Good morning from Surbiton. I've been allocated Aiton's and Mulliner's matches today and I'm confident I'll be getting the "winning win" from one of these two.

A heavy grey sky this morning with forecast for 3 inches of rain tonight and strong winds - lovely England in August!

The players are practicing.

I'm privileged to have been promoted to Head Commentating Table today and am currently in awe sat next to "Whispering Phil" who is wearing a tie today.

He has insisted that he wants to commentate on "Intimidator" Lines

T1 U 15y supershot

T2 R dribbles at U from C1...........misses

T3 K hits R and makes hoop 1 but is hampered..............misses hampered shot.

T4 Clarke has a 9 yard double target

.................hits and has a break

Clarke is hampered after hoop 2

Rhys Thomas has been called to watch.....................misses - it didn't look that difficult

It been given as a fault and Aiton has it replaced.

Two monster errors already

Whispering Phil is a bit worried that Rhys Thomas may have intimidated Clarke into that fault....we'll have to wait for Steve Jones' report to find out

Aiton is playing quickly - he's obviously trying for the winning win. He's already reached hoop 6.

But is hampered after the hoop..............

Rhys Thomas is called again - he's been busy this morning. Plays a left handed sweep and misses.

This is the worst game I've commentated on since Bowdon.

Clarke has a break with his hoop 1 ball

Today is already starting to feel like day 5 at Nottingham

Clarke still has a 4-ball break and has reached hoop 6

He really should be popping U through hoop 2 to get Aitons clips on 1-b and 3

But it is just a ball to 4-b...............disappointing use of a laid break

Clarke is round to 4-b with R.

He's made an NSL with K at hoop 4 and U 4y NW of the peg

Aiton lifts K to B-Baulk, shoots at U..........hits

Has to approach 1-b from 4-5 yards, .................good shot

Fails easy 1-b, off Clarkes hoop 3 ball

Clarke fails hoop 3 off partner...........this is an astonishing game of croquet

Aiton shoots from hoop 4 to 3....................hits with his hoop 2 ball

Aiton had 2 balls at hoop 3 and a ball at hoop 2. He has failed to make hoop 2--------I'll try and find out what happened

Apparently he ended up with a backward take-off to hoop 2 and took off into the wire and couldn't run it.

Clarke has got in with Y, his backward ball, but has misapproached hoop 4

K is 3y S of hoop 4

R is 1y N of hoop 5

Y is 16y S of C3

U is by hoop 3

K shoots at R...............misses

OH MY GOD!!!

The crowd has just told me that Aitons break down at hoop 2 looked like he was taking on a sextuple. They might be toying with me, but they seem honest. I can feel some underlines coming on....

Y shoots at U.............hits

Clarke now has a 3-ball break

I have to say that I don't believe the crowd. Surely someone who has already put down multiple breaks today wouldn't try a sextuple.

The crowd are suggesting to me that it may have been a tad self-indulgent. I think they must be toying with me.

Clarke has made penult and is now starting to prepare the balls for his leave

Y is round to the peg and has made some sort of rough OSL

Aiton lifted K at the peg and hit oppo from A-Baulk

Good croquet stroke gives him a break. Will he go to 4-b or opt for the Riggall?

Grovels through 1-b and Rhys Thomas is called.....................

Left handed sweep...............

hits in the middle

Aiton has made 2-b, but still hasn't got a break

Gets a 2 foot 3-b.........runs it.........Phew!!

Aiton has reached 4-b and has Y on hoop 2 and R 11y N of C4

UK are 12y W of hop 6 and have offered a big target from B-Baulk

R lifts and shoots at the double..............

Maugham describes the double as being "as big as it could be"

.................hits the back ball in the middle

First game to Aus +16

Game 2

T1 K 16y supershot

T2 Y shoots hard at K missing to 3 yards out of B-Baulk

T3 U hits Y

Makes hoop 1, but fails to approach hoop 2.

He's guarding R at Y from B-Baulk which is a 9 yarder

R shoots at Y...............hits

Aiton has made hoop 1 and has a 4 ball break

Gets to 4-b with a spread, but Clarke has hit

Good morning readers; I'm taking over from Chris from here.  I'm not sure whether that's to share the load, or just to avoid having to watch any more!

We have GB needing one match win to take the title, but as I take over, there are Australians on all four lawns.  Martin is on a break having hit's Keiths spread.  Currently for hoop 4 with everything under control

This is turn 5, currently hoop 5.  The crowd is building up.  70+ watching the four GB lawns

What's happened? Martin's put his clip onto 1-back.  Looks like he's just missed a short shot while trying to shuffle parity for the leave.  Crowd say it was about 5 feet.

Keith has an easy pick up for his TP.  Three balls by hoop 2, and Red on the boundary waiting to be picked up before or after hoop 2 as he wishes.

He's made hoop 1, with a forward rush.  Odds-on to level the mach,

4-back peel after hoop 3 stays in the jaws

Keith has just grovelled through hoop 6.  The referee's being kept busy!  Copes and hits peelee.  All the balls where you'd want them

 Peels red by about 5 yards, and gets a nice rush back on the escape ball (K) to N boundary.

Rover peel jawsed on the way to 3-back

No rush from 3-back, but plays a good take-off to 4-back after rushing peelee

  Tidy finish.  +19tp

  Tidy finish.  +19tp

Quick start to game 3.  Keith has put out a supershot with blue.  Quite deep - about 15 yards.

Red shoots at U, misses about 10 yards past.  U must have been wider than I thought; looks like a line towards hoop 2.

Black takes the double target from A baulk, and hits red - cutting it nicely in front of hoop 2!

Gets his rush to hoop 1 and he's away

Running 1-back

Round to 4-back; three ducks.

Martin has missed the lift; Keith has a Mac-winning TP in front of him

Playing Blue, Keith has just rushed Yellow to hoop 1; Red is about 5 yards south of hoop 2, and black about 3 yards SSW of Red.

Now making two, has Yellow 2 yards SW of hoop 3, and black nicely placed between it and hoop 3.  Controlled rush out of hoop 2

Peeling black from less than a yard, slight angle, maybe 15 degrees.

Peel sticks in the jaws, controlled rush on yellow, red is nice at 4-back

Balls on blades of grass, and Keith has everything under tight control.  Approaching hoop 4 from a foot, running from 4 inches.

Now for hoop 6, Red is a bit distant as his pioneer, but has a good rush on it.  Peelee nicely placed

Now at 2-back, approaching from 2 feet.  Black is a yard north of rover; yellow a yard SW of three back.

Rover peel through cleanly by about 4 yards.  Red is 2 yards south of 4-back.  4-ball break for thre hoops.

Places R at rover, rushes Yellow into the peg, but no matter; black is waiting a yard N of penult

That's rover

+26tp

Great game from Keith, a tidy turn to take the MacRobertson shield.  First off to shake hands with Martin, and then a hug from the Beast!

he crowd has moved, as a flock, down from here on lawn 1 to lawn 3 where Ian "Intimidator" Lines should be about to add another point.  Dave "Beast" Maugham has come onto the lawn for a knock up before his match.