Bay shearers scoop big wins at Golden Shears

Reigning World champion John Kirkpatrick won the PGG Wrightson Wool National Circuit at the 58th Golden Shears. Photo Pete Nikolaison.

World champion Hawke's Bay shearers John Kirkpatrick and Rowland Smith wrapped up a memorable double as the 58th Golden Shears came to an end in Masterton on Saturday night.

They claimed the premier Open-class shearing events, reigning World champion Kirkpatrick winning the PGG Wrightson Wool National Circuit for a second time, and 2014 World champion Smith winning the Golden Shears Open title for a fifth time, to become the third most successful shearer in the history of the Open championship.

It was an especially significant day for Smith whose nephew, Brook Hamerton, won the Golden Shears Junior title. Smith was also during the night presented with a certificate recognising his World Record shear of 644 ewes in eight hours in the UK last July, while brother Matt Smith, who once set a World record at Waitara Station, north of Te Pohue, and was recently named UK Farmer of the Year, was presented with his Master Shearer award.

On the downside, the New Zealand team of Kirkpatrick, Smith and Southland shearer Nathan Stratford suffered a sound defeat in a shearing test against Australia, struggling with the less familiar merinos which dominated the first half of the match and being unable to make significant recovery in the latter stages.

In the national circuit final, 2018 Hawke's Bay Supreme Sports Award winner Kirkpatrick was one of only two to shear the 15 sheep of five different wool types in under 20 minutes. He finished just over half a minute after first-man-off and Australia-based Te Kuiti shearer Stacey Te Huia. Kirkpatrick made up the time points deficit with the better quality, ultimately winning by more than two and a half points from runner-up Grant Smith, of Rakaia, as Te Huia slipped back to fourth place.

Rowland Smith, from Northland but based in Hawke's Bay for several years, was the hot favourite for the six-man Open final of 20 sheep each, on a sequence of 35 consecutive finals wins in New Zealand dating back 13 months.

He was just beaten to the button by Paengaroa shearer David Buick, who finished in 16m 29.618s and who also had a half-point margin in shearing board points. Smith had markedly the cleaner pen, and won the title with a margin of 2.361pts.

It was the 11th time the Open title had been won by Hawker's Bay shearers in the 17 years since Kirkpatrick became the first in 2002, when he ended Fagan's record of 12 consecutive wins in the event.

While Hawke's Bay competitors didn't win any other titles, it was well represented in several finals, headed by second placings to Intermediate final shearer Gwydion Davies from Wales but based in Napier during the season, Kirk Karaitiana of Takapau,in the Novice shearing, Ash Boyce of Dannevirke in the Senior woolhandling, Mavis Mullins of Dannevirke in the veterans woolhandling, and Ricci Stevens of Napier in the men's woolpressing.

Third placings went to Keith Swann of Wairoa, in the Junior shearing final, Madison Bright of Takapau in the Intermediate shearing final, Mullins' husband Koro in the veterans shearing, and Stevens in the triathlon (combining points from shearing, woolhandling and woolpressing events).