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Blades shearers descend on Reefton to start world champs bid

Blades shearers descend on Reefton to start world champs bid

A father and son will line up against each other on Saturday in the first round of a bid to represent New Zealand together in the 2019 World shearing and woolhandling championships in France.

They are Phil Oldfield and Allan Oldfield, both of Geraldine, to start staking their claims in the blades shearing at the Inangahua A and P Show’s Reefton Shears, a lambshearing competition that starts an eight-round selection series that ends at the Canterbury Show in November.

Phil Oldfield was third in the 2017 World Championships final in Invercargill , a week after winning at the Reefton Show, while Allan Oldfield has returned home from a 14month stint overseas, during which he won leading UK titles at the Royal Ulster show in Northern Ireland, in 2016, and the Royal Bath and West Show in England and the Royal Highland in Scotland in the space last year.

As he headed south on the interisland ferry yesterday after a brief trip to the North Island, headed into the sudden storm in the South Island, Allan Oldfield said it would be one dream to win one of the two places in the team.

But it would be quite another to make it with his father in the team, and he said: “I think there could be a few others aiming for places in the team.”

Foremost will be No 1 Kiwi bladeshearer and Fairlie farmer Tony Dobbs, while former national representatives Noel Handley, and Allen Gemmell, of North Canterbury, and Mike McConnell and Bill Michelle, of South Canterbury, were all in action in blades finals in October and November and are also expected to be in the running.

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Decisions on machine shearing and woolhandling team selection formats ahead of the next World championships in Le Dorat, France, on July 1-7, 2019, are expected to be made by Shearing Sports New Zealand later this year with selection events in its 2018-2019 season.

The Reefton Shears will also feature its regular Open to Junior machine shearing events, with organiser Sam Win confirming a start in the Open class, which he first won in 1981.

“I think I’ve won it about 13 times,” he said. “I’m still shearing alright, so I’ll have another crack.”

He also confirmed the shears will go ahead, despite being outside in the heavy rain since being crutched the previous day.

“We’ll drip-dry them in the shed overnight if we have to” he said.’

The shears also feature a Speedshear, which has been relocated from its traditional pub venue to the town’s fire and ambulance station, with proceeds to the good cause. It will start at7.30pm.

ENDS

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