Shearing Champs

MEDIA RELEASE

From Doug Laing, media officer, Shearing Sports New Zealand

November 27, 2016

Late start early win as Grainger wins beats World Champs hope at Stratford

Te Kuiti shearer Mark Grainger had a confidence-boosting pre-Christmas win when he downed former World and Golden Shears champion Gavin Mutch in the final of the Stratford A and P Show’s shearing championships yesterday.

Making a late start to his eighth season in Open class, in the last competition in the country before the layoff for the traditional busy December at work in the woolshed, it was just his fourth win at the top level, the earlier triumphs all being in the post-Christmas phase of the season, at Taumarunui in February 2014, and Tauranga and Ohura last January-February.

Whangamomona farmer and Scotland international Mutch has had 11 wins at the top level in New Zealand, including the 2012 World Championship and the 2015 Golden Shears Open, both in Masterton, and his first Stratford show win last year.

He is rated the top overseas team hope for the machine shearing title at the 40th anniversary World Championships in Invercargill on February 8-11, and, as expected, made all the pace on Saturday and beat Grainger by more than a sheep in the 15-sheep final, finishing in 12min 31sec.

But the 3.4pts time deficit was little in the way of Grainger, who with board points of 1.666 and pen points of 9.733, was more than 4pts cleaner than Mutch, and almost 4pts cleaner than Waikaretu visitor Sam Welch, who was third overall.

Superior quality also ruled in a Whangamomona quinella in the Senior final, which was won for a second time by Darren Alexander, who remains in Senior class after a review of his earlier regrading found he was still short of the criteria which would have required him to go up to Open.

David Gower finished with a 26sec time advantage, but the quality of Alexander, who won the Stratford Senior final two years ago, gave him victory by a comfortable 2.9pts.

It was much closer in the Intermediate final which Foxton shearer Cody Greig won by less than a tenth of a point from Josh Harding, of Hunterville. It was the first Intermediate win for 2015 New Zealand Championships Novice winner Greig, who on Saturday had fastest time and best pen points, while Harding had the best board points.

Hawera shearer Jayden Paul had his first win in unusual circumstances, finishing a sheep-and-half quicker than the next best in a Junior final of three sheep each which he shore in 4min 46sec. It was a minute faster than the next quickest three-sheep Junior final in New Zealand in at least the last two seasons. Cory Barrowcliffe, who was next off in 7min 15sec, almost clawed-back the deficit on quality with Paul winning by just under half a point.

There were good entries with over 40 shearers across the grades, including six in the Novice event. The Open field included French World Championships hope Loic Leygonie.

Results from the Stratford A and P Show shearing championships at Stratford on Saturday, November 26, 2016:

Open final (15 sheep): Mark Grainger (Te Kuiti) 13min 39sec, 53.249pts, 1; Gavin Mutch (Scotland/Whangamomona) 12min 31sec, 54.549pts, 2; Sam Welch (Waikaretu) 13min 53sec, 57.583pts, 3.

Senior final (10 sheep): Darren Alexander (Whangamomona) 12min 20sec, 46.6pts, 1; David Gower (Whangamomona) 11min 54sec, 49.5pts, 2; Lee Harris (Hamilton, Vic.) 13min 15sec, 51.05pts, 3.

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Cody Greig (Foxton) 9min 12sec, 42.6pts, 1; Josh Harding (Hunterville) 9min 24sec, 42.699pts, 2; Brent Bellamy (Strathmore) 9min 56sec, 53.299pts, 3.

Junior final (3 sheep): Jayden Paul (Hawera) 4min 46sec, 31.299pts, 1; Cory Barrowcliffe (Pio Pio) 7min 15sec, 31.749pts, 2; Hannah McColl (Hawera) 9min 11sec, 45.549pts, 3.

Novice (1 sheep): Lexi Phillips (Hunterville) 4min 18sec, 34.9pts, 1; Niwa Dix (Stratford) 4min 34sec, 60.7pts, 2; Fergus Smith (Stratford) 3min 20sec, 79pts, 3.

ENDS

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