Shearing: Women win three of four finals at Ohura A&P Show

Laura Bradley won the senior shearing finals at both the Ohura and Counties shears over the weekend. Photo / Shearing Sports New Zealand

A piece of shearing history may have been created at the remote Ohura A&P show on Saturday when women won three of the four shearing finals.

They were Laura Bradley, a mum and farmer from Papatawa (between Dannevirke and Woodville) who beat three men in a senior final of six sheep each; Sarah Bryant, of Arohena (between Ōtorohanga and Tokoroa) who beat three men in the intermediate final of four sheep each, and Jodiesha Kirkpatrick, of Gisborne, who was not only the only woman in the junior final, of three sheep each but also the only New Zealander.

Bradley and Kirkpatrick have each won six finals this season, and three junior woolhandling finals each, while Bryant had her first win just seven days earlier at the Te Puke A&P Show.

The odd man out was Hunterville shearing contractor Shane Ratima, who had his first win in an open final, a four-man contest of 12 sheep each, pipping runner-up and Ōtorohanga veteran Digger Balme by less than 15 hundredths of a point.

Competition convener Chris Brears beat them both to the finish, shearing the 12 in 12m 4.97s, but Ratima, third off in 12m 21.25s, had the best shearing board points.

Ratima, father of recent Rangitīkei intermediate winner Orlando Ratima, said he went to the show to take two of his Welsh shearers, a success in itself, with three ribbons in the vehicle on the way home, Owen Marin Jones having been runner-up to Bryant in the intermediate final and Morgan Jones finishing fourth in the junior final.

In the woolhandling, Keryn Herbert, of Te Kuiti, won the open event from Te Anna Phillips, of Taumatunui, in a big show of loyalty and commitment after both had competed at the Southern Shears in Gore 24 hours earlier.

Alice Otimi, of Ngāpuke, won the senior final and Miracle Waikato, of Flaxmere, had her first win in the junior final.

Meanwhile, Northland shearer Toa Henderson won the Counties Shears open final at the Franklin A&P Show in Pukekohe on Sunday, less than 24 hours after winning the Southern Shears open final in Gore.

Laura Bradley, of Papatawa, between Dannevirke and Woodville, and Jodiesha Kirkpatrick, of Gisborne, also each made it a double for the weekend by winning the senior and junior finals respectively, just a day after each winning at the Ohura A&P Show west of Taumarunui.

Read more shearing and woolhandling stories here.

Dargaville shearers dominated the northernmost competition on the Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar at the North Hokianga A&P Show on Saturday at Broadwood, between Kaikohe and Kaitaia, with Neville Osborne winning the open final, and brother-and-sister Michael Boyd and Danielle Boyd the senior and intermediate titles respectively.

The competition season now sweeps into the biggest stage of the year with top competitors at the Taumarunui Jamboree Shears on Friday, the Apiti YFC Sports Shears on Saturday, the Pahīatua Shears on Sunday, the Hawke’s Bay Autumn Shears next Tuesday, the Wairarapa Pre-Shears Woolhandling Championships next Wednesday and the Golden Shears in Masterton on February 27-March 1.

Ohura A&P Show shearing and woolhandling championships

Saturday, February 15

Shearing:

Open final (12 sheep): Shane Ratima (Hunterville) 12m 21.25s, 46.8125pts, 1; Digger Balme (Ōtorohanga) 12m 12.53s, 46.9598pts, 2; Conan Te Kene (Taumarunui) 13m 4.06s, 48.6197pts, 3; Chris Brears (Mariere) 12m 4.97s, 49.4985pts, 4.

Senior final (6 sheep): Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 7m 7.03s, 29.6848pts, 1; Daniel Seed (Pahiatua) 7m 31.63s, 30.7482pts, 2; Mark Ferguson (Elsthorpe) 7m 32s, 31.2667pts, 3; Topia Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 6m 9.94s, 31.8303pts, 4.

