Father and son win Kaikohe shears events

MEDIA RELEASE

On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

January 15, 2014

Father and son win Kaikohe shears events

Father and son Digger and Josh Balme scored a memorable double when they won the Open and Junior finals at the Kaikohe A and P Show’s annual shearing championships on Saturday.

With entry numbers dwindling at Northland competitions, consistent with the area’s dwindling sheep numbers, the pair’s arrival from Te Kuiti was a timely boost at the start of a circuit of seven show shearing competitions from Auckland to the Far North from January to March.

Each won comfortably, with veteran and Master-class shearer Digger Balme winning the Open final by almost five points from 2013 New Zealand Championships senior winner Bryce Guy, of Kaeo, and 15-year-old St Paul’s Collegiate School pupil Josh Balme winning the Junior final by more than 10 points from Michael Boyd, of Dargaville..

Digger Balme shore his 15 sheep in 16min 29sec, beating Guy by 48 seconds, while in the Junior final Josh Balme shore his three sheep in 6min 18sec, beating second-man-off and eventual third placegetter Ian Smarden, from England, by 18 seconds.

It was 2012 Golden Shears Novice champion Josh Balme’s first competition since recently winning an appeal being raised in class to Intermediate after finishing second in last year’s national Junior rankings, after reaching 18 finals and winning three.

Guy’s brother and 2013 Golden Shears and New Zealand Junior champion Marshall Guy had his first Intermediate win, beating the runner-up by almost 25 points, while the Senior final was won by Michael Hayes, of Kaikohe.

Other shows in Auckland and Northland this season are: January 25, Warkworth A and P Show; February 1 North Kaipara A and P Show, at Paparoa; February 8, Northern Wairoa Show, at Dargaville; February 15, North Hokianga Show, at Broadwood;March 8, Kumeu; April 18-19, Easter Show, Auckland.  

Results from the Kaikohe A and P Show on Saturday, January 11, 2014:

Open final(15 sheep): Digger Balme (Te Kuiti) 16min 29sec, 68.52pts, 1; Bryce Guy (Kaeo) 17min 17sec, 73.25pts, 2; Alan Bramley (Hikurangi) 19min 40sec, 83.06pts, 3.

Senior final (10 sheep): Michael Hayes (Kaikohe) 13min 37sec, 99.65pts, 1; Bevan Hunt (Whangarei) 16min 18sec, 100.9pts, 2; Roger Cook (Okaihou) 14min 13sec, 116.35pts, 3.

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Marshall Guy (Kaeo) 9min 12, 44.1pts, 1; Robert Quinn (Kaikohe) 11min 2sec, 69.26pts, 2; Rusty Campbell (Dargaville) 17min 37sec, 81.02pts, 3.

Junior final (3 sheep): Josh Balme (Te Kuiti) 6min 18sec, 38.9pts, 1; Michael Boyd (Dargaville) 7min 20sec, 49.34pts, 2; Ian Smarden (England) 6min 36sec, 53.8pts, 3.

ENDS

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