Rowland Smith breaks new ground in win No 23

Rowland Smith (left) gets the upper hand over reigning World champion John Kirkpatrick as the two Hawke's Bay guns battle-out the last stages of the Central Hawke's Bay A and P Show's Open shearing final in Waipukurau on Saturday. Photo / Doug Laing, SSNZ

If there was any surprise at the Central Hawke's Bay A and P Show shearing and woolhandling championships on Saturday it was that Hastings shearer Rowland Smith, claiming New Zealand open-finals win No 23 in a row, had never shorn in a final at the second-closest show to home.

He said after the win in a four-man 20-sheep-each Open shearing final that because of work being in one of its busiest phases at the time of the show in Waipukurau each year he'd only shorn at the show once before - last year, when he failed to make the final just a day after finishing third in the New Zealand team selection final and missing out on a place the 2017 World championships.

It was barely any less busy this year, for he had worked on the day at Te Awanga, towards Cape Kidnappers, before heading for Waipukurau where he shore 20 of the most challenging North Island competition sheep to date this season in 18min 40sec to be first off in what had been a keen battled side-by-side with John Kirkpatrick for most of the way.

Ultimately he beat Kirkpatrick by 24 seconds, with a further 17 seconds back to David Buick, and a minute and 20 seconds further back to Jack Fagan, who had been top qualifier from both the heats and the semifinal.

Also posting best points in the pens, where Kirkpatrick did not do so well, Smith claimed the win by 2.25pts from Buick who snuck into second place.

Joel Henare, despite what must have been some disappointment in missing out on the big gongs at the Gisborne Tairawhiti Sports Awards on Friday night, where he and Maryanne Baty were finalists recognising their World championship wins in February, travelled to Waipukurau and still performed with ultimate precision to post his seventh Open woolhandling final in a row, with Rahna Williams achieving a good result in beating the other two finalists, Sheree Alabaster and Keryn Herbert.

Lionel Taumata won the Senior shearing final by 2.7pts from Paul Swann, of Wairoa, who also had a good result in beating the vastly-more-finals-savvy Ricci Stevens, of Napier, and Tegwyn Bradley, of Woodville.

Hunterville shearer Josh Harding, who won four Junior finals in the 2015-2016 season, had his first Intermediate win, and Brook Hamerton, of Hastings, claimed his first Junior title by just 0.4pts from runner-up Paul Swann, of Wairoa, Hamerton having been last to qualify in the eight from the heats for the semi-final.

Samantha Baxter (nee Pritchard), of Pongaroa had her first shearing win in the Novice event, which had been won 12 months earlier by partner Mark Baxter as he began the run-up to his Novice win at the Golden Shears.

The Senior woolhandling final included husband-and-wife Angela and Ricci Stevens, who were first and fourth respectively, while the Junior woolhandling final provided a second win for Sarah Davis, from Rotorua.

More than 90 shearers and woolhandlers competed across the classes, the biggest entry of the five North Island show shearing competitions to date this season.

RESULTS from the Central Hawke's Bay A and P Show Shears at Waipukurau on Saturday November 11, 2017:

Shearing:

Open final (20 sheep): Rowland Smith (Hastings) 18min 40sec, 66pts, 1; David Buick (Pongaroa) 19min 21sec, 68.25pts, 2; John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 19min 4sec, 68.65pts, 3; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 20min 24sec, 75.4pts, 4.

Senior final (8 sheep): Lionel Taumata (Taumarunui) 10min 16sec, 42.425pts, 1; Paul Swann (Wairoa) 10min 35sec, 45.125pts, 2; Ricci Stevens (Napier) 10min 19sec, 46.7pts, 3; Tegwyn Bradley (Woodville) 10min 26sec, 47.425pts, 4.

Intermediate final (4 sheep): Josh Harding (Hunterville) 5min 43sec, 28.4pts, 1; Caleb Cheer (Waipukurau) 5min 44sec, 30.45pts, 2; Daniel Seed (Woodville) 6min, 33.25pts, 3; John James (Wales) 7min 35sec, 35pts, 4.

Junior final (3 sheep): Brook Hamerton (Hastings) 5min 33sec, 30.3167pts, 1; Keith Swann (Wairoa) 30.7167pts, 2; Jonathon Painter (Palmerston North) 6min 31sec, 38.8833pts, 3; Atawhai Hadfield (Wairoa) 6min 30sec, 42.8333pts, 4.

Novice (1 sheep): Samantha Baxter (Pongaroa) 4min 29sec, 34.45pts, 1; Kyle Rhodes (-) 3min 20sec, 41pts, 2; Hamish Gilbertson (Gisborne) 3min 31sec, 42.55pts, 3; Cody MacKinder (Matiere) 4min 9sec, 62.45pts, 4.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 58.112pts, 1; Rahna Williams (Flaxmere) 73.312pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 78.674pts, 3; Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu/Te Kuiti) 89.458pts, 4.

Senior final: Angela Stevens (Napier) 96.906pts, 1; Ash Boyce (Dannevirke) 102.767pts, 2; Bianca Hawea (Masterton) 111.78pts, 3; Ricci Stevens (Napier) 117.394pts, 4.

Junior final: Sarah Davis (Rotorua) 99.594pts, 1; Tyler Hira (Onewhero) 102pts, 2; Ngaira Puha (Kimbolton) 123.276pts, 3; Samantha Baxter (Pongaroa) 143.05pts, 4.