Young guns get their moment at Ellesmere Show

Young guns get their moment at Ellesmere Show

Inclusion in the North Canterbury Development Circuit helped boost entries in the lower grades at the Ellesmere A and P Show Shears at Leeston on Saturday.

The circuit covers Intermediate and Junior competition at six shows during the summer, continuing at the Northern A and P Show in Rangiora next Saturday, the Marlborough Show in Blenheim on November 8, the Amuri show at Rotherham onMarch 7, Cheviot on March 14, and a compulsory last round and final the next day at the Kowai-Sefton Sports at Sefton.

Points are awarded for placings in the heats at each show, the top three for the series in each class qualifying for finals which carry a top prize of travel, accommodation and entry for the New Zealand Championships in Te Kuiti on April 9-11.

A big winner first-up was Scottish lassie and first-year junior Emily Te Kapa, who had her biggest success in New Zealand, turning the tables on the previous weekend’s Waimate Shears Junior winner Kelly MacDonald, of Lake Hawea.

Although just third off the board in their four-sheep final, Te Kapa’s clean and tidy touch carried her to victory by a commanding margin of more than 7pts.

From Crianlarich, near Loch Lomond, Te Kapa burst triumphantly onto the scene in Scotland earlier this year at the Lochearnhead Shears, where she won the Junior shearing final, beat Scotland World Championships team member Kirsty Donald to win the Open woolhandling final, and was top shearer in a development test match between Scotland and Ireland.

In the Intermediate final yesterday, Hugh De Lacy, of Fernside, had a narrow 0.15pts victory over Waimate winner Corey White, of Waimate, while the Open and Senior finals were won by wide margins by the favourites.

Three-times PGG Wrightson National Circuit champion Tony Coster, who was one of three shearers accorded Master Shearer status by Shearing Sports New Zealand in August, won the Ellesmere Open Final for a sixth time.

He was almost a minute quicker than the next to finish the 10-sheep final, and ultimately won by almost 12 points from runner-up and 2009 Senior winner Ant Frew, of Oamaru.

The Senior final was won by 2013 runner-up and 2011 Junior winner Ethan Pankhurst, of Masterton but based in Fairlie, the vanquished including Lincoln student and 2014 New Zealand Championships Intermediate winner Darren Alexander, of Whangamomona.

More than 30 shearers competed across the classes, challenged by the good-conditioned line of boarder dale hoggets introduced to what was one of the most popular attractions at the show.

Results:

Open final (10 sheep): Tony Coster (Rakaia) 12min 12sec, 50.5pts, 1; Ant Frew (Oamaru) 13min 10sec, 62.3pts, 2; Eli Cummings (Pleasant Point) 13min 10sec, 63.4pts, 3; Pera Davies (Rolleston) 12min 41sec, 69.85pts, 4.

Senior final (5 sheep): Ethan Pankhurst (Fairlie/Masterton) 8min 34sec, 41.7pts, 1; Corey Smith (Rakaia) 9min 19sec, 46.35pts, 2; Scott Wilson (Scotland) 8min 48sec, 47.2pts, 3; Darren Alexander (Whangamomona) 9min 4sec, 48pts, 4.

Intermediate final (4 sheep): Hugh De Lacy (Fernside) 9min 11sec, 42.55pts, 1; Corey White (Waimate) 9min 9sec, 42.7pts, Jarred Morgan (Waimate) 10min 19sec, 44.95pts, 3; Luis Pincol (Chile) 8min 38sec, 45.15pts, 4.

Junior final (4 sheep): Emily Te Kapa (Crianlarich-Scotland/Fairlie NZ) 14min 10sec, 51.25pts, 1; Kelly MacDonald (Lake Hawea) 14min 43sec, 58.4pts, 2; Aaron Kerr (Waimate) 12min 40sec, 64.5pts, 3; Edward Harrington (Akaroa) 11min 32sec, 68.1pts, 4.

ENDS

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