the striker's ball is excellent. Delayed double needed to finish. Doesn't get a rush out of 3-b and will need a really good croquet stroke because peelee is in front of penult. It's excellent and gently goes into the peelee in the croquet stroke. Fails to peel penult with a straight stop-shot, rushes to 3y in front of 4-b

Robbie makes 4-b and now needs a stright double to seal the match and move Australia into an 8-7 lead.

The irish peel at penult finishes a bit short - 3 yards in front of rover.

Robbie rushes peelee to 2 foot 25 degrees - it's not trivial

Lovely irish peel. Good match from Robbie - just the one bad leave, otherwise error free. +15tp. Australia lead NZ 8-7

Felix misses his 35 yarder

Dwayne doesn't make 4-b and returns to partner near C1. Felix shoots at another 30 yarder..........misses

Aaron shoots at Edward.......misses. Edward hits his foot rushing to hoop and only moves his rush a foot. Makes a leave. Aaron hits and finishes to tie the Test at 8-8.

Wow, this just keeps getting closer and closer!

Dwayne lays up near C3. Felix plays just E of C2, Dwayne has rolled down to the C4 area

Mal shoots at the peg......misses

I've missed the start of Edmund v Stephen, but Edmund has made h1 and laid up near h2. Stephen takes an 18 yarder at partner.....misses. Edmund has a bit of work to do to pick up a break, but it's a good chance.

Dwayne lays up near C3. Felix plays just E of C2, Dwayne has rolled down to the C4 area

Mal shoots at the peg......misses

I've missed the start of Edmund v Stephen, but Edmund has made h1 and laid up near h2. Stephen takes an 18 yarder at partner.....misses. Edmund has a bit of work to do to pick up a break, but it's a good chance.

Jenny makes 3-b without a rush and will be rolloing up to 4-b - good shot gives her a 5 foot hoop which she runs and has a 5 yard return roquet........hits. Mal's ball is 12y E of C1, so it looks like he shot at Jenny rather than the peg. Jenny rolls to 10y W of C3 and makes a leave. Recap Peg v Penult + 4-b. Mal shoots at the peg.........hits to equalise +7

Felix stays near C2. Dwayne rushe sto 4-b and has a 3y backward take-off. Gets a 4 foot angled hoop which he runs into partner. Can he split both balls off the lawn???

Edmund has a 4-ball break and has just made h5.

Dwayne splits the peg ball off the middle of the W boundary and his 4-b is bad, going off 8y E of C1. Felix takes his lift and shoots at the 8 yarder.........misses

Will Dwayne dare to take his 5 yarder??? I wouldn't. I'm just joing up here, but Dwayne takes the 5 yarder,.........misses, but fortunately for him, he's missed on the right, so Feix doesn't have a rush.

Felix takes off to the peg ball, hits it and rolls up to 4-b, Both balls are too far and he hhas an unrunnable hoop.. Tries to take wired position, but leaves it wide open. Dwayne misses 5 yarder, taking a divot, but still get off S boundary 9y W of partner just N of C4. Felix runs 4-b and plays to 9y E of C1.

Mal to 8y N of C4. Jenny to just S of C2. Mal shoots from B-baulk at partner missing to W of C4. Jenny misses the 12.7yarder

Edmund fails 2-b off partner, so Stephen has a 5 yard lift at a ball and a half.......hits. Stephen is hampered after h1.....hits

Dwayne shoots his peg ball at Felix......hits. Sends Felix near C2 and returns to partner. Recap Penult + peg v penult

Felix plays to peg high E boundary. Can Dwayne control the game from here? He rushes partner 5y E of C1 and is looking for a wire (h5 and h1 both available).

Ian v Greg has started and Ian has the innings

Aussies in play on all 4 lawns.

Dwayne has laid up with a rush pointing at rover. Felix looks like he's wired and plays to 2 feet E of C2. Dwayne rushes to h3, rolls down and lays up SSW of h4, scattering partner off the lawn with his last shot so they are 1 yard apart. Felix shoots......misses.

Stephens reaches 4-b with an NSL. Edmund lifts the ball at h2 and takes the short lift.........misses

Mal reaches 4-b with a reverse NSL. Jenny takes a target with her Easterly ball at Mal from where it lies...........hits.

