On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

February 13, 2011.

Kirkpatrick gets grip on shears favouritism

Napier shearer John Kirkpatrick has become a firm favourite to win the Golden Shears Open title next month after winning the prestigious Otago Championship in Balclutha yesterday (Saturday) for the fifth time in seven years.

In one of the faster finals in the 51 years of the championships, Kirkpatrick had to put on one of his best show to regain the title from last year's winner and fellow Hawke's Bay gun Cam Ferguson, of Waipawa, who was runner-up.

Fastest in the final for at least the fifth year in a row, Kirkpatrick finished his 20 sheep in 16min 54.13sec to beat reigning Golden Shears and World champion Ferguson off the board by almost nine seconds. He also produced marginally the better job to seal a win by six-tenths of a point. Reefton shearer Jason Win was 3.7pts away in a creditable third place, with Alton Devery, of Tuatapere, and Angus Moore, of Ward, fourth and fifth.

King Country icon David Fagan, who won his first open title at Balclutha 28 years ago, skipped the event to be part of a dream result at the Te Puke show where he and son Jack won the Open and Intermediate titles respectively, the first time they'd achieved such a double in two seasons of trying.

Kirkpatrick, whose 100th career Open-class win was at Balclutha two years ago, hasn't finished further back than third in any competition in New Zealand this season, and a record of nine wins for the season includes being unbeaten in the South Island. Missing part of the New Zealand season while working in Australia, he has won the New Zealand Corriedale title at the Canterbury Show and the Central Hawke's Bay Shears in successive days in November, his first national lambshearing title at Raglan, the Northern Southland Community Shears full-wool title at Lumsden and the national crossbred lambs title at Winton in successive days last month, the Taihape A and P Show, the Tapawera Show near Nelson, and last week's Aria Sports in the King Country.

The senior title on Saturday was won by 2009 Otago intermediate title winner Tipene Te Whata, of Tautoro in the Far North, prolifice Southland teenager Brett Roberts, of Mataura, won the intermediate finals, and Hawke's Bay youngster Tui Pene, of Waipawa, won the junior final, a week after winning the North Island Championships junior final in Marton.

Gisborne's Joel Henare won the New Zealand Woolhandler of the Year open title for the fourth year in a row. In an all North Island trifecta, World champion team member Keryn Herbert, of Te Awamutu, was runner-up, Rocky Hape-Taite, of Dannevirke, was third, and fourth was Pagan Rimene, of Masterton.The senior woolhandling final was won by Krystal Wilson, of Hastings, and the junior title by Erana Smith, of Ruatoria.

Herbert turned the tables on Henare in the South Island Open circuit final, with Juliette Lyon, of Alexandra, winning the circuit's senior final and Maiden Elers, of Mataura, the junior honours.

The Otago Championhips woolpressing title was won by Milton-based Mark Smith and Kelvin Bassett, and the pair are expected to go to Masterton next mnth to help mark the 25th anniversary of pressing competition at the Golden Shears.
At Te Puke, the senior shearing title was won by Tysson Hema, of Waipukurau, and the junior title by David Gordon, of Masterton.

ENDS