Fagan: Win No 625, and still counting

Fagan: Win No 625, and still counting

The seemingly endless winning career of shearing icon David Fagan continued when he beat three fellow King Country shearers in an Open final at the remote Waitangi Day Aria Sports in the central North Island today(February 6).

Beaten just once in his last six finals this summer, Fagan, 52, multiple World, Golden Shears and New Zealand champion has now won 625 Open-class finals around the World, dating back to his first more than 30 years ago.

Returning home after a stunning test match and open title double at the Corwen Shears in Wales last July, Fagan was runner-up in Waimate’s New Zealand Spring Shears final in October and third at the Poverty Bay and Central Hawke’s Bay shows before his run of victories started at Stratford on November 23, followed by a Royal Manawatu show win in Feilding a fortnight later.

He started the New Year with victory at the Duvauchelle Show on Banks Peninsula, east of Christchurch, and followed a week later win a win at Tauranga.

His only defeat since his Stratford win was when fourth in the North Island Championships open final in Marton last weekend.

Today it was a rare occurrence of a feat almost common at the height of his career, with Fagan and the three beaten finalists, Digger Balme, Mark Grainger and nephew James Fagan, all from Te Kuiti, about 100km away from the tiny country sports event.

Having last week returned from about nine days overseas helping Elders Primary Wool in a Just Shorn carpet promotion in Arizona, Fagan has decided against travelling too far this weekend, and won’t be at the Otago championships in Balclutha, where he won one of his first Open titles in 1983.

The Otago championships are on Friday and Saturday, but Fagan will be at the Te Puke A and P Show on Saturday.

There is one other shearing competition in New Zealand this weekend at the Northern Wairoa A and P Show at Arapohue, near Dargaville.

ENDS

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