Woolhandlers spotlighted at Waimate Spring Shears

Woolhandlers spotlighted at Waimate Spring Shears

Manawatu woolhandler Logan Kamura has launched a bold bid for a first national title after being top qualifier for the New Zealand Spring Championships Open final in Waimate.

Runner-up in the 2014 New Zealand Championships in 2014, Kamura’s biggest Open-class wins to date were in the Taranaki Shears that year, and the North Island Championships in hometown Marton last February.

Today, on the first-day of the two-day 50th anniversary Waimate Shears, Kamura pipped Dunedin-based World, Golden Shears and national champion Joel Henare, from Gisborne, to set-up a keen Saturday-afternoon final also including Mataura woolhandler Tina Elers, who represented the Cook Islands in the World Championships in Invercargill in February and finished third to New Zealand representatives Henare and Maryanne Baty.

The other qualifier for tomorrow’s final is South Island-based Foonie Waihape, also from Gisborne, but defending Spring Shears champion Henare remains favourite, having last week secured career Open-class win No 92 in the NZ Merino Championships in Alexandra.

The lower-grades Alexandra form has followed through to Waimate, with Senior champion Ebony Turipa, of Gore, and Junior winner Linda Duncan, of Alexandra, both in the hunt for doubles in the first week of the new season by making it through their heats and semi-finals to also reach their finals tomorrow.
The competitions attracted 42 woolhandlers, with 14 in the Open heats, 12 seniors and 16 juniors, and at least 80 competitors are expected to take part in the shearing events across four classes tomorrow, when shearing sports events will also be held at the Poverty Bay A and P Show in Gisborne and the Ellesmere A and P Show in Leeston, near Christchurch.

Results from the first day of the 50th anniversary Waimate Shears and New Zealand Spring Shearing and Woolhandling Championships in Waimate today:

Woolhandling semi-finals (first four to finals on Saturday):

Open: Logan Kamura (Marton) 69.306pts, 1; Joel Henare (Gisborne/Dunedin) 71.988pts, 2; Tina Elers (Mataura) 89.512pts, 3; Foonie Waihape (Gisborne) 95.44pts, 4; Erana Smith (Ruatoria/Invercargill) 98.94pts, 5; Angelique Miller (Christchurch) 100.234pts, 6; Kelly Macdonald (Lake Hawea) 104.426pts, 7; Keryn Herbert (Te Awamutu/Te Kuiti) 112.056pts, 8.

Senior: Lashara Anderson (Christchurch) 71.476pts, 1; Ebony Turipa (Gore) 75.088pts, 2; Nova Kumeroa (Mataurfa) 84.112pts, 3; Maiden Elers (Mataura) 84.082pts, 4; Bianca Hawea (Masterton) 109.95pts, 5; Christine Mitchell (Waimate) 127.27pts, 6.

Junior: Autumn Hiri (Gore) 57.92pts, 1; Linda Duncan (Alexandra) 63.094pts, 2; Tyler Hira (Onewhero) 84.244pts, 3; Shanae Daniels (-) 91.688pts, 4; Pania Clarke (Gore) 94.004pts, 5; Renae Rempala (Waimate) 95.894pts, 6; Joanna Maraki (-) 130.406pts, 7; Aheisha Cameron (-) 136.19pts, 8.
ENDS

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