Stratford ends Aussie’s winning run

Stratford ends Aussie’s winning run in New Zealand merino shears

Invercargill shearer Nathan Stratford made a big start to the new competition season when he ended West Australian gun Damien Boyle’s six-year reign as New Zealand Merino Shears Open champion in Alexandra last night (Saturday).

The 42-year-old Stratford was however the only Kiwi in New Zealand’s only finewool competition’s six-man showdown, in which Boyle, 39, was runner-up. Third was Andrew Croxon, of Tasmania, followed by Christchurch-based Abraham Berkelaar, Tasmanian shearer Robert Glover, and Mark Buscombe, from West Australia.

Boyle had won the title every year since Stratford last won the event in 2009. Stratford also won in 2006 and was runner-up last year. Each has now shorn the New Zealand Merino Championships Open final 13 times, Boyle having first qualified when fifth in 1998, while Stratford has been in all but two of the finals since he first qualified when finishing fifth in 2002.

The victory also won Stratford back a place in the New Zealand team for this season’s transtasman series. With seven transtasman tests behind him, Stratford is expected to shear with Golden Shears Open champion Rowland Smith, of Hastings, and PGG Wrightson National Circuit champion Tony Coster, of Rakaia, against Australia next Saturday in Warialda, NSW, and next March in Masterton.

Last night Stratford had a second transtasman triumph when he and Rakaia shearer Grant Smith beat the Royal Perth Show team of Boyle and Mark Buscomb in a merino shearing match, reversing the result of a their clash in Perth a week earlier.

It was a big night also for Pagan Karauria (nee Rimene) who won the Open woolhandling title for the second year in a row, 2012 and 2014 winner Joel Henare, of Gisborne, having to settle for second place, as had also done last year. The 2013 winner, Amy Ferguson, of Invercargill, was third, and Tia Potae, of Milton, was fourth for a second year in a row.

Karauria, who suffered serious injuries in a work van crash in 2008, took another step towards a dream when she was fifth in the Senior shearing final, which was won by Tasmania shearer Jack Glover. Napier shearer Paraki Puna was runner-up in his first finewool shearing competition.

Two other woolhandling titles were decided, with the Senior final being won by Ebony Turipa, of Gore, and the Junior final by Autumn Waihape, of Gore.

Both Stratford and Karauria also featured in a New Zealand victory in an invitation transtasman shearing and woolhandling match in which each team had three shearers and three woolhandlers.

Results:

Transtasman Invitation Shearing and Woolhandling Invitation): New Zealand (shearers Nathan Stratford, Abraham Berkelaar, Tony Coster; woolhandlers Chiquita Tamepo, Pagan Karauria, Margi Harrison) beat Australia (shearers Damien Boyle, Andrew Croxon, Robert Glover; woolhandlers Mel Morris, Joanne O’Connor, Elly Michelmore).

Transtasman: NZ Merino Champs (Nathan Stratford, Grant Smith) beat Royal Perth Show (Damien Boyle, Mark Buscombe).

Open: Nathan Stratford (Invercargill) 1, Damien Boyle (West Australia) 2, Andrew Croxon (Tasmania) 3, Abraham Berkelaar (Christchurch) 4, Robbie Glover (Tasmania) 5, Mark Buscombe (West Australia) 6.

Senior: Jack Glover (Tasmania) 1, Paraki Puna (Napier) 2, Jay Stringer (Ranfurly) 3, Lee Harris (Hamilton, Vic.) 4, Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 5, Shelley King (Omeo, Vic.) 6.

Woolhandling:

Open: Pagan Karauria (Alexandra) 1, Joel Henare (Gisborne) 2, Amy Lee Ferguson (Invercargill) 3, Tia Potae (Milton) 4.

Senior: Emily Turipa (Gore) 1, Chiquita Tamepo (Tikitiki) 2, Margi Harrison (Dannevirke) 3, Sharni Newton (Gore) 4.

Junior: Autumn Waihape (Gore) 1, Cory Tau (Dannevirke) 2, Trish Booth (Cromwell) 3, Alayne Daysh (Pahiatua) 4.

ENDS

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