Shears competitions heat-up in Balclutha

February 12, 2016.

Shears competitions heat-up in Balclutha

The business end of the competition shearing and woolhandling season has started in earnest with the opening of the two-day Otago Shears in Balclutha today.

The event includes the New Zealand Woolhandler of the Year, the second match of the CP Wool Shearing series between New Zealand and Wales, and the third round of the Shearing Sports New Zealand 2017 World Championships New Team shearing team selection series.

Favourite to win the Woolhandler of the Year title is South Island-based defending champion Joel Henare, from Gisborne, while World champion and Hastings shearer Rowland Smith is favoured to win the Open shearing title, having won all eight finals he’s contested this summer, including the first two team selection events in Southland last month.

The test will see New Zealanders Dion King and Tony Coster out to take a 2-0 lead over Welsh shearers Richard Jones and Gwion Evans, with King and Smith having won the opening match in Marton last Saturday.

For the shearers the championships the championships start an unofficial but long-standing grand slam series of four major events on successive weekend. They’re followed by the Southern Shears in Gore next weekend, the Pahiatua Shears on February 28, and the Golden Shears in Masterton on March 3-5.

There is no woolhandling competition at the Pahiatua Shears, but there are the Pre-Shears Woolhandling Championships near Masterton on March 2.

ENDS

© Scoop Media