Another day, and more technological teething trouble.  I’m now standing on the balcony of the club, looking over the top of the marquee which otherwise blocks all view of Lawn 3.  Cables trail around the club, and I’m just hoping there’s no rain.

Beijderwellen (Yellow) and Maugham (Red) are playing Grimsley (Blue) and Rothman (Black).

Blue (Doug) laid a supershot ball five yards west by south west of the peg.  Maugham (Red) ignored it and went mid-west boundary.  Ben (Black) hit Red, and is now having a third turn ball round.

For those unfamiliar with Bowdon, the site sits atop a ridge.  The natural slope is negated by terracing – Lawns 3 and 4 being about four feet higher than the front two.  Beyond the top two lawns, and new for 2010, is a further terrace, with a spectators’ grandstand.

Grandstand might be too strong a word – it’s a gravelled seating area, with room for maybe 20 onlookers.  Right now, there are two of them.

Alongside that, there’s a newly laid concrete plinth, on which is mounted a canvas gazebo.  And next to that, is the brick-and-wood outplayers’ hut.  Doug is sat up there by himself.  The Brits are nowhere to be seen – I guess they’re huddled behind the temporary marquee, or else downstairs watching telly.

I’ve just been told that, before the game, Maugham insisted that the Yellow ball be sprayed with fly repellent.  As ever in August, hoverflies abound, and Yellow is their favourite colour.  Don Williamson, ever the consummate referee, was fully equipped to deal with the situation.

Ah, now that’s the end of the third turn, and Ben lays a three ducks leave.  That’s given Black on the West boundary 20 yards from A baulk, with a rush for Blue on Red pointing straight at it from about five yards.

Rutger (Yellow) takes the shot from A baulk at Blue, missing narrowly into Corner 2.

Here’s where we stand: Black is on 4-back, Yellow sits in Corner 2 as Doug runs Hoop 1 with Blue off Black.  Red is a couple of yards into the lawn from the West boundary, levellish with Hoop 6.

Doug’s not happy with his split to Red.  He’s got a rush pointing away from Hoop 2 (towards Corner 4 on the next lawn, which aint helping anyone).  Black’s a deep Hoop 3 pioneer, and Yellow’s in Corner 2.

A very good rush is cut towards Yellow, landing two feet short of it.  He gets the rush to Hoop 2 off Yellow, and leaves Red a couple of feet from Corner 2.

Ah-ha.  I’ve just worked out that this commentary page had its edit status disabled.  I’ll switch to real time mode.

Doug rushes back to the corner, and coaxes the balls in further.  Yellow's now a couple of yards from Corner 2, Red's down near Hoop 4, and he's approaching Hoop 3.

I think he's missed a trick here - he could have peeled Black on a take off going back to Yellow near the corner.  Et voila - the standard TP.  Maybe that's not a shot for playing in a serious game.  Forget I mentioned it.

Black's now seven yards west of the Peg, Yellow's a Hoop 5 and Doug's having Hoop 4 with Red.  This is the one blind spot on the lawn, even from up here.  I can just see his hat peeking above the crest of the marquee.

Red goes 18 inches west of 4-back, as an early escape ball.  Quite a good thick take-off sends Black six inches NW of 4-back (i.e. behind the hoop), and Doug's making 5 with Yellow.

Doug's playing with some impressive Murray Control - he just ran Hoop 5, deliberately trickling through by three inches, so he could get the rush forwards.  An angled but short shot for the first peel attempt, and he gets full right wire.  Black's bounced off and is six inches SE of its hoop.

Hoop 6 was less controlled, and he's sailed through by five yards.  He's had to tonk the Red down level with the Peg, but he's soldiering bravely on.  Yellow's a bit loose at 1-back, but the Black peel is through by two feet.  Now there's a four yard approach to 1-back, and no pioneer at his next, or any other, hoop.

Ben's on the lawn for a brief instruction.  Doesn't seem too worried - hand in pocket, and carrying what looks like a thermos flask.  Tea, probably.

Yellow's short at 3-back, but all has been salvaged with a decent rush on Red to 2-back.  He's underrun the hoop, and has a rush point at the clubhouse.

