Smith seizes Golden Shears crown

Rowland Smith holds the Golden Shears trophy aloft. PHOTO/PETE NIKOLAISON

WORLD champion shearer Rowland Smith lived up to the tag of overwhelming favourite when he won his third Golden Shears open title in Masterton on Saturday night.

It was a particularly controlled effort from the 29-year-old Hawke's Bay gun who in contrast to many of his recent wins was just third off the board, as new finalist Paerata Abraham and best local Wairarapa hope David Buick tried to win the major prize by the only way possible ... speed.

It was Abraham, from Dannevirke but now living in Masterton, who was first off the board, his 15min 50.234sec thought to be the third fastest time in the 56 years of the final of 20 second-shear sheep, beaten only by David Fagan's 15min 27.4sec and John Kirkpatrick's 15min 43.8sec when they were winner and runner-up in 2003.

Abraham, the shortest in the final, beat the 2m-tall Smith and three other finalists by more than a sheep, but Smith comfortably made up the lost ground there by earning the best quality points, something Abraham let slip as he went hell for leather out front. He was eventually placed sixth but nobody had done more to have the big crowd in good voice throughout the contest than him.

It was Smith's 28th win in 31 finals dating back to his second Golden Shears open win in March 2014. Taking a break from competition shearing, Smith did not compete at the Golden Shears last year, but is now in full swing chasing a place in the Shearing Sports New Zealand team to defend his world title in Invercargill in February next year.

Ultimately second place in the big final went to Napier shearer John Kirkpatrick, the most prolific runner-up in the event's history but who has also won the title four times. Troy Pyper of Winton was third, a hugely impressive effort considering he had earlier shorn in the PGG Wrightson final and the transtasmantest.

Meanwhile, Canterbury courier run driver Tony Coster scored the South Island's biggest win of the championships by successfully defending the PGG Wrightson National Circuit title, taking away the 15 sheep all-breeds final for a fifth time.

And Gisborne's Joel Henare set a record for the most consecutive Golden Shears open woolhandling finals wins -- four -- in what was possibly the strongest field since the event was introduced to the programme in 1985.