Shearing: Ferguson takes title

Cam Ferguson

Waipawa shearer Cam Ferguson bounced back from the disappointment of having to withdraw from the New Zealand Transtasman shearing team by winning his home Central Hawke's Bay A&P Show title for a fourth time on Saturday.

Ferguson had to withdraw from the team on Friday and was replaced by Pongaroa farmer David Buick, who was to prove his toughest competition in the four-man final in wind-struck Waipukurau.

Buick made the pace and was first to finish the 20 longwool sheep in 18min 26sec, beating Ferguson by 16 seconds. But Ferguson took the nod by 1.22pts, with Buick having to settle for third, his hopes dashed by the scoring sheet impacts of a particular cut early in the race and difficulty getting the right comb working in the difficult conditions.

"A bit of a learning curve," he said, ahead of this week's trip to Australia, where the test will be shorn at the Old Errowanbang Woolshed, Central NSW, part of a busy schedule in which he, and fellow finalist David Fagan both flew back after competing in the national Corriedale championships in Christchurch on Friday.

King Country icon Fagan, who won a Speedshear in Waipukurau on Friday night, just hours after shearing the Christchurch final, shore Saturday's final with an elbow bandaged after his handpiece ripped into his left arm in the early-afternoon heats, and finished in 18min 56sec.

While almost a further sheep in arrears, remaining finalist Peter Chilcott, of Whananaki, scored easily the best quality points, and ultimately claimed second place.

Saturday's victory was his third in a row in the event, which was at risk of being cancelled as the show was thrashed by late-morning winds estimated at about 140km/h.

Organisers already had some sheep heading back to the farm when the winds eased enough to allow competition to resume.

It made it worth the trip for the crews of Gisborne contractor Deano Smith, with son Ramone having his fourth Intermediate shearing win in a row, and Monique Mackey winning the Junior woolhandling final.

Mackey's victory was part of an East Coast clean-up of the three woolhandling titles, headed by that of Joel Henare, also of Gisborne and currently working for Flaxmere contractor Colin Watson Paul.

Henare retained the CHB Open woolhandling title by a narrow margin from Te Kuiti-based Keryn Herbert, from Te Awamutu. Two days earlier they were second and third respectively in Christchurch, where Henare had his first defeat in a final since last March.

Erana Smith, currently based in Flaxmere, had her third senior win.

Masterton shearer Ethan Pankhurst claimed the senior shearing title, marking himself as the most prolific shearing winner of the season to date.