Fagan scores magical 600th win

MEDIA RELEASE
 
On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand
 
July 14, 2010
 
Fagan scores magical 600th win
 
Kiwi shearing icon David Fagan cemented favouritism for next week's World Championships when he won the Great Yorkshire open final today - his 600th open-class win.

Fagan, 48, of Te Kuiti,  first competed in the open class in the 1982-83 season and has scored almost 150 of his wins in Britain, including eight now in the Great Yorkshire which he first won in 1986.

In today's final, he beat Scottish shearer Hamish Mitchell by 1.65pts, and fellow New Zealander John Kirkpatrick, of Napier, was third.

The win came just six days before the start of the 14th Golden Shears World Championships at the Royal Welsh Show where Fagan will be aiming to win a sixth individual World title, and a seventh in the teams event.

Kirkpatrick is not in the team for the championships, where reigning New Zealand champion fagan is joined by Golden Shears champion Cam Ferguson, of Waipawa. Ferguson did not reach today's final, in which Welsh hope Gareth Daniel was fourth.

Kiwi bladeshearers Brian Thomson and Allen Gemmell, both from Canterbury, who opened their preparations with first and second at the Lakeland shears on Saturday, had to settle for second and third today behind Elfyd Jackson, of Wales.

ENDS

© Scoop Media