Young English shearer claims New Zealand shearing title

A late change of plans to fly home in mid-March was just the ticket for Dorset farmer’s son Henry Mayo today as he became the first overseas shearer in 28 years to win a New Zealand Shears title in Te Kuiti.

Based for the summer at Pleasant Point in the South Island, the 20-year-old would have been 20,000kms away helping with the family on Manor Farm, Hermitage, in England, but for winning travel and accommodation in Te Kuiti in a Canterbury/Marlborough Development Circuit final at Sefton on March 10.

He wasted no time changing the flights, and today it all paid-off when, again wasting no time, he scored his 10th win in 13 finals this season, with a margin of almost one-and-a-half points from runner-up and Northern Hawke’s Bay teenager Atawhai Hadfield, who had won 10 finals during the season in the North Island.

Mayo was the first shearer from overseas to win a Te Kuiti title since Andrew Devereall, also of England but now long-time New Zealand-based and living in Tauranga, won the New Zealand Shears Senior final in 1991.

It came at a rime when most of the annual flight of young UK shearers to New Zealand had already headed home to the lambing beats more than a month ago.

While new to the sheep of the North Island, it took Mayo just 8min 15.7sec for the five second-shear sheep, almost 50 seconds quicker than next-man-off and fellow Canterbury Marlborough circuit representative Ben Forrester, of Leithfield.

Fourth to finish, Hadfield closed the gap with the best quality points but it wasn’t enough to take the major prize.”

It completed a second season in New Zealand for Mayo, his wins this season dating back to the Waimate Spring Shears in the second weekend of October. He had his first win downunder the previous January.

“This is definitely a bonus,” he said as he prepared to celebrate the last few days in New Zealand in the family environment of the New Zealand Shears.

With dues to employer and Open-class shearer Ant Frew, of Pleasant Point, and New Zealand-based Scotsman and former World champion Tom Wilson and crew from Elite Shearer Training, he flies home on Monday to start work again with brother Charlie and parents Anthony and Charlotte.

The second day of the championships, today also provided another thrill in the short career of 18-year-old former Hastings Boyd High School pupil Jesse McIntyre.

He won the Novice shearing final, four weeks after his first triumph on the shearing board, in a pairing from the Pukemiro Station farm training course which won a students challenge at the Golden Shears in Masterton on February 28.

On Thursday, 2017-2018 Golden Shears and New Zealand Shears Junior woolhandling champion Ngaira Puha, of Kimbolton, culminated her domination of the next grade up by winning Te Kuiti’s Senior final, while Vinniye Phillips, of Taumarunui, won the Junior title, a first winning ribbon in five finals since starting to figure in competition at the end of January.

The Shears’ first women’s shearing title was to be decided on Friday night, and the last day of the championships on Saturday ends with the New Zealand Open woolhandling and shearing finals.

RESULTS from the Zealand Shears shearing and woolhandling championships at Te Kuiti on Thursday-Saturday, March 26-28, 2019:

Shearing:

Junior final (5 sheep): Henry Mayo (Dorset, England) 8min 15.7sec, 34.185pts, 1; Atawhai Hadfield (Ruakituri) 9min 31.93ec, 35.597pts, 2; Topia Barrowcliffe (Piopio) 10min 3.08sec, 40.354spts, 3; Ben Forrester (Leithfield) 9min 4.14sec, 41.007pts, 4; Blake Crooks (Wellington) 9min 14.91sec, 43.146pts, 5; Levi King (Motu) 10min 56.74sec, 49.037pts, 6.

Novice final (2 aheep): Jesse McIntyre (Hastings) 8min 37.17sec, 34.359pts, 1; Gus Berger (Ahuroa) 8min 29.76sec, 35.488pts, 2; Devon Ball (Te Kuiti) 8min 33.33sec, 37.667pts, 3; Renee Biggs (Mangamahu) 10min 39sec, 40.45pts, 4; Keahrey Manson (Piopio) 9min 52.97sec, 41.149pts, 5; Michael Buick (Pongaroa) 10min 17.91sec, 45.896pts, 6.

Woolhandling:
Senior final: Ngaira Puha (Kimbolton) 72.78pts, 1; Ricci Stevens (Napier) 84.25pts, 2; Tyler Hira (Onewhero) 88.41pts, 3; Lucky Garrett (Eketahuna) 99.5pts, 4; Gina Whare (Taumarunui) 132.79pts, 5.

Junior final: Vinniye Phillips (Taumarunui) 68.25pts, 1; Lucas Broughton (Whanganui) 71.22pts, 2; Cortez Ostler (Dannevirke) 81.344pts, 3; Teanna Phillips (Taumarunui) 88.13pts, 4; Savvy Taitoko (Piopio) 104.72pts, 5.

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