Golden Shears and New Zealand shearing champion John Kirkpatrick has won his second Scottish blackface open title at the 20th Lochearnhead Shears in Scotland. Masterton's David Gordon was runner-up in the intermediate grade.
Beaten by five seconds in the race for time honours as Scotsman Simon Bedwell was first tofinish the 17-sheep final in 11min 49s, the Napier gun claimed the better quality points to repeat a triumph he had on the same stage in 2004.
He had also been runner-up in 2008 and third in 2002. The win made it two-from-two on the Shearing Sports New Zealand team tour, after his win in the Royal Highland Open in Edinburgh seven days earlier.
Bedwell took second money, heading new Scottish international Calum Shaw and the fourth finalist, Kiwi icon and five-times winner David Fagan of Te Kuiti.
In the second of two test matches against Scotland, Kirkpatrick and Shearing Sports New Zealand team-mate Nathan Stratford were unable to repeat their win of a week earlier and had to settle for a squared series against the Scottish pairing of Mitchell and Shaw.
Kirkpatrick was first off the board and scored the best quality points in the 15-sheep match, which he completed in 11min 18s, heading Mitchell by 10 seconds. But with Stratford less familiar with the local sheep, Scotland was able to claim its third win over New Zealand at Lochearnhead in three years.
Meanwhile, Fagan's son Jack won the Scottish blackface senior title, his third big win in the UK this season, and Masterton shearer David Gordon was runner-up in the intermediate final.