Dwayne rushes to penult and runs it, but only gets a rush North. Rushes Felix to the N boundary, takes off to partner, roquets it near C4 and lays up potentially trying to get h4 in the way of Felix's rush to penult.and wired on one ball

Stephen has a controlled standard tp at h3.

Felix takes his 35 yarder...........misses. Dwayne rushes partner to rover, approaches well, runs it by a long way, hits his return roquet to the peg and equalises +3.

Stephen has peeled 4-b after h3

Stephen rush-peels penult after 1-b and should finish from here.

Ian is still on a break

Jenny is still on a break

Dwayne starts game 3 and goes 9y N of C4. Felix to just S of C2. Dwayne shoots at partner from A-Baulk, hitting and digging the ball out of C2 for a leave

Jenny reaches 4-b with an NSL.Mal's h1 ball is very close to the W boundary. Mal lifts his backward ball anyway and takes the long lifts, hitting it in the middle to C4.

Stephen plays a good turn and it looks like 9-8 to Australia until he rushes partner onto the peg after rover. Recap Peg v 1 + 2-b. Edmund has a laid break for his 2-b ball.

This is the strongest position Australia have had in the Test

Felix shoots at Dwayne from A-baulk......hits in the middle.

Mal has made h1 with partner at h3 for a standard tp.

Edmund continues his break

Ian has reached 4-b with an NSL

The Kiwis need their Captain to hit the lift on lawn 12......lifts the ball at h4 and takes the long lift........misses

Mal has peeled 4-b after h3

Edmund has reached the peg, has left Stephen 14y N of C4 and is laid up 16y S of C2. Does he want Stephen to shoot?

Felix is on a break

Stephen is looking at shooting, but Edmund has a reverse rush, so I doubt he will. Stephen plays to mid-E boundary.

Mal has peeled penult after h6.

Ian fails h1 off partner - may not be runnable.

Edmund rolls down 7y N of C1....what does he intend to do if Stephen misses the peg? Is he going to pick off a 9 yarder for a break? Stephen shoots at the peg...........misses narrowly. Now what???

Edmund rushes partner to h1, fails h1. Stephen shoots at what be a double.........hits and wins +13 to take Australia into a 9-8 lead.

Greg shoots from h2 to partner in C4.....misses. Ian can't run h1 and is shooting at Greg in C4 with his h1 ball......misses.

Felix reaches 4-b with an NSL.

Mal has a nice irish peel at rover and finishes a high quality thrid game +17tp to take Australia to the brink of victory at 10-8, the first time they have held a two point lead.

Dwayne lifts the ball at h2 and takes the long lift............misses to C4. Felix chooses to ignore the two oppo balls and rush directly to h1. Gets a 2 foot hoop, but only runs it by inches. He can't hit partner, but he's got a 14 yarder at the ball at h4.

Greg has broken down - I don't know how. Ian shoots from h3 to h2..........misses

Felix shoots at the ball in C4 indicating that the ball in h4 is a worse target......hits in the middle with a big fist!!

To add to the bitter wind, it has now started raining. The two lawns still have Kiwis mid-break.

That may not be very accurate since Greg has just made a leave.

Felix has a standard tp with the first peel being from about 8 feet......misses the hoop entirely.

Ian takes a 20 yarder.............misses

Felix is taking on a delayed tp with some imperfect balls.Plays a good long angled 4-b peel before h6. He's got a poor rush to 1-b and and partner is at 2-b. Approaches 1-b from the side - great shot.

Greg is on h5 with a break. If NZ win this Test, I don't think it will be today.

Felix sets up for a delayed double. Greg is on h6.

Felix fails to get peelee in front of penult and he'll now need a straight double. Hoop and roquet after 4-b will reduce his control.

Greg has reached 4-b with an NSL.

Felix is peeling penult from just off-straight.

Peelee goes to 4y N of rover, but the striker's ball hits the wire and leaves an angled hoop. A ref is called - it looks easy....he's through.

Peelee goes to 4y N of rover, but the striker's ball hits the wire and leaves an angled hoop. A ref is called - it looks easy....he's through.

Ian lifts his backward ball at h2 and takes the short lift.......misses

Felix has a cut-rush to rover which he over-cuts. He's got a 5 foot 25 degree peel - aborting is completely ok.....Lines up the peel with no deep ball - will he irish? It's long and angled.......plays an irish peel......peelee goes through by 9 yards.....striker's ball misses the hoop completely. Scatters yellow off the E boundary leaving partner well in-lawn, so Dwayne has an easy break. That was 6th turn.