Ooh, hello.  That's not nice.  Doug's heaved a big half roll to send Red to 4-back, and he's dropped Blue an inch off the peg.  Down on the ground, and it looks like Black's unhittable.  Ben's crouched beyond, with the thermos resting on the lawn.  Doug's baseball hat is now on backwards, as he checks for visibility.

The mallet's up in the air, and he's going for the Black.

It's a clean shot, but a miss.  Red has a five yarder.  Rutger saunters up to the lawn.

No sorry - it's not Rutger.  Dave takes the shot.  Avid readers will, of course, be aware that Maugham never plays Yellow.  He hits, and is approaching Hoop 1 with partner.

Recap: the clippage now is Black (Rothman) on Penult; Blue (Grimsley) on 3-back; Yellow (Beijderwellen) on Hoop 1 and still to take croquet; Red (Maugham) has pocketed his clip, and has four balls in play.

I feel some specks of rain, so I might pop back into the hut.  I'm surrounded by live electrics, so that'd be prudent.

I'm now sat downstairs in a corner, directly under my previous commentary spot.  The score board is in front of me at eye level, and all I can see of any of the lawns is Fulford's ankles.  Hopefully, DBM will continue his break for a few minutes longer while I find a dry vantage point.

I'm now inside the marquee.  Tables and chair, carpets, and containers of flowers.  Very nice.  There's even salt and pepper on the tables, so I guess this is the lunch spot for us watchers.

A swift ball round for Maugham, who's on 4-back already.  It's a reverse diagonal spread from him, with Blue down near 3-back (Blue's hoop), Black a foot from the Peg, and Yellow / Red up on the west boundary.

The Americans are taking their time with the choice of shot, and are pacing the lawn.  No clues as to who's going to take it, but Rothman's zipped up his jacket.

It's proper raining now, and the US pair finally decide on a lift for Ben.  He takes Black from the Peg up towards B-baulk.  Looks like he's taking the long shot through Blue towards Corner 4.  Bowdon experts will appreciate that Corner 4 of Lawn 3 is usually a safe spot.  The gully which used to be here isn't, sadly, such a memorable feature of the lawn these days.

Ben plays, misses, and Rutger rushes over to the east boundary.

Another recap - Rothman (Black) on Penult, Grimsley (Blue) on 3-back, Maugham (Red) on 4-back, Beijderwellen (Yellow) approaching Hoop 1 with Blue.  Black sits resolutely in Corner 4, and Red's been usefully stuffed out to the Peg.

It's all change for the spectators.  The US players now both occupy the hut.  Maugham is slumped in the gazebo.  All two of the spectators have fled from the grandstand to join him.

Rutger clubs Yellow, and it sticks in Hoop 2.  At least he's failed off his partner.

Doug plays Blue from south of Hoop 3 and shoots through at Corner 2.  He centre-balls the Red, and stops it to 4-back.  He comes level with Yellow in the jaws, and Don Williamson runs on to act as umpire.

Rutger has the ignominy of being peeled through Hoop 2 by oppo, as Doug bungs him down towards Corner 1 on a big split shot.  He hits Black and scoops up to 3-back from the corner.  He's through, but hampered.  Mallet back up in the air.

No problems, as Blue hits, and the rain abates.  If Doug had known this would work out so well, I don't think he'd have put Yellow a yard out of A-baulk.  The other balls are laid out in front of him as he takes 4-back.

Another conference as the pair plan their last lift leave.

You can't beat a good pass roll, and Doug rolls Red from the Peg to a couple of yards behind Rover, getting between Yellow and Corner 1.  Black's good at Penult, Red's a bit shabby as a Rover pioneer, but he's now rolling Yellow up level with Penult before hitting Black.

The sun is threatening to shine, and - yes - we have shadows for the first time.  Doug has circled round to the south boundary to get a rush on Red.  There's going to be some sort of four-balls-around-the-peg leave.

Red's been stuffed out to the east, but there's no rush on Yellow.  Ben is pacing the distance of each shot.  They've conceded the inutility of a diagonal spread from here, and valorously gone with a boring old reverse OSL.  Yellow sits loosely five yards SW of the peg, and they occupy Corner 2, with a rush pegwards.

