Fagan's Long Time Between Drinks: Yeah right!

It may have been a long time between drinks but the warnings were out that it wouldn't be long before the next as shearing icon David Fagan won his 17th North Island Shearer of the Year final at the New Zealand Shearing Championships in Te Kuiti last night (Friday).

The final served as a prelude to today's New Zealand Championships open final, which will decide the second machine shearing member of the national team for the 14th World Championships in Wales in July.

In a victory speech, Fagan wished his fellow competitors all the best for the big showdown, although he is the TAB favourite to win the event and shoot for a sixth World title, at the age of 48.

Fagan won the Shearer of the Year title when it was first held in 1985, but the last time he'd won the title before last night was in 2003.

His victory, by less than a point, was all that stopped new Golden Shears champion Cam Ferguson, of Waipawa, from adding the title to the South Island Shearer of the Year title he won in Gore in February. It was the first final Ferguson had reached since his Golden Shears win in Masterton on March 6.

Fagan's triumph wasn't the only one in the family on the second night of the three-day championships, the last of more than 60 events in the Shearing Sports New Zealand calendar.

Teenaged son Jack was named the top-ranked Junior for the season, although he was only third in last night's Junior championship final, in which history was made by Kimbolton teenager Sarah Goss who became the first female to win any of the four championship shearing grades. Golden Shears winner Brett Roberts, of Gore, was second.

The intermediate title was won by Waipukurau teenager Tysson Hema, turning the tables on Golden Shears champion and prolific winner Wi Poutu Ngarangione, of Gisborne.

Ngarangione, however, was named the top-ranked intermediate competitor for the season, Feilding shearer Aaron Haynes the top senior, and Napier's John Kirkpatrick maintained his place as the top-ranked Open competitor.

Gisborne teenager Joel Henare retained the title of top-ranked open woolhandler, the top senior for the season is Amy-Lee Ruki, of Invercargill, and the top junior woolhandler is Juliette Lyon, of Alexandra. But the championships' junior woolhandling final was won by Kim Sowry, of Pahiatua, and the senior title by Natalie Collier, of Opotiki.

ENDS

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