Greg made h1 but was hampered, shot at partner on the E side of the lawn........hit.

Dwayne is making hard work of his 4 ball break.

Greg made h2 but was hampered and played back through 1-b off the S boundary. Ian shoots from h2 to h3 with his h1 ball which is much more aggressive that playing his 4-b ball from h3 to h2..............misses

Greg has a 10 yarder at Ian's h1 ball which would allow him to make hoops with his 4-b ball........hits.Turns down making hoops and makes a leave.

Dwayne has oppo balls in NSL position and has to roll down to standard position from near C3.......finishes about peg high and 2 yards in-lawn.

Felix lifts the ball at h2 which is for rover and shoots from A-baulk at the in-lawn ball.........misses, but it's 6 yards away from Dwayne's h1 ball. What line of play will Dwayne choose? Hits partner, takes off to the ball on the boundary, rushes it to 2y W of C4 and ends up rolling up to h1 from 6y E of C1. Copes and now has a standard tp to win the Test.

Not sure whether Ian has shot and missed or just cornered on lawn 12

Dwayne fails to get a go at the 4-b peel after h3. How hard will he push for the delayed?

Greg has come off the lawn and it's not clear that he's even retained the innings. Ian plays his 4-b ball fro h4 to partner at h1.........hits

Dwayne doesn't get into position to try the 4-b peel before h6 and has just made h6.

NZ hearts lift as Dwayne sets up to peel 4-b before 2-b.

Ian makes a leave. Greg corners.

Dwayne jawses the 4-b peel getting a rush to 2-b. Rushes 4y NE of 2-b, approaches well and runs it off the lawn. His rush points at h2.....cuts it to the middle of teh W boundary.

Dwayne is good at big rolls, but plays the split going to 3-b instead. Rush-peels 4-b before 4-b and sends peelee a yard short of penult getting his rush to 4-b

Ian has made a leave. Greg corners

Straight double needed by Dwayne to win the Test for Australia

Dwayne rushes peelee nicely in front of penult. One good shot here and he should finish.

Ian looks like he may have failed h2 off partner

Here goes Dwayne's penult peel.......it's through to 3y in front of rover. He calls a referee to watch a hampered shot after the irish peel............air shot!!!!!!! Recap Rover + rover v rover + peg. Felix has a 1 yarder with his peg ball or a 4-yarder with his rover ball.......he's taking the 4 yarder.....hits. He's got all the balls now.

This has been a fine effort from both these debutants. Felix wins +4 10th turn

Current score Aus.10, NZ 9

A reminder that the pegged down doubles is in the deciding down between Dumergue & Wilson who from memory are on 1 + 4-b against Webby & Westerby who are on 4-b + rover with the innings. If Greg were to come back and win this singles match to tie the Test at 10-10, there would not be time to finish the doubles tonight and it would be played tomorrow. However, there's a lot of work to do before then

Ian has made h4 with a break

I need to correct my commentary about the end of Dwayne's turn. The irish peel ended up with Dwaynes ball just off the wire of penult and the hampered shot was to run the hoop. I'm a long way away in the clubhouse. The angled hoop was not an air shot but a successful hoop run. It was faulted as a double tap. I've just watched the slo-mo and it was clean, so bad luck to Dwayne, it would have been a fantastic finish.

Ian is on penult still playing a 4 ball break

Ian has reached the peg and has made a reverse diagonal spread. It's do or die time for the Kiwis. Who will triumph in this battle of the Captains?

Greg lifts his backward ball and takes the short lift from B-Baulk............misses. Ian now has a rush to the ball at the peg and should be able to clinch the Test.

Greg lifts his backward ball and takes the short lift from B-Baulk............misses. Ian now has a rush to the ball at the peg and should be able to clinch the Test.

Ian rushes to 4-b, but it finishes 4y NW......there's more work to do.

Ian takes off to 5 foot position...........runs the hoop to the boundary. That should be enough.

Australia win the Test. Current score Aus 11, NZ 9 Congrats to the Aussies - they played some great turns under pressure.

That's all for today. We have the pleasure of a MacRobertson Shield dinner now. There are all sorts of past Aussie Mac players here, so it should be a good evening.