The International Signal from Rutger, as he declines to take his lift.  He shoots with Yellow from position, and hits Black.  Three balls together, and Red kinda somewhere in front of his break.

Here's where we are - Black and Blue are Penult and Peg; Yellow and Red are for 3 and 4-back.  Yellow is in play.

Gasp.  Rutger comes very close to rushing Red deadweight through 4-back from somewhere down near Hoop 4.  Nevertheless, he's got Black midway between Corner 2 and Hoop 2, and an inch perfect three ball break with the other balls.

Pusillanimously, he makes the same glaring error that Doug did.  That take-off peel going to Black was winking at him, and he's refused to acknowledge it as an option.

Those shadows didn't last, and there's a sudden heavy shower.  Welcome to Manchester.

Beijderwellen gets Red and Blue up to 4-back, readying for the peel on the way to 6.

He's down on his knees, looking at the peel.  Angled and 18 inches, but he dribbles it into the jaws.

Just behind me in the corner of the marquee, the MacRobertson Shield is on display.  Up at Heaton Park yesterday, one of the sharp-eyed Australian supporters noticed a misprint.  The last outright Oz victory was in 1935, but is engraved as 1934.  Confirmation from Chris Williams's site - the tests were played during February 1935.  75 years on, I suspect the engraving is now out of warranty.

Rutger's on the ground again, making sure his placement of Black to 3-back will pass Blue.  The first peel is done, and he's got Red down at 2-back as a shallow pioneer.  Instead, he swaps the Blue and Black, leaving Black south of Penult.  Blue goes to 3-back and he rushes Red to 2-back.  He leathers the Yellow through to the boundary, and he has a rush back towards Penult.

Penult is loaded with the Red, and he's wrestled the break back under control.  Still to peels to go, but it's looking kinda terminal for the Americans.

Tsk.  A grammatical error from me - of course that should say "two peels".  Sorry - won't happen again.

A poor result from the Dutchman, as he fails to get close to Red after 3-back.  He smacks it out of position, and has to drop it back into place for a straight double.

You gotta be happy with Rutger's Irish peel through Penult.  Red's a couple of yards wide of Rover, and Yellow comes cleanly through.

Less good is his rush on Red into position, which is underhit by a lot.  Looks from this angle like it's impossible, but he's gamely down on the ground and lining up anyway.  Maugham's now by his side, and they're discussing how to quit the lawn gracefully.

My prediction - GB: Rover and Peg, USA: Penult and Peg.

What next?  Peg out Doug?  Peg out Doug and Rutger?  Something less sporting for the spectators' viewing pleasure?

DOUR!!!

Rutger runs Rover, and rushes Blue (oppo's peg ball) behind Hoop 4.  He stuffs it up the lawn away from baulk, landing near Black and Red.  More discussion.

I'm disappointed.  I certainly wouldn't have done this.

We've now got Blue somewhere down in the south east of the lawn, and Black rushed to the boundary in the north west quarter.  Red's still a foot to the right of Rover, and the Brits are puzzling about where to lay up.

Crikey.  The decision, finally, is to take off from Black, on the west boundary by Hoop 2, and snick Red one inch dead in front of Rover.  They place Yellow in contact with Red, and deem.

!!!!

Blue (Doug) has a single target at Red and Yellow from 12ish yards.  Red is fully wired from A baulk, and Yellow partially so.

Blue misses.  DBM is an inch in front of Rover with a contact on his partner ball.  The smart money says there's not much longer in this game.

Maugham and Beijderwellen beat Grimsley and Rothman +4

Maugham and Beijderwellen are the pacemasters of the GB team.  While the other pairs are storming ahead on their nippy games on the front lawns, these two are giving the crowd their money's worth.

A hiatus before the start of Game 2.  The referees have given the hoops a quick fettling, and there's some sort of conference at the peg.  Law books are out, and there's a tape measure in hand.  Brian Storey is measuring the white strip on the peg, and checking it's six inches.  He's now taking an average reading with his spirit level on each axis.

You never know, this could prove important later in the day.

The conference continues.  The Americans seem uninterested, but Maugham seems quite animated about this peg business.

