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Winning doubles to champion NZ shearer and wool handler

Doug Laing, April 3, 2016
World shearing champion Rowland Smith. Picture: Shearing Sports NZ.

World shearing champion Rowland Smith. Picture: Shearing Sports NZ.

WORLD shearing champion Rowland Smith and top wool handler Joel Henare have completed Golden Shears and New Zealand Open doubles in a near-North Island east coast clean sweep of major titles at the national shearing championships on Saturday night.

Each had also won at the Golden Shears in Masterton four weeks earlier.

It was a particularly big night for reigning world shearing champion and 29-year-old Hastings gun Rowland Smith, who, moments after a pulsating six-man final over 20 sheep each in Te Kuiti’s Waitomo Cultural and Arts Centre, learnt wife Ingrid had just had their second child in Hawke’s Bay Hospital.

The New Zealand Shears Circuit title was won by Raikaia shearer and courier delivery operator Tony Coster, but otherwise it was all North Island, headed by Napier shearer John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, winning the North Island Shearer of the Year title on Friday before finishing runner-up in the two other Open class finals on Saturday.

Masterton’s Dylan McGruddy won the Senior shearing final, also on Saturday night, while the other shearing titles went to Paraki Puna, of Napier, in the Intermediate final on Friday, after Connor Puna, of Kimbolton, and Darren Bryant, of Levin, had won the Junior and Novice finals respectively on the opening day on Thursday.

Henare on run to 2017 world titles

World wool handling champion Joel Henare. Picture: Shearing Sports NZ.

World wool handling champion Joel Henare. Picture: Shearing Sports NZ.

World wool handling champion in 2012 and hoping to regain the title next year, Henare’s successful defence of the Open wool handling title came after fellow Gisborne wool handler Brittany Tibble had her first win in any grade, in the Senior final. The Junior woolhandling final on Thursday was won by Kirkpatrick’s daughter, mum-to-be Angela Kirkpatrick.

The family connections were extended in Shearing Sports New Zealand rankings winners announced during the championships, with John Kirkpatrick a surprise winner in the Open class after winning four events during the season, which compared with the 19 finals won by Smith.

The rankings were based on points for placings in finals in three different points scoring show classifications. Kirkpatrick eventually reached 25 finals, and Smith 23.

Daughter Angela won Junior ranking honours, after eight wins during the season, fiance Ricci Stevens was top Intermediate shearer, and husband-and-wife Joel and Erica Henare headed the Open and Senior woolhandling rankings respectively.

Kaleb Foote, of Waikaretu, headed the Senior shearing rankings, while the Junior shearer rankings were headed by Connor Puha.

Meanwhile, Smith and Kirkpatrick will represent New Zealand in a UK tour later this year, Coster having declined the trip as he has already been selected for next summer’s trans Tasman series, after winning a fifth PGG Wrightons National Circuit title at the Golden Shears on March 5. He is the first shearer in nine years to win both the National Circuit and the NZ Shears Circuit, the two major all-breeds titles.

Full results from the New Zealand Shearing Championships at Te Kuiti on Thursday-Saturday March 31-April 2, 2016:

Shearing:

Open final (20 sheep): Rowland Smith (Hastings) 15min 43.4sec, 58.42pts, 1; John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 15min 29.61sec, 58.831pts, 2; Gavin Mutch (Whangamomona and Scotland) 15min 44sec, 60.65pts, 3; David Buick (Pongaroa) 15min 43.83sec, 60.792pts, 4; Mark Grainger (Ye Kuiti) 15min 34.11sec, 61.806pts, 5; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 16min 43.7sec, 65.435pts, 6.

New Zealand Shears Circuit final (15 sheep – 5 Merino, 5 second-shear, 5 lambs): Tony Coster (Rakaia) 20min 27.69sec, 90.918pts, 1; John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 19min 46.33sec, 92.317pts, 2; Troy Pyper (Winton) 22min 17.38sec, 94.136pts, 3; Dion King (Alfredton, ex Hastings) 19min 18.1sec, 98.505pts, 4; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 21min 35.74sec, 98.52pts, 5; Paerata Abraham (Masterton, ex Dannevirke) 21min 20.75sec, 99.772pts, 6.

North Island Shearer of the Year (20 sheep): John Kirkpatrick (Napier) 15min 24.39sec, 58.02pts, 1; Rowland Smith (Hastings) 15min 27.74sec, 60.037pts, 2; Dion King (Alfredton, ex-Hastings) 15min 15.49sec, 62.625pts, 3; Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 16min 2.29sec, 65.315pts, 4; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 16min 1.47sec, 67.724pts, 5; Digger Balme (Te Kuiti) 15min 24.01sec, 75.551pts, 6.

Open Plate (10 sheep): Daren Forde (Winton) 9min 47.53sec, 40.777pts, 1; Dion King (Alfredton, ex Hastings) 9min 4.47sec, 40.924pts, 2; Brett Roberrs (Mataura) 10min 16.75sec, 41.238pts, 3; Floyde Neil (Taumarunui) 9min 50.99sec, 43.15pts, 4; Hemi Braddick (10min 12.19sec, 44.21pts, 5; Jack Fagan (Te Kuiti) 9min 30.45sec, 45.123pts, 6.

