Rowland Smith defended the coveted Open title as Bay shearers dominated. Photo/Supplied
Rowland Smith defended the coveted Open title as Bay shearers dominated. Photo/Supplied
An era of triumph for Hawke's Bay at the Golden Shears after many barren years continued on Saturday when Hastings shearer Rowland Smith successfully defended the championships' coveted Open title in Masterton.
The win makes the 27-year-old a favourite to also win a World title in Ireland in May.
Followingfour decades in which just one Hawke's Bay shearer qualified for the annual six-man shootout, four men from the region have now collectively won eight of the last 13 finals.
It was the sixth year in a row in which Hawke's Bay shearers finished first and second, and the third in a row where they've made up the first three, with four-time winner John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, the runner-up, and 2010 winner Cam Ferguson third.
To cement the Bay domination, 2006 winner Dion King, of Hastings, was fifth and sixth went to the only first-time Golden Shears Open finalist, David Buick, who farms at Pongaroa, from the Wairarapa side of the Tararua District.
The win by Smith, who lives on a small Maraekakaho farm block with wife, expectant mum and fellow-shearing record-breaker Ingrid (nee Baynes), was not the only triumph for Hawke's Bay.
Shearing contractors' daughter Creedence Culshaw, 22, won the Junior woolhandling final, and two history-making Welsh shearers and a surprise English World championships representative achieved their goals after working in Hawke's Bay.
Hefin Rowlands, 22, who has been based in Waipukurau and working for new venture Shearing New Zealand, run by Hastings contractor Colin Watson Paul, became the first Golden Shears winner from Wales in 23 years when he claimed the Junior shearing title.
A short while later, Alun Lloyd Jones, 19, who works for Napier contractor Brendan Mahony, won the Intermediate final.
Dean Nelmes, who was only a Senior-class shearer when he won the English Nationals last June, on Friday realised a dream when he shore in the Open Top 30 quarterfinal Shootout - even if he did finish 30th .
Smith, who was born in Napier and grew up in Northland before returning to south to develop his shearing career, works in a mainly four-stand gang for Hastings contractor Heath Kingston.
He attributes the regional shearing prowess to the "tough" sheep in Hawke's Bay, the competition which has developed among the area's guns, and the encouragement it provides for younger people in the industry. "Its great shearing with these guys," he said.
