Fagan scores top ranking: “That’s the one.”

MEDIA RELEASE

On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

April 8, 2015

Fagan scores top ranking: “That’s the one.”

Shearing legend David Fagan will go into his swansong at this week’s New Zealand championships happy he’s already achieved one of the major goals of the season.

Fagan says his goal had been to be named No 1 on the Shearing Sports New Zealand rankings in his 37th competition season since his first event in Southland in the late 1970s.

“That’s the one,” he said when told that after reaching 25 finals and winning 12 he had scored almost twice as many ranking points as the next-placed shearer, New Zealand-Wales home-series teammate Tony Coster, of Christchurch. “At 53…that’s not bad I reckon. The results this weekend don’t matter.”

It guarantees him one chance of a speech during the championships which start in Te Kuiti on Thursday and end on Saturday night – at the same venue where he helped start the event in 1985 and where he’s among the many volunteers working to again make the $200,000 show run properly again this week.

Presentations will be made on Friday night to the top-ranked competitors in four shearing classes and three woolhandling classes, with Fagan to be awarded the Bowen Trophy for the 11th time since it was first presented after a rankings system was introduced in 1994.

With points awarded for placings in finals, the rankings are designed to recognise not only the regular winners, but also the commitment of others who contest competitions week-in-week out, perhaps most-notably Feilding shearer Murray Henderson who has reached 10 finals throughout the season without a win, but still claims enough points to be sixth on the points table.

Fagan, who was a form and sentimental favouritie to win a 17th Golden Shears Open title in Masterton five weeks ago but failed to reach the final, says he doesn’t feel under any pressure to bow-out with another title at Te Kuiti, where he’s won at least 46 finals over the years, including 16 New Zealand Open titles and 17 North Island Shearer of the Year titles.

“It’s not like 10 or 20 years ago…when I was expected to win,” he said.

It may not have been the same for son Jack, an up-and-coming Open-class shearer who reckoned his father was still good enough to bowl the younger guns.

“It was something Jack brought-up at the start of the season,” David Fagan said. “It’s been a quiet goal.”

Fagan also sheds the mantle of favourite-to-win, which has shifted to Hastings shearer Rowland Smith who returned to competition less than three weeks ago, following a nine-month break since a World title winning trip to the UK last year.

Unbeaten in four starts back, Smith, 28, is shooting for a fourth New Zealand Open title, more than any other shearer apart from Fagan.

Meanwhile, Masterton shearer Ethan Pankhurst claims the No 1 Senior shearing ranking, his 13 wins being more than any competitor in any class. Kaleb Foote, of Waikaretu, is the top-ranked Intermediate shearer, and the top Junior is Woodville’s Laura Bradley, a year after Poverty Bay shearer Catherine Mullooly claimed Intermediate honours and became the first woman to top the rankings in any shearing class.

King Country farmer Keryn Herbert regains the top Open woolhandling ranking she won three times in row before least season, Senior woolhandling honours go to Ana Braddick, of Eketahuna, and Golden Shears Junior winner Chiquita Tamepo, from Tikitiki and based in the South Island, is the No 1 ranked Junior for the season.

Provisional leading rankings before the New Zealand Championships, the last competition of the season, are:

Shearing:

Open: David Fagan (Te Kuiti) 25 finals, 12 wins, 239pts, 1; Tony Coster (Rakaia) 16, 9, 123pts, 2; Cam Ferguson (Waipawa) 12, 6, 115pts, 3; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona) 12, 3, 111pts, 4; Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 10, 1, 97pts, 5; Murray Henderson (Feilding) 10, 0, 79pts, 6; David Buick (Pongaroa) 10, 3, 76pts, 7; Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 10, 0, 74pts, 8; Aaron Haynes (Feilding) 9, 0, 73pts, and Troy Pyper (Invercargill) 10, 2, 73pts, 9 equal.. .

Senior: Ethan Pankhurst (Masterton) 22 finals, 13 wins, 210pts, 1; Robert Mudgway (Taihape) 14, 4, 110pts, 2; Darren Alexander (Whanamomona) 14, 3, 98pts, 3; Floyde Neil (Taumarunui) 12, 4, 96pts, 4; Scott Wilson (Scotland) 12, 0, 94pts, 5..

Intermediate: Kaleb Foote (Waikaretu) 19 finals, 5 wins, 144pts, 1; Michael Herlihy (Matiere) 17, 4, 132pts, 2; Hugh De Lacy (Fernside) 17, 9, 128pts, 3; Luis Pincol (Chile) 13, 2, 97pts, 4; Marley Waihape (Mataura) 8, 3, 84pts, 5.

Junior: Laura Bradley (Woodville) 16 finals, 6 wins, 135pts, 1; Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 11, 0, 98pts, 2; Emily Te Kapa (Scotland) 10, 7, 90pts, 3; Ricci Stevens (Gisborne) 9, 4, 81pts, 4; Ash Jones (Wales) 8, 3, 77pts, 5.

Woolhandling:

Open: Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu) 18 finals, 6 wins, 176pts, 1; Joel Henare (Gisborne) 11, 8, 122pts, 2; Sheree Alabaster (Taihape) 11, 4, 105pts, 3; Logan Kamura (Marton) 53pts, 4; Pagan Rimene (Masterton) 4, 4, 48pts, 5.

Senior: Ana Braddick (Eketahuna) 12 finals, 5 wins, 120pts, 1; Erana Smith (Ruatoria/Flaxmere) 9, 4, 92pts, 2; Adrienne Samuels (Marton) 6, 1, 55pts, 3; Connor Puha (Kimbolton) 6, 2, 54pts, 4; Stevie-Latoya Mason-Smallman (Taihape) 4, 2, 44pts, 5.

Junior: Chiquita Tamepo (Tikitiki) 8 finals, 3 wins, 88pts, 1; Marika Braddick (Eketahuna) 6, 3, 65pts, 2; Hannah Spiers (Eketahuna) 6, 2, 51pts, 3; Peketai Puna (Napier) 5, 1, 50pts, 4; Nera Hitaua (Te Karaka) 4, 0, 35pts, 5.

ENDS

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