Everyone has a bad shear sometimes. That is how it went yesterday for Emily Welch at the New Zealand Shearing Championships in Te Kuiti.
She had upset the predominantly male shearing world last month, almost taking the coveted Golden Shears title. She sheared 10 sheep in 11 minutes29 seconds, the first time a woman had ever made the final, let alone finished runner-up.
But yesterday, the 27-year-old from Waikato failed to fire. She made it to the final in the senior category, but placed sixth and last.
Marlborough's Angus Moore, 21, won the section having pipped Welch at the Golden Shears.
New Zealand Shearing president Jim Gibb said word from the judges was Welch had "obviously had a bad shear.
"She'd usually be right up there, something obviously went quite wrong."
Idol judge Frankie Stevens was a special guest at the championships, on hand to try shearing the old fashioned way, and about 2000 of shearing icon John Fagan's were at the ready for the Running of the Sheep down Te Kuiti's main drag.
Fagan's brother David was a strong bet to take the open shearing final last night, having won it 16 times previously.
