Golden Shears 2025: Masterton’s Chris Dickson wins open speed shear

Chris Dickson on his way to winning the open speed shear on the first night of the 2025 Golden Shears in Masterton. Photo / Pete Nikolaison

The top guns were blasted aside as Masterton shearer Chris Dickson won the open speed shear on the first night of the 2025 Golden Shears in Masterton.

With former winners Jack Fagan, of Te Kuiti, and fellow Masterton shearer Paerata Abraham eliminated along the way, Dickson shore the first of the crutched and bellied sheep in last night’s final in just 14.726 seconds.

Read more shearing and woolhandling stories here.

Welsh shearer and regular workmate Llyr Jones did his best to snatch the $800 purse, but fell just short with 14.91s, while Southland shearer Brett Roberts’ time was 16.804s.

Fagan, who won the world’s richest speed shear prize of A$20,000 ($22,160) three weeks ago, was fourth, based on placings in the semi-finals.

It was just the fourth open-class speed shear win for Dickson, the other three were all in 2023, in strong company at Matiere, Halcombe and the Southern Field Days at Waimumu, near Gore.

Dickson’s mind has now turned to the Golden Shears open championship and the Friday afternoon heats, where more than 90 shearers will shear six sheep each to reach the top 30 for the quarterfinal shootout on Friday night.

Having ended his senior career with three wins and a New Zealand Shears third placing in 2021, Dickson’s dream of making the top 30 has been thwarted by two years of Covid cancellations and attending a wedding last year.

Meanwhile, Gore shearer Brodie Horrell, shearing first off in the senior speed shear final, did all that was needed to protect New Zealand’s honour in the face of challenges from two English shearers when he shore his final sheep in 20.79s.

Just over half a second separated the three, with Jack Hutchinson, from County Durham, shearing 20.611s for second place, while Callum Bosley, from Cornwall, was third with a time of 20.635s.

The championships continue today with the senior shearing and open and senior wool handling heats.

The transtasman wool handling test match will be the feature of the night programme.