New Zealand Shears: Women’s event attracts 15 competitors

Rangiora shearer Lydia Thomson will contest the junior grade and the women’s event at the New Zealand Shears in Te Kuiti. Photo / Pete Nikolaison

At least 15 shearers from across the competition grades of open to junior will contest the women’s shearing event at the New Zealand Shears which opens in Te Kuiti tomorrow and ends on Saturday.

However, the two previous winners of the Te Kuiti women’s events, in 2019 and 2021, will not be included, nor the winner of the Golden Shears women’s invitation event in Masterton earlier this month.

Despite this, the field still comprises most of those who have shorn successfully against male shearers as well as in a small number of women’s events.

Among them is Piopio-based Sacha Bond, who won a women’s event at Waimate in October and then last month set a World Record of 601 lambs shorn in eight hours.

Masterton’s former record-breaker Jills Angus Burney (now a lawyer), and former Golden Shears lower grades shearing and woolhandling winner Sarah Hewson (also a record breaker), from Havelock, are also competing.

They’ll be joined by current New Zealand transtasman woolhandling team member Cushla Abraham, of Masterton, who has had three open woolhandling finals wins this season, but as a shearer won the Golden Shears novice final in 2008, and later a New Zealand lamb shearing championships junior title.

Of particular interest will be the performances of Lydia Thomson, of Rangiora, and Emma Martin, who have dominated junior events in the South Island.

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Thomson has shorn in 19 finals, and won nine, while Martin has shorn 13 finals and won four, including one at North Island show, the Pahiatua Shears.

New Zealand Shears and Shearing Sports New Zealand chairman Sir David Fagan was pleased with the number of entries as it meant there would be at least three heats, leading to a six-stand final.

It will be at least the seventh women’s event held on the calendars of more than 50 “shows” during the 2022-2023 season.

About 40 women have shorn in open, senior, intermediate, junior or novice finals in the last six months.

More than 220 shearers and woolhandlers have entered events during the three days of the New Zealand Shears championships, including about 160 shearers and about 60 woolhandlers.