Kiwis make it 2-0 in woolhandling series

Kiwis make it 2-0 in woolhandling series

The New Zealand woolhandling team of former World champions Joel Henare and Sheree Alabaster has completed a 2-0 home-and-away Transtasman Trohy series win with a comfortable victory over Australia in Masterton tonight.

Henare, of Gisborne, and Alabaster, of Taihape, beat Australian representatives Racheal Hutchison and Angela Wakely, both from New South Wales.

The two Kiwis were the form pair since winning a test in Hamilton Vic, in September, making up for the surprise home defeat of former New Zealand test pairing Ronnie Goss and Keryn Herbert in Masterton 12 months ago.

Henare has scored a series of wins throughout New Zealand during the summer and is favoured to win a fourth consecutive Golden Shears Open woolhandling championships on the final day of the Golden Shears tomorrow(Saturday).

Alabaster, a multiple winner of the New Zealand Open title in Te Kuiti but yet to win a Golden Shears title, is in a rich patch, winning at the Apiti Shears last Saturday and the Pre-Shears Championship north of Masterton on Wednesday.

Tonight she said it was on minimal preparation, but with the skills developed over more than 20 years since first taking to woolhandling as a 13-year-old, there were a few things that came naturally, and it worked.

“We’re pretty happy,” she said. “You can never underestimate the Aussies.”

Transtasman woolhandling tests have been contested home-and-away since 1998, New Zealand having now won 27 and Australia 9.

A transtasman shearing test will feature on the final night of the three-day 56th Golden Shears tomorrow(Saturday), with New Zealand trying to end a run of five consecutive Australian victories.

Result:

CP Wool Transtasman Woolhandling Test: New Zealand (Joel Henare, Gisborne, and Sheree Alabaster, Taihape) 298.17pts, beat Australia (Racheal Hutchison, Gilgandra, NSW, and Angela Wakely, Yeoval, NSW) 396.61pts.

ENDS

© Scoop Media