Open Challenger (10 sheep): Paerata Abraham (Masterton and Dannevirke) 10min 31.75sec, 42.688pts, 1; Shelford Wilcox (Gisborne) 10min 52.62sec, 42.731pts, 2; Delwyn Jones (Te Kuiti and Wales) 10min 31.62sec, 45.881pts, 3; Andy Mainland (Kapuka) 10min 43.06sec, 50.153pts, 4; Corey Mifsud (Australia) 12min 35.44sec, 50.272pts, 5; Shaun Ward (Te Karaka) 10min 57.89sec, 50.295pts, 6

Senior final (12 sheep): Dylan McGruddy (Masterton) 13min 13.17sec, 53.409pts, 1; Whanake Whare (Taumarunui) 13min 3.89sec, 54.029pts, 2; Bevan Pere (Gisborne) 14min 19.25sec, 55.13pts, 3; Guy Fraser (Taumarunui) 13min 47.56sec, 55.711pts, 4; Kaleb Foote (Waikaretu) 13min 3.29sec, 60.749pts, 5; Darren Alexander (Whangamomona) 13min 39.65sec, 62.317pts.

Intermediate final (8 sheep): Paraki Puna (Napier) 10min 2.8sec, 42.765pts, 1; Lionel Taumata (Gore and Taumarunui) 9min 36.99sec, 43.225pts, 2; Ricci Stevens (Napier, ex-Gisborne) 10min 52.24sec, 45.112pts, 3; Tegwyn Bradley (Woodville) 10min 58.83sec, 45.942pts, 4; Joel Richards (Oamaru) 10min 30.76sec, 46.038pts, 5; Anaru Wakefield (Porangahau) 11min 20.85sec, 46.918pts, 6.

Junior final (5 sheep): Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 10min 5.82sec, 39.091pts, 1; Brandon Maguire Ratima (Winton) 10min 45.42sec, 41.271pts, 2; Josh Harding (Hunterville) 8min 46.4sec, 43.12pts, 3; Jordan Hart (Blenheim) 10min 6.98sec, 43.549pts, 4; Sam Davison (Masterton) 9min 33.91sec, 44.496pts, 5; Sam Murphy (Otorohanga) 11min 5.91sec, 49.096pts, 6.

Novice final (2 sheep): Darren Bryant (Levin) 7min 35.71sec, 30.786pts, 1; Sarah Jane Reid (Taihape) 9min 8.65sec, 41.433pts, 2; Topia Barrowcliffe (Pio Pio) 9min 46.21sec, 45.311pts, 3; Atawhai Hadfield (Wairoa) 10min 27.68sec, 46.384pts, 4; Ray Hohepa (Napier) 8min 32.18sec, 46.609pts, 5; Ariana Hadfield (Wairoa) 10min 31.2sec, 49.06pts, 6.

World Champions Invitation (5 sheep): Gavin Mutch (Scotland) 4min 31.99sec, 20pts, 1, Rowland Smith (Hastings) 4min 39.68sec, 22.1184pts, 2, Paul Avery (Stratford) 5min 16.04sec, 23.602pts, 3, Sir David Fagan (Te Kuiti) 5min 34.99sec, 28.15pts, 4, Alan MacDonald (Pio Pio) 5min 18.01sec, 32.901pts, 5, Tom Wilson (Scotland) 5min 48.99sec, 45.25pts, 6.

Transtasman Shearing Challenge (8 sheep): Te Kuiti New Zealand Shears (James Fagan 12min 6.55sec, 80.828pts; David Buick 13min 16.41sec, 92.321pts; Whanake Whare 15min 23.68sec, 101.934pts) 275.083pts, beat Warrnambool Romney Shears Australia (Roger Mifsud, 14min 46.33sec, 86.192pts; Corey Mifsud 15min 26.53sec, 87.077pts; Brett Caldwell 16min 46.91sec, 102.221pts)  275.49pts.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Joel Henare (Gisborne) 76.688pts, 1; Pagan Rimene (Alexandra) 87.75pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 89.97pts, 3; Tia Potae (Milton) 96.07pts, 4; Sue Turner (Taumarunui) 130.87pts, 5.

Senior final: Brittany Tibble (Gisborne) 63.824pts, 1; Erica Henare (Balfour) 84.85pts, 2; Wilz Marshall (Taumarunui) 90.59pts, 3; Hannah Spiers (Eketahuna) 99.69pts, 4; Ash Boyce (Dannevirke) 202.97pts, 5.

Junior final: Angela Kirkpatrick (Napier) 49.53pts, 1; Azuredee Paku (Masterton) 57.37pts, 2; Samantha Tipene (Eketahnuna) 69.81pts, 3; Bianca Hawea (Masterton) 72.81pts, 4; Lashara Anderson (Christchurch) 88.694pts, 5.

Shearing and Woolhandling:

Inter-Island Shearing and Woolhandling Challenge: North Island (shearers Rowland Smith, Dion King, Murray Henderson; woolhandlers Ngaio Herbert, Keryn Herbert, Sheree Alabaster) 300.04pts, beat South Island (shearers Darin Forde, Angus Moore, Nathan Stratford; woolhandlers) 307.107pts.

Shearing Sports New Zealand No 1 Rankings for 2015-2016:

Shearing: open, John Kirkpatrick (Napier); senior, Kaleb Foote (Waikaretu), intermediate, Ricci Stevens (Napier), junior, Connor Puha (Kimbolton).

Woolhandling: open, Joel Henare (Gisborne); senior, Erica Henare (Gisborne and Balfour); junior, Angela Kirkpatrick (Napier).

Source: Shearing Sports New Zealand.

 

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