Dion King Turns The Tables In Shearing Champs

Media Release

Friday, April 3.,

Dion King Turns The Tables In Shearing Champs

World lamb shearing tally record holder and Hawke's Bay Dion King turned the tables on hometown hero and Golden Shears champion David Fagan to win a one-sheep speedshear and a $2000 prize for barely a minute's work on the first night of the New Zealand Shearing Championships in Te Kuiti last night(thursday).

All had seemed lost for King when he was beaten by Fagan in the semi-final, but the three judges had the last say when they looked at the finished job and disqualified the favourite, letting King back into the final in which he steamed through his sheep in 22.95secs to beat Taranaki-based Scotsman Gavin Mutch by three-tenths of a second.

Mutch picked up $1000 for his effort, World champion show shearer and Taranaki farmer Paul Avery claimed third place, Fagan fourth, and Napier shearer Phil Wedd a surprise fifth.

For King and Fagan it was a near reverse of the 20-sheep Golden Shears open final in Masterton on March 7, when Fagan was let-through for his 16th win in the prestige event after King opened a cut which cost him five points, and the title.

All five shearers will today be shearing in the heats of the New Zealand open championship, in which speedshear sixth-placegetter John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, will start a defence of the title he won last year, all hoping to make their way safely through five sheep to qualify among the top 24 for the quarterfinals tomorrow afternoon(saturday). The semi-final will be later in the afternoon, and the 20-sheep final tomorrow night(saturday).

There was some good news for the King Country elsewhere on the shearing board on the opening day, with Pio Pio youngster Tom Moorhouse just beating Gisborne shearer Paul Lewis in the senior speedshear, with a winning time of 38.22secs, while earlier in the day Taumarunui teenager T.J. Christiansen won the novice shearing championship final.

Taking just over three minutes for his single sheep, 23 seconds behind race-winner Rowan Moorhouse, of Te Awamutu, he did enough with the quality to claim victory with Moorhouse ultimately relegated to sixth, and Bryce Guy, of Kaeo, claiming the runner-up's sash.

ENDS

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