Maybe it's all a ruse, as they wait for Fulford and Lines to finish 2-0 before they start their second game. 

Lawn 1 has been vacated, and they finally get underway.  Blue (Maugham this time) goes as a supershot ball.  Folk came chatting to me, so I missed where the Red went.  Anyway, Rutger hit with Black.  He's now coming to 2-back.

A quick chat with my fellow spectators.  Apparently, the peg was an inch too tall in the last game.  All is now rectified.

The other bone of contention concerned the deemed croquet stroke.  There's no striking period, so the question was whether a ball can be deemed to be played.  Something to do with object balls not moving or shaking.

I've just looked up "arcane" in the dictionary, and it gives this instance as an example.  In exactly those words.

Black's on 4-back, with another three ducks leave.  Black's in the lawn, Blue on the west boundary, and Red between the two.

Ben takes his lift (actually his opening shot) with Yellow, and hits Black.  A clenched fist, and a polite ripple of applause from the luncheoning crowd.

Quick as you like, he's got Black up to 2, and he's running Hoop 1 off Red.  I'm off for my lunch, as it looks like this'll go to 4-back.

I'm typing onefingeredly as my other hand is preoccupied with tomato soup.  Ben has attemped a quick peel on Blue (Maugham) through Hoop 1.  It's failed, and he's over at Hoop 5.  Some sort of anguished waving of mallets, and Doug is on the lawn.  Puzzlement over here, as we wonder what's going on.

Looks like a misapproach off Red.  Yellow shoots into over to the east boundary level with the hoop.

Blue's just started to run Hoop 1, Red's at 5, Black's at 6, and Yellow's out to the side.  Maugham comes on and bangs Blue through.  He hits the shortish Red, rushing it south of Hoop 4.

Clippage update: Beijderwellen (Black) on 4-back, Maugham in play; Rothman (Yellow) on Hoop 5, with Grimsley still to start.

Commentator's curse, as I nip in for some food.  Maugham comes through 3, goes to snick partner into peeling position, and misses it.  Everyone else saw it except for me.

Grimsley is off the mark, and the Red clip is off the hoop.

People keep distracting me as I try to keep abreast with what's going on.  I feel like Jonathan Agnew on Test Match Special when he has to sit and listen to Vic Marks.  [Cricket joke]

Doug trundles round, and he's now for Hoop 6.  Bizarrely, there's a lady who's intent on taking my photograph while I'm trying to eat / watch / type.  I'm flattered by the attention.

Doug and Ben are rigging up some sort of improvised leave - 4-back and 5 vs 4-back and 4.  They've plumped for a reversed diagonal : Blue down beyond Hoop 4, Black tight up on the peg (about a couple of inches NW), Red and Yellow over by Hoop 2.

Maugham lifts Blue from Hoop 4, and shoots agressively at Red and Yellow from B-baulk.  He misses, and Ben has three balls to play with.

An opportunity for me to nip off for more food.

Magic.  I pop into the clubhouse, and someone sticks in a hoop.  Yellow (Ben) approaches off Black, and fails Hoop 5.  Cunningly, Black is wired, so Blue is playing.  Maugham smacks Red centre ball.

He leaves Red at 4-back, and calls on a referee to watch him rush peel Yellow through 5.  Not his day, as even the rush peel fails to go through.  It's a delicate little take-off to get Black down to Hoop 4, and he should be off.

Except, he's not.  He overhits his approach, Black goes as far as the yardline, and Blue lands dead level with the hoop.

Yellow is mid-jaws, so has a wiring lift, if he wants it.  Red is by 4-back.  Maugham disappears into Corner 2.

Durrr.  We were all puzzled why Ben didn't take his wiring lift and play a short shot at Black.  Instead he played deadweight up to Blue in Corner 2.  As it was Yellow's hoop, that apparently entitles him to a continuation shot.  I should go back and read the basic laws.

He takes off to Red at 4-back, and gets an indifferent rush towards Hoop 6.  He should be OK for this hoop, but there's more work to do with the other balls on boundaries.

Well, yes.  He makes the hoop, but he's hampered after.  Don Williamson's certainly earning his money as referee on this lawn.  Call for the bucket, and there's some remedial work done on firming up the hoop.

