David Buick, of Pongaroa, winning his sixth Manawatu and West Coast A and P Show open shearing title at Manfeild on Saturday. Photo / SSNZ
David Buick, of Pongaroa, winning his sixth Manawatu and West Coast A and P Show open shearing title at Manfeild on Saturday. Photo / SSNZ
If Manfeild was still in its former guise as a track for horse racing, it would have had shearer David Buick as one of its warmer favourites as he shore at the Manawatu and West Coast A and P Show on Saturday.
And he wouldn't have let the punters down,the form horse, New Zealand representative and Pongaroa shearer and farmer winning the show's open shearing title for a sixth time, along with it being his third win in four North Island competitions in the new season.
It was his 18th open-class win, dating back to his first, also at the Manawatu show in 2011, making him comparatively-speaking the Winx of the field, with runner-up Murray Henderson, of Halcombe, and non-finalist Bart Hadfield, of Ruakituri, the only others in the day's field to have ever won an open final, and then only three between them.
Last season's top senior shearer, Tegwyn Bradley, in his open final debut at the Manawatu and West Coast A and P Show. He was sixth. Photo / SSNZ
In a six-man final, (three stands at a time), Buick was in complete charge, fleecing the 15 sheep in the quickest time (14min 40sec) and posting the best board and pen points, to win by 2.4163pts from Henderson, the competition organiser and venue commentator for most of the day. Feilding shearer Aaron Haynes just was 0.0334pts further away in third place.
Among the finalists was young Woodville shearer Tegwyn Bradley, in his first final in the top grade after being the country's top-ranked senior last season, when his 14 wins included a Golden Shears title.
Napier shearer Ricci Stevens won the senior final, guaranteeing his promotion to open-class next season, Chris Dickson, of Eketahuna, won the intermediate final, and Atawhai Hadfield, of Ruakituri in Northeren Hawke's Bay, scored his third junior win of the season.
Sheree Alabaster (far table), won the woolhandling final, with runner-up Keryn Hebert (near table). PHOTO /SSNZ
Sheree Alabaster, of Taihape, further enhanced her claims to a spot at a World Championships for a third time when she made it two-in-a-row in open woolhandling finals in the early stages of a new New Zealand team selection series.
Lucky Garrett, of Eketahuna, did likewise in the senior grade, again beating top 2017-2018 junior Tyler Hira, of Onewhero, and Cortez Ostler, of Dannevirke, scored his second junior win of the season.
RESULTS of the Manawatu and West Coast A and P Show shearing and woolhandling championships at Feilding on November 3, 2018:
