MEDIA RELEASE

On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

March 10, 2013

Weekend South Island Shearing Competitions: Cheviot, Mayfield

Rimene scores shearing and woolhandling double at Cheviot

Attempts to keep woolhandling competition alive at the Cheviot A and P Show in North Canterbury on Saturday opened the door to a rare double for Masterton’s Pagan Rimene.

Unlikely to have been at the show without the woolhandling on the programme, she won the Open final and the Junior shearing final.

A small number of similar doubles have been recorded in recent seasons by Cushla and David Gordon, also of Masterton, but none involving wins in the Open class.

While a regular now at least at semi-final level, Rimene had had just two previous Open woolhandling wins, the most recent last month in Balclutha, when she was also crowned a double champion after the Otago Championships’s Woolhandler of the Year and the South Island Woolhandling Circuit finals.

It was only later that she learned the Woolhandler of the Year title had been awarded mistakenly because of a computer-scoring error.

She had had top-three placings in Junior shearing finals at the national crossbred lambshearing championship at Winton and at the Otago championships, and at the Golden Shears which ended on March 1 she reached the semi-finals of both events.

Her shearing final on Saturday brought a double-take for the local commentator when the name Hugh De Lacy appeared among the list of competitors.

The finalist, who finished third, was, in fact the son of Fernside-based award-winning agricultural journalist, Golden Shears Shear History co-author, one-time political aspirant and middle-distance running hope, former regular show competitor and former shearing contractor Hugh De Lacy Snr.

Keeping things honest, the proud dad was among 12 in the Open-class heats, admitting later a little rustiness in his first competitive dabble since a nostalgic trip back to the Golden Shears in Masterton in 2010 – for the 50th anniversary veterans event.

Hugh De Lacy Jnr, although not yet 19, already has a year at Law School behind him, but since December has been shearing fulltime with Rangiora contractor and shearer Rowan Nesbit.

The 10-sheep Open shearing final at Cheviot was won by Marlborough veteran Chris Jones, while about 130km away, the Mayfield A and P Show’s Open final, over 20-sheep, was another Rakaia quinella, with Tony Coster beating Grant Smith.

Smith’s nephew, Corey, was quickly back into winning form in the Mayfield Junior final, putting-aside the disappointment of missing-out on a place in the Junior final at the Golden Shears.

Results of the Cheviot A and P Show Shears at Cheviot on Saturday, March 9, 2013:

Shearing:

Open final (10 sheep): Chris Jones (Renwick) 12min 31sec, 55.85pts, 1; Richard Sampey (Blenheim) 12min 50sec, 58.3pts, 2; Dave Edwards (Te Reinga) 12min 30sec, 63pts, 3.

Senior final (5 sheep): Greg Moriarty (Waiau) 8min 16sec, 43.6pts, 1; Rowan Nesbit (Rangiora) 8min 38sec, 44.5pts, 2; Jotham Rentoul (Wakefield) 9min 3sec, 45.55pts, 3.

Intermediate final (4 sheep): Lyall Windleburn (Rangiora) 5min 58sec, 34.4pts, 1; Darren Alexander (Whangamomona) 6min 48sec, 40.15pts, 2; Garth Muggeridge (Cheviot) 7min 3sec, 41.4pts, 3.

Junior final (3 sheep): Pagan Rimene (Masterton) 6min 42sec, 47.77pts, 1; Quinton Matthews (Cheviot) 7min 48sec, 63.73pts, 2; Hugh De Lacy (Fernside) 6min 1sec, 73.72pts, 3.

Woolhandling:

Open final: Pagan Rimene (Masterton) 31.35pts, 1; Sharleen Adamson (Milton) 65.16pts, 2; Kelly MacDonald (Hawarden) 82.1pts, 3.

Junior final: Jemma Laird (Rakaia) 44.94pts, 1; Siobahn Cross (Nelson) 49.54pts, 2; Sarah Higgins (Havelock) 53.45pts, 3.

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Results of the Mayfield A and P Show Shears at Mayfield on Saturday, March 9, 2013:

Open final (20 sheep): Tony Coster (Rakaia) 19min 34.44sec, 67.72pts, 1; Grant Smith (Rakaia) 20min 37.5sec, 71.33pts, 2; Tysson Hema (Waipukurau) 20min 25.72sec, 76.34pts, 3.

Senior final (10 sheep): Patrick Mulvihill (Geraldine) 17min 47.28sec, 61.56pts, 1; Brett Langrell (Temuka) 16min 28.65sec, 66.33pts, 2; Richard Griffiths (-) 16min 37.22sec, 68.56pts, 3.

Intermediate final (6 sheep): Ethan Pankhurst (Masterton) 11min 56.19sec, 51.31pts, 1; Luis Pinaol (-) 12min 2.81sec, 81.81pts, 2.

Junior final (4 sheep): Corey Smith (Rakaia) 8min 25.35sec, 34.02pts, 1; Jarmen Brook (Geraldine) 9min 24.38sec, 45.22pts, 2; Rawiri Goss (Timaru) 9min 4.78sec, 57.99pts, 3.

ENDS