Hawkes Bay shearer Rowland Smith enjoyed a stellar 2014, winning the World Championships final after successfully defending the Golden Shears Open title and the New Zealand Open Championships.
The 27-year-old Northland-born, Hastings-based Smith became New Zealand's seventh world individual machine shearing champion with a thrilling victory on a dramatic finalday of the 16th Golden Shears World Championships in Gorey, Ireland, back in May.
The two-metre giant saw off a field of six, including defending champion and favourite, Taranaki-based Scotsman Gavin Mutch, who was top qualifier from the heats and semi-final, in which host-country favourite Ivan Scott was eliminated as next-man-in.
Fellow Scot Hamish Mitchell made the pace over the 20 Suffolk-mule crosses, putting a sheep around Australian champion and 2000 and 2005 world champion Shannon Warnest before the halfway mark, which Mitchell reached in 6m 43s.
At the end, which he reached in 15m 15.497s, 40s covered the first four, with Welsh hope Gareth Daniel next, followed by Mutch and Smith. John Kirkpatrick, in his third world individual final and still without the big prize, finished over a sheep behind Mutch.
Mutch had the best board points, but Smith had easily the best in the pen judging, as Mitchell's run faded, and wrestled the title from Mutch by a comfortable 3.135 points.
Smith's run of form began in early March with an emphatic victory at the Golden Shears Open in Masterton when he dominated the six-man final. He also won the Royal Ulster Open in Belfast just prior to the World Championships.