Intermediate final (4 sheep): Sarah Bryant (Arohena) 6m 14.44s, 25.222pts, 1; Owen Martin Jones (Llangollen, Wales) 6m 12.06s, 26.603pts, 2; Thomas Marchant (Otorohanga) 6m 19.72s, 27.486pts, 3; Paiaka Murahi (Piopio) 6m 41.03s, 32.3105pts, 4.

Junior final (3 sheep): Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 6m 6.12s, 24.6393pts, 1; Sean Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 6m 22.82s, 27.141pts, 2; Kevin Noone (Donegal, Ireland) 6m 45.4s, 27.9367pts, 3; Morgan Jones (Llangwm, Wales) 6m 37.15s, 29.1908pts, 4.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Keryn Herbert (Te Kuiti) 69.02pts, 1; Te Anna Phillips (Taumarunui) 75.28pts, 2.

Senior final: Alice Otimi (Ngāpuke) 55.090pts, 1; Kelly Barrett (Kawhia) 55.97pts, 2; Kelly Brears (Matiere) 73.8pts, 3.

Junior final: Miracle Waikato (Flaxmere) 41.47pts, 1; Paige Marshall (Matiere) 45.pts, 2; Miri Thompson (Taumarunui) 57.65pts, 3.

North Hokianga A&P Show shearing championships

Broadwood, on Saturday, February 15

Open final (12 sheep): Neville Osborne (Dargaville) 10m 11s, 42.62pts, 1; Phil Wedd (Silverdale) 10m 37s, 44.6pts, 2; Ralph Smith (Dargaville) 15m 21s, 59.04pts, 3.

Senior final (6 sheep): Michael Boyd (Dargaville) 7m 21s, 28.38pts, 1; Tommy Stevenson (Dargaville) 7m 11s, 30.21pts, 2; Steve Coop (Wellsford) 7m 56s, 41.13pts, 3.

Intermediate (3 sheep): Danielle Boyd (Dargaville) 5m 9s, 27.11pts, 1; Liam Smedley (4m 53s, 30.97pts, 2; Rex Finlayson (Kai Iwi Lakes) 5m 3s, 34.15pts, 3.

Counties Shears at the Franklin A&P Show

Pukekohe, Sunday, February 16

Open final: Toa Henderson (Kaiwaka) 50.79pts, 1; Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 55.3pts, 2; John Kirkpatrick (Pakipaki)55.55pts, 3; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 57.9pts, 4; Digger Balme (Otorohanga) 64.84pts, 5.

Senior final: Laura Bradley (Papatawa) 29.68pts, 1; Daniel Seed (Pahiatua) 33.15pts, 2; Callum Bosley (Cornwall, England) 33.58pts, 3; Tommy Stevenson (Dargaville) 35.83pts, 4; Michael Boyd (Dargaville) 39.53pts, 5.

Intermediate final: Sam Parker (Raglan) 26.75pts, 1; Owen Martin Jones (Llangollen, Wales) 29.55pts, 2; Lydia Thomson (Rangiora/Hastings) 29.6pts, 3; Thomas Marchant (Ōtorohanga) 31.25pts, 4; Sarah Bryant (Arohena)31.3pts, 5.

Junior final: Jodiesha Kirkpatrick (Gisborne) 28.8pts, 1; Morgan Jones (Llangwm, Wales) 29.95pts, 2; Sean Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 31.6pts, 3; Tana Maguire (Piopio) 35pts, 4; Tessa Berger (Ahuroa) 38.65pts, 5.

Novice: Cam Henson (Woodville) 15.9pts, 1; James Anderson (-) 21.3pts, 2; Reagan Harris (Te Kauwhata) 29.9pts, 3; Keanu Edkins (Piopio) 39.95pts, 4; Richard Sutton (Papamoa) 42.4pts, 5.

Veterans: Ralph Smith (Dargaville) 15.56pts, 1; Peter McCabe (Katikati) 24.1pts, 2; Lee Cheyne (Te Kauwhata) 25.4pts, 3; Jeff Wood (Tangiteroria) 26.05pts, 4; Mike Hegglin (Aria) 30.2pts, 5.