A hit, a palpable hit.

Ben gets to 1-back, heaving Blue out of the corner with a stop shot approach.  Very nice.  One big split roll sends Red to 3-back (and Black), and he's on the Blue at 2-back.  Give this another minute, and it'll be a textbook four ball break.

Concern among the referees, who've observed that the fly repellent has worn off on the Yellow ball.  It'd be easier if the players didn't insist on rolling it around on the grass.

A quick head count - we have around 45 spectators.  That, of course, doesn't include Dave and Rutger, who are sitting in the clubhouse out of sight of their lawn.

Ben lays his leave.  Another reversed diagonal spread.  Black is tight on the Peg - from here is seems to be in contact.  Blue back down near Hoop 4ish, Red and Yellow over on the west boundary.

Clip update: Maugham (Blue) on Hoop 4, Beijderwellen (Black) and Grimsley (Red) on 4-back, Rothman (Yellow) for the Peg.

Maugham has his gloves on, and is shooting with Blue from B-baulk straight down at the Black ball on the Peg.

Middles it, with a rush off the south boundary.

Thud.  Maugham smacks full left wire into Hoop 4.

At least it leaves Ben with nothing much.  He joins up with Red over near the west boundary.

No sorry - someone's head was in the way.  He wasn't joining with Red in the distance, he was shooting at Black which was nearby.  He hits.

Maugham is alone in the grandstand, juggling with bits of gravel.

Ian Lines is doing a photo shoot for the Manchester Evening News on Lawn 1.  The usual lying-down-and-lining-up-a-peel shot.  He's been stuck in that position for ages.

Ben's done a skill shot, and sent Black into wired position just behind 4-back from somewhere near the west boundary level with Hoop 5.  I don't fully understand how that was possible.

He's now brought the Blue into rushable position, by bringing it off the wire of Hoop 4.  Rutger's walking towards the clubhouse, presumably to fetch a mallet, as I think it'll be his shot next.

Not for the first time in this game, the Brits are taking their last shot.  Rutger to shoot at Red and Yellow mid west boundary.  Lots of long practice swings, and big applause from the crowd as he hits Red.

"It wasn't a double," says Ben to his teammates as he passes me.

Rutger gets moving, and looks to be planning a peg out of oppo.  He sails overhard through Penult, careers straight past the Red and Yellow, and Black comes to rest a foot in front of Rover, just alongside Blue.

Nowt much happening elsewhere on the other lawns, so the crowds have massed around this game.  The grandstand is now full to bursting - Mr and Mrs Fulford at one end, Maugham and Aiton at the other.

Time for the first diagram of the day.  Rutger pegs out Yellow, and leaves Maugham (for Hoop 4) near corner 2. Grimsley misses Black on the right, and finds himself rushed towards Blue.  Rutger abandons him in the corner, and lays up beyond Hoop 4. 

Here are the clips - Red and Yellow are for 4-back and box, Blue and Black are 4 and peg.

Doug goes mid east boundary.

Maugham leaves Black behind the hoop, and attempts a split roll approach from Red.  Red goes aggressively to a couple of yards north of Hoop 5, but Blue fails to get position.  Some debate, and Dave shoots into Corner 4.

Doug takes the longer shot, at Blue, in the hope of getting a rush on Black.  He misses.

Maugham gets an easy break opportunity, as he takes the Hoop 4 clip.

A couple of club members have unclipped some of the side panel of the marquee.  That's improved the view.  Everyone's watching this now, as the front lawns are stripped of hoops.  The mowing has started.

Maugham gets a weeny bit hampered after 1-back, but it's dead straight, and needs no refereeing.  The downside is that he can't get a really good Red to 3-back.  Nevertheless, all the smart money is on a 2-0 finish for the Brits.

A longish rush, and he's back under control.  But he'll have to heave Red up to Penult now, as he's got no forward rush.

I've said it before today, and was proved wrong, but this looks terminal for the US.

And that's another one on the board for GB.

Maugham and Beijderwellen beat Grimsley and Rothman +4, +4

Time for tea.  GB lead US 4-2, but that could easily have been 3-3, as that match could have gone the other way.  More of a vintage game for the spectators than for the players, maybe.