The prestigious open title was won by Dunedin composer Anthony Ritchie (Punga) who will make his world championship debut in Florida, in May.
Ritchie (48), a senior lecturer in composition at the University of Otago, beat clubmate and former international Chris Shilling 15-14 when the 2hr 30min time limit in the final was reached.
Shilling (45), a Dunedin radiation therapist, was the first Otago player to represent New Zealand at a world championships when he finished ninth-equal in the United States in 1998.
Neither player was prepared to concede any ground and it was a game in which both players opted for caution. Ritchie held a narrow margin when time was up.
Ritchie has made significant progress during the past two years. He is now ranked 10th in the country and has a world ranking in the top 100.
He started playing croquet 12 years ago to give himself a break from music and his academic work. Shilling was on the verge of a successful international career when he suffered from arthritis and a wrist injury that forced him to take a break from the sport.
He had limited movement in the index and middle fingers of his right hand, and tried homeopathic and other natural remedies in an effort to alleviate the symptoms of the disease.
He found it difficult to swing the mallet properly until his hands warmed up.
Shilling did not play croquet when he lived in Australia for five years and only resumed the sport when he returned to Dunedin three years ago.
Shilling started playing croquet at Wellington College when he was 17.
"I went along to an interclub game with a guy from my class and got hooked," he said.
Russell Julian (Punga) won the Peak Tray open championship for players with handicaps from four to nine, beating Frances Casey (Leith) 26-22 in the final.
The other titles were decided by round-robin competition with the men's championships for players with a handicap of nine and under won by John McInness from Wellington team-mate Greg Wicksteed.
Ann Sharp (Forbury Park) won the women's title in the same category from June McDougal (Punga) and Jacqui Frood (Leith).
