Fagan extends 28-year career in style

Shearing

Shearing icon David Fagan wore the New Zealand singlet in a stunning double triumph in the Corwen Shears test match in Wales over the weekend, stretching his international career to more than 28 years.

The 51-year-old veteran and multiple world, Golden Shears and New Zealand open champion took the place of injured Mid-Canterbury shearer Tony Coster, who was ruled out with a broken wrist.

Fagan joined Golden Shears and New Zealand Open champion Rowland Smith as the Shearing Sports New Zealand team worked to avoid a 4-0 whitewash against Wales at the Corwen Shears, and to salvage a 50-50 record at the end of the eight-test 2013 Elders Primary Wool UK Tour.

Fagan was first to finish each of the 20-sheep events, the points for his times of 11min 52s and 11.30 respectively being enough to hold off the challenges from the Welsh hopes in the judging on the board and in the pens.

In the test, he and Smith, who posted the best quality points, beat the Welsh team of Gareth Daniel and Richard Jones by 1.7 points, while Fagan finished the Open final with a 0.65pts winning margin over runner-up Jones.

The test win meant the Kiwis avoided a Welsh whitewash, being beaten 3-1 in a series which started at Cothi last weekend. With a loss to Scotland, two wins over England and a victory over Ulster it gave New Zealand a 4-4 result for the eight-test tour.

In another Kiwi triumph at Corwen, Fagan's son, first-season Open-class shearer Jack, teamed with fellow King Country shearer Mark Grainger and Smith's brother, Matthew, to beat teams from Wales, Ireland and France in an international relay

Fagan first represented New Zealand in a shearing test against a world team at the Golden Shears in Masterton in March 1985.Fagan last shore a test in his home town of Te Kuiti in 2011, as New Zealand completed an unbeaten series against Wales.

Fagan is expected to start a 33rd New Zealand open-class season in October, with perhaps a dream of a place in the New Zealand team at next year's world championships in Ireland.