Manawatu A&P shearing and woolhandling results

Sibling shearers Laura (left) and Tegwyn Bradley in action in the senior shearing final at the Manawatu A and P Show in Feilding on Saturday. Photo/Doug Laing/SSNZ

It was a resumption of the Ro-Jo show as Rowland Smith and Joel Henare dominated the finals at the Manawatu A and P Show shearing and woolhandling championships in Feilding yesterday.

While it was the first time they'd competed at the same show in New Zealand in the new season which started last month, iit was the fifth time since February the two had won the respective Open shearing and woolhandling finals at the same shows.

Smith has now won 22 Open finals in a row in New Zealand since his last being beaten in Rotorua at the end of January, and Henare has won his last six Open finals, among 15 wins out of 17 individual finals he's contested in the last 12 months. With 95 Open final wins he is poised to break the century in early 2018.

Each won their respective Southland All Nations, the Golden Shears and New Zealand championships titles earlier this year, while Henare added the World title (as well as the teams title) and, last week, the Bendigo Open during the Australian National Championships in Bendigo, Vic.

For Smith, yesterday was, however, one of the closest calls as he and Napier shearer and 2017 World champion John Kirkpatrick shore at opposite ends of the three-stand board, in the stronger of the two splits in the six-man final.

Smith won the race, 14 seconds quicker than Kirkpatrick and shearing the 15 sheep in 14min 32sec, and also the better pen points, but Kirkpatrick's better job on the board pushed the margin to just 0.1666pts, with more than 7pts back to Feilding shearer Aaron Haynes, in his first competition of the season and shearing the final in the first group of three.

The woolhandling final was also in two splits, Henare showing consummate class in beating runner-up Keryn Herbert by more than 28pts, with Sheree Alabaster, three World champions leaving Open-class rookies Rahna Williams, Carmen Smith and Samantha Gordon to vy for the minor money in the first of the two splits.

The Senior shearing final was won by Lionel Taumata, from Taumarunui, the fourth winner in four Senior finals in the North Island this season. The runner-up was Woodville's Tegwyn Bradley, he and sister and 2016-2017 national Intermediate rankings winner Laura shearing in a Senior final together for the third time this season.

Daniel Seed, of Woodville, won for the third weekend with victory by almost 10pts in the Intermediate final, and Jonathon Painter, from Palmerston North, added the Junior title to that which he had won at the Wairarapa show a week earlier.

Bianca Hawea, of Masterton, had her first Senior win, and Tyler Hira, of Onewhero, added the Manawatu Junior title to the Waimate Shears Junior title she won in the Southland a month ago.

The Manawatu Show attracted 61 entries across the nine classes on the day, comprising in the shearing events and 24 in the woolhandling events.

Results from the Manawatu A and P Show shearing and woolhandling championships at Feilding on Saturday November 4, 2017:
Shearing:
Open final (15 sheep ): Rowland Smith (Ruawai/Hastings) 14min 32sec, 53.8667pts, 1; John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 14min 46sec, 54.0333pts, 2; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 15min 24sec, 61.6pts, 3; Murray Henderson (Halcomb) 16min 9sec, 62.45pts, 4; Paerata Abraham (Dannevirke/Masterton) 15min 31sec, 63.8167pts, 5; Axle Reid (Taihape) 17min 9sec, 68.1833pts, 6.
Senior final (7 sheep): Lionel Taumata (Taumarunui/Gore) 9min 25sec, 36.3929pts, 1; Ricci Stevens (Napier) 9min 51sec, 38.6929pts, 2; Tegwyn Bradley (Woodville) 9min 49sec, 39.0214pts, 3; David Gower (Stratford) 8min 48sec, 39.4pts, 4; Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 9min 54sec, 40.5571pts, 5; Laura Bradley (Woodville) 10min 35sec, 47.6071pts, 6.
Intermediate final (5 sheep): Daniel Seed (Woodville) 8min 56sec, 35.6pts, 1; Quinten Chase (Taihape) 9min 51sec, 45.55pts, 2; Carmen Smith (Pongaroa) 11min 6sec, 50.5pts, 3; Cory Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 10min 35sec, 52.15pts, 4.
Junior final (4 sheep): Jonathon Painter (Palmerston North) 9min 43sec, 40.15pts, 1; Reuben Alabaster (Taihape) 8min 38sec, 40.65pts, 2; Paora Moanaroa (Eketahuna) 7.9sec, 45.7pts, 3; Madison Bright (Takapau) 8min 27sec, 48.85pts, 4; Kyle Mita (Masterton) 7min 49sec, 67.2pts, 5.
Novice (1 sheep): Daniel Briggs (-) 3 min 50sec, 28.5pts, 1; Kyle Rhodes (-) 2min 58sec, 34.4pts, 2; Jazz Kenrick (-) 2min 36sec, 51.8pts, 3.
Woolhandling:
Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 90.244pts, 1; Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu/Te Kuiti) 118.288pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 158.494pts, 3; Rahna Williams (Flaxmere) 202.436pts, 4; Carmen Smith (Pongaroa) 208.538pts, 5; Samantha Gordon (Masterton) 220.312pts, 6.
Senior final: Bianca Hawea (Masterton) 114.6pts, 1; Angela Stevens (Napier) 135pts, 2; Nicole Petuha (Masterton) 143.4pts, 3; Ash Boyce (Dannevirke) 155.6pts, 4; Ricci Stevens (Napier) 161pts, 5; Rochelle Axford (Marton) 209.2pts, 6.
Junior final: Tyler Hira (Onewhero) 113.6pts, 1; Lucky Garrett (-) 120.2pts, 2; Paige Adams (-) 138.6pts, 3; Sarah Davis (Rotorua) 139pts, 4; Cortez Ostler (Dannevirke) 161pts, 5; Destiny Cribb (-) 180.8pts, 6.
Novice: Rameka Thwaites (Marton) 63pts, 1; Huriwai Puha (Kimbolton) 86pts, 2; Marcel Thwaites (Marton) 104pts, 3; Jazz Kenrick (-) 120pts, 4.