Avery dethrones King Fagan

For 20 years he dreamed of dethroning a king and on Saturday night that dream at last came true.
Paul Avery, 38, the modest, quietly-spoken shearer from Stratford, confounded bookies and spectators alike when he defeated world champion shearer, David Fagan, of Te Kuiti, in front of a sell-out crowd at the open final of the 45th annual Golden Shears in Masterton.
Cheered on by wife Debra and children David, 11, and Johanna, 8, Avery finished a nail-biting second to Fagan in the speed stakes. But the quality of his work edged him into the lead and he seized the Golden Shears crown from the reigning champion by a mere 0.8 of a point.
Earlier in the day, the TAB had listed Fagan the favourite at $1.80 to win, while his perennial challenger, John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, was at $3.50 and Avery a relative outsider at $6.
Avery's chances of securing the coveted crown seemed to diminish in the open semi-finals when he had something of a shocker by his own high standards and qualified in lowly sixth place. Meanwhile Fagan, 43, qualified first in the semis, beating old adversary Kirkpatrick, 33, by a whisper and setting up the seemingly inevitable final showdown between the two.
But in the end it was Avery's final ? and Avery's night. When interviewed by Golden Shears host Craig Cooper immediately after the open final, Fagan seemed to sense he had not done the job required, despite finishing first. "On track record somebody else will win it," he predicted.
And he was right. A short time later ? to riotous applause and a standing ovation ? Avery was announced winner of the Golden Shears open title.
The shearer from Stratford looked happy, tired and a little overwhelmed as he accepted his $2000 prize money from All Black legend Colin Meads, the guest of honour.
"I thought those sheep were pretty big, but when you're standing beside Colin, they look pretty small," Avery joked. He then told the audience that he had waited since 1985 to win Golden Shears "so it's pretty special to finally achieve it."
Fagan finished a close second and Kirkpatrick an even closer third.
"I'm not disappointed at all," Fagan said when asked about his narrow loss. "I'm just rapt to be a part of it. It was one of the hardest finals I've been in physically."
The night wasn't all bad news for Fagan. He triumphed in the Wrightson national final earlier in the evening and so earned a place in the New Zealand national team that will compete at the world shearing championships in Toowoomba, Australia in June.
This means he will now be able to defend the world championship title he won ? for the fifth time ? in 2003.
Fagan later told the Times-Age he was quite surprised to win the national final. "When I had finished, I thought Dion [King] might have won it," he said.
He was also awarded life membership of the Royal Agricultural Society in recognition of his shearing feats while in a shrewd political manoeuvre, the New Zealand Academy of Sport presented cheques to the value of $11,000 to Fagan and his 2003 world shearing championship team mate, Dean Ball.
Was this a sign that the sport of shearing is being recognised by the Academy at last? Colin Meads, certainly hoped so.
"It was great to hear that SPARK has recognised shearing in New Zealand," he said. "I always think that shearing is such a great sport that hasn't got the recognition. If we can't get it into the Olympics, let's get it into the Empire [Commonwealth] games."
Meads questioned the inclusion of sports like volleyball in the Olympic programme.
"Only young people watch volleyball and you know what they're going to watch, don't you?" he said.
It was the great lock's first Golden Shears and he described the event as "just brilliant". "It's great to be here, great to be at such an occasion," he said. "All our shearing people in King Country say what tennis is to Wimbledon, Golden Shears is to Masterton."
During the evening, presentations were also made to Alton Devery, of Tuatapere, winner of the DB Open Plate, Gina Nathan, of Alexandra, who won the open wool handling final on her seventh attempt, and Tina Rimene, of Gore, and Joanne Kumeroa, of Wanganui, who were confirmed as the two wool handlers competing in the world championships in Australia.
In the transtasman shearing test, the Australians echoed the success of their cricketing compatriots by beating the Kiwis ? although by a much narrower margin.
Meanwhile the Tru-Test ultra pro shearing machine used by David Fagan to secure his 15th Golden Shears win in 2004 went under the hammer and fetched a hefty $5100. The lucky buyer was none other than John Fagan, David's brother, who immediately donated it to the Shears History Trust "on behalf of a very special shearer".
The autographed relic is apparently destined for pride of place in the Shear History Museum, which opened last week.
As for Fagan, the legendary figure who has long been the man to beat at the Golden Shears gave no sign that he was planning to hang up his hand piece yet.
"I'll probably be back," he assured the Times-Age.