February 22, 2014

Mark this one down – the lone Grainger’s win in Taumarunui

There’ve been a couple of surprises in the Open shearing and woolhandling finals at the Taumarunui Jamboree Shears yesterday.

The big upset came in the shearing final when Mark Grainger, of Te Kuiti, scored his first Open final win – beating five other finalists who have won more than 900 events between them.

Runner-up and fellow Te Kuiti shearer David Fagan had scored more than 50 wins before Grainger was born, the son of 1985 Golden Shears champion Paul Grainger.

Fagan has had a total of 625 wins, third-placed John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, has won more than 200 Open finals, and reigning Golden Shears and New Zealand open champion and Hastings shearer Rowland Smith, who was fourth, recently passed a milestone of 50.

The fifth and sixth placegetters, farmers David Buick, of Pongaroa, and James Fagan, of Te Kuiti, have also won open finals.

Smith, Kirkpatrick and David Fagan are the TAB’s first three favourites to win next Saturday’s Golden Shears final in Masterton.

The Open woolhandling final provided a return to winning form for 2008 Golden Shears champion Ronnie Goss, of Kimbolton. Among the beaten finalists were 2008 World champion and Taihape schoolteacher Sheree Alabaster, while Keryn Herbert, of Te Awamutu, failed to match the form of two big wins in the South Island over the last fortnight and did not qualify for the final.

Most of the top shearers and woolhandlers compete today (Saturday) at the Apiti Sports in remote Northern Manawatu, while the shearers complete their Golden Shears preparations at the Pahiatua Shears tomorrow and the woolhandlers hone-up at the Pre Shears Championships at Massey University's Riverside Farm, north of Masterton, on Wednesday.

ENDS