Shearing
Open title winner Rowland Smith shared centre stage at an emotionally-charged Golden Shears final night in Masterton on Saturday evening.
The 26-year-old Smith justified his favouritism for the premier event with a phenomenal display of speed and workmanship but even the brilliance of his performance could not excite the capacity crowd more than the sheer courage displayed by defending champion Joanne Kumeroa in a dramatic open woolhandling final.
Kumeroa had to settle for second place behind young gun, Joel Henare, the current world champion, on this occasion but hers was an astonishingly gutsy effort considering her battle with cancer and the physical demands of extensive chemotherapy.
This was the 53rd Golden Shears but you have to wonder whether there has been a more poignant moment in the whole history of this world famous competition than when Kumeroa and Smith hugged after Smith had announced at the presentation ceremony that he was donating his first prize of $3000 to cancer research. It was the perfect climax to a wonderful night.
For Smith this was his first Golden Shears open title and, as it happened, it was three former winners from Hawke's Bay in Dion King, John Kirkpatrick and Cam Ferguson who emerged as his toughest rivals in the 20-sheep decider.
The always-quick King was first off the board in 16min 30.9s, 16s ahead of Kirkpatrick, with Smith 8s further back.
Ferguson was fourth to finish, heading the other two finalists, world champion Gavin Mutch, a Scotsman farming in Taranaki, and Southland hope Nathan Stratford.
The question now was whether Smith, winner of eight other open finals in the six weeks before the Golden Shears, could overhaul King and Kirkpatrick when it came to quality and that he did, his overall points tally of 61.151 securing him the major spoils from King (61.255) and Kirkpatrick (61.481).
The big talking point leading into the open final was the failure of 16-times winner David Fagan to make it past the quarterfinals, his earliest exit since he started his open class career more than 30 years ago. He missed out by just 0.159 points on a place in the top 12 for the semifinals.
For Kirkpatrick his third placing in the open final ended a hectic last night schedule which saw him also contest, and win, the PGG Wrightson National Circuit crown, and partner Angus Moore and Chris Vickers to victory for New Zealand over Australia in their transtasman encounter.
Remarkably Kirkpatrick was first to finish the multi-breeds National Circuit final despite his lack of familiarity with the fine-woolled merino. He took 19min 6.862s to complete his 15 sheep, and just pipped 2009-2011 winner Tony Coster, of Rakaia, for time and overall honours.
Mutch took the third prize with defending champion Angus Moore, of South Otago, fourth.
The international saw New Zealand finish with 266.971pts to comfortably head off Australia 274.451pts.
The success of Joel Henare in the open woolhandling final came after four consecutive placings in the event. At 21 he is the youngest ever to have won this title.