Shearing: Women dominate at Northern A and P Show

The junior final lineup - competition organiser Noel Handley (left), Liam Allwood (fourth), Henry Mayo (third), Kelly Poehls (runner-up), Adele Lemercier (winner). Photo / Supplied

Some sort of shearing history is thought to have been made over Labour Weekend in the women's domination of the lower grades at the Northern A and P Show shearing championships in Rangiora.

Women were first and second in the junior final, with particular significance for winner Adele Lemercier, of France, highlighting further advances by France ahead of the World Championships in France in July next year.

Claiming victory by almost five points over runner-up Kelly Poehls, (of Makara), she became the fourth shearer from France to win a final in New Zealand in the last four seasons.

Third was English shearer Henry Mayo, who has already won three finals in New Zealand, including an A-grade show New Zealand Spring Shears title at Waimate earlier this month.

The intermediate final was won by Oxford shearer Eve Peddie, (her second win in the grade), while women were also represented in the senior final by former Golden Shears novice shearing and junior woolhandling champion Sarah Higgins, from Marlborough.

Shearing Sports records show 21 women have won shearing finals in New Zealand in the last four seasons, from senior to novice, and in the same period 23 shearers, from nine countries, have won shearing finals in New Zealand.

Geraldine blades shearer Allan Oldfield made another strong claim for a world championships by beating favourite Tony Dobbs, of Fairlie, in Saturday's blades shearing final.

Oldfield beat favourite Tony Dobbs, of Fairlie, by just 0.9pts, relying on a 48 seconds time advantage after shearing the four sheep in the open blades final at the Northern A and P Show in Rangiora.

The pair are entrenched at the top of the points table in a series set to end at the New Zealand Agricultural Show in Christchurch next month with the top two claiming the blades shearing places in the Shearing Sports New Zealand team for the World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Le Dorat, Central France, next July.

There was a clear contrast between the pair, beating Dobbs to the finish of the four-sheep by 68 seconds, as Dobbs posted the better shearing and quality points on the shearing board and in the pens afterwards.

Oldfield has not yet represented New Zealand and is effectively chasing a position held by father Phil Oldfield at the 2017 World championships, with Dobbs well placed to claim one of the positions.

Third today was 2010 world championships representative and 2017 Rangiora winner Allen Gemmell, of Rangiora, and Phil Oldfield was fourth.

Invercargill shearer Troy Pyper added the open machines final to a win at the Ellesmere show a week earlier, putting a sheep around the field and scoring well with the judges for a victory by 4.8pts from runner-up Delwyn Henriksen, of Waipara.

The senior final provided a family quinella for Southland brothers Jade and Brandon Maguire Ratima. Jade won by 0.66pts from Brandon, who is the 2018 Golden Shears intermediate champion.

Results from the Northern A and P Show shearing championships at Rangiora on Saturday, October 20, 2018:

Open final (10 sheep): Troy Pyper (Invercargill) 11min 19.94sec, 42.9pts, 1; Delwyn Henriksen (Waipara) 12min 32.06sec, 47.7pts, 2; Lyall Windleburn (Rangiora) 11min 52.53sec, 49.73pts, 3; Chris Jones (Blenheim) 13min 6.03sec, 51.6pts, 4.

Senior final (6 sheep): Jade Maguire Ratima (Winton) 7min 52.32sec, 34.78pts, 1; Brandon Maguire Ratima (Winton) 8min 52.13sec, 35.44pts, 2; Sarah Higgins (Blenheim) 9min 33.66sec, 41.85pts, 3; Liam Norrie (Cheviot) 9min 58.62sec, 41.93pts, 4.

Intermediate final (5 sheep): Eve Peddie (Oxford) 12min 25.94sec, 44.5pts, 1; Brayden Clifford (Gore) 12min 19.78sec, 50.79pts, 2; Sam Bryan (Hororata) 12min 4.84sec, 51.44pts, 3; Gonzalo Olivares (Chile) 11min 9.97sec, 58.3pts, 4.

Junior final (3 sheep): Adele Lemercier (France) 7min 55.34sec, 29.77pts, 1; Kelly Poehls (Makara) 7min 12.47sec, 34.62pts, 2; Henry Mayo (England) 8min 17.12sec, 35.86pts, 3; Liam Allwood (Christchurch) 10min 5.57sec, 46.28pts, 4.

Blade final (4 sheep): Allan Oldfield (Geraldine) 10min 49.53sec, 42.23pts, 1; Tony Dobbs (Fairlie) 11min 57.65sec, 43.13pts, 2; Allen Gemmell (Rangiora) 10min 58.81sec, 51.19pts, 3; Phil Oldfield (Geraldine) 13min 23.91sec, 53.95pts, 4.