Shearing: Colin King Shield won by Southland at Ashburton A and P Show

Gore shearer Emma Martin, seen here after winning the 2023 New Zealand Shears junior shearing final in April. Photo / SSNZ

A Southland shearing team has successfully defended the Colin King Shield in the first challenge of the new season.

The relay took place at the Ashburton A and P Show on Saturday.

The Southland team, of which the four members all work for the same Gore contractor, honoured a promise to take the shield “on the road” and faced challenges from Mid, South, and North Canterbury teams - a region that had a score to settle, seeking to reclaim the shield after losing it to the southern men in Christchurch last November.

The rules were set two years ago, when former champion left-handed shearer Colin King presented the trophy, to instigate a South Island shearing equivalent of the Ranfurly Shield.

Under these rules, every team comprised one shearer from each of the four main grades - open, senior, intermediate and novice.

The Southland team was selected based on the best performances of Southland shearers in the heats of their grades earlier in the day at Ashburton.

The team comprised Brett Roberts (open), Dre Roberts (senior), Emma Martin (intermediate) and Jet Schimanski (junior) - all of whom work for Gore contractor Platinum Shearing.

With different numbers shorn by shearers depending on their grade, Southland had the best time and quality points, shearing the 10 sheep in 12min 31.84sec, to beat the local side off the board by just under 4 seconds, and 2.3pts in the final count.

North Canterbury finished a further 1.61pts away in third place.

It was a big day for Martin, who won the Ashburton show intermediate final - her fourth win in four outings since being upgraded for the new season.

She now has wins on successive weekends at Waimate, Ellesmere, Rangiora and Ashburton.

Among those in the final was Lucas Vallejo, from Florencia Varela, Buenos Aires.

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He was in New Zealand shearing for Geraldine contractor Bruce Rogers with his brother Daniel Vallejo, who last week shore in the intermediate final at Rangiora.

It was also a big weekend for Schimanski, who added a win in the junior final to his debut win in the grade at Waimate on October 7.

Roberts was first to finish the open final, shearing 20 hoggets in 17min 38.9sec, beating fellow Southland gun Nathan Stratford by more than 20 seconds.

However, Stratford, who had returned from the previous weekend’s transtasman test in South Australia, produced his trademark quality to win by 1.8pts; successfully defending the title he has now won five times in the last eight years.

Stratford is now an annual regular, despite the nearly six-hour road trip each way.

Meanwhile, Blake Crooks, of Rangiora, backed up a win at his home show last week by winning Saturday’s senior final.

Stratford said the Colin King Shield will be put up again next Saturday at Pleasant Point.

Results of the Ashburton A and P Show Shears: Saturday, October 28, 2023

Open final (20 sheep): Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 18min 0.03sec, 57.95pts, 1; Brett Roberts (Mataura) 17min 38.9sec, 59.75pts, 2; Ant Frew (Pleasant Point) 18min 45.91sec, 62.4pts, 3; Lyall Windleburn (Rangiora) 18min 8.09sec, 66.2pts, 4; Lionel Taumata (Taumarunui/Gore) 19min 16.69sec, 66.53pts, 5.

Senior final (7 sheep): Blake Crooks (Rangiora) 7min 22.37sec, 28.26pts, 1; Dre Roberts (Mataura) 7min 22.38sec, 31.26pts, 2; Reuben King (Kaiapoi) 8min 34.09sec, 31.85pts, 3; Liam Norrie (Cheviot) 8min 54.72sec, 32.88pts, 4; James Wilson (Darfield) 8min 31.6sec, 35.87pts, 5.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Emma Martin (Gore) 7min 48.03sec, 29pts, 1; Cody Waihape (Gore) 7min 15.93sec, 30.4pts, 2; Caleb Brooking (Mataura) 7min 24.94sec, 32.25pts, 3; Lydia Thomson (Rangiora) 9min 23.66sec, 32.38pts, 4; Lucas Vallejo (Argentina) 8min 21.56sec, 37.08pts, 5.

Junior final (4 sheep): Jet Schimanski (Gore) 8min 23.78sec, 34.19pts, 1; Peter Losty (Ireland) 9min 27.85sec, 37.64pts, 2; Levi Beedles (Kaiapoi) 8min 30.03sec, 39pts, 3; Ella Caves (Loburn) 8min 31.22sec, 40.06pts, 4; Tracey Paton (Timaru) 9min 35.53sec, 58.03pts, 5.

Blades final (5 sheep): Tony Dobbs (Fairlie) 17min 46.6sec, 59.13pts, Tim Hogg (Timaru) 17minn 24.53sec, 60.83pts, 2; Noel Handley (Rangiora) 16min 25.09sec, 62.45pts, 3.

Colin King Challenge Shield (10 sheep): Southland (Brett Roberts, Dre Roberts, Emma Martin, Jed Schimanski) 12min 31.84sec, 44.39pts, 1; Mid-South Canterbury (Taare Edwards, James Wilson, Caleb Brooking, Tracey Paton) 12min 35.78sec, 46.69pts, 2; North Canterbury (Lyall Windleburn, Blake Crooks, Lydia Thomson, Levi Beedles) 12min 44sec, 48.3pts, 3.