Young gun Smith wins Counties Shears

MEDIA RELEASE

On behalf of Shearing Sports New Zealand

February 20, 2011

Young gun Smith wins Counties Shears

World record breaking Far North shearer Rowland Smith nailed his Golden Shears hopes to the mast when he scored his second Counties Shears Open title at Pukekohe today.

Successfully defending a title he won last year, Smith had to rely on quality points to make up a small time-points deficit after the 20-sheep race was won by Napier shearer John Kirkpatrick, who had less than 24 hours earlier won the South Island Shearer of the Year and Southern Shears Open finals in Gore.

Ultimately Kirkpatrick had to settle for third today, with second-placing going to King Country veteran David Fagan, who had also made the trip north after shearing in both the finals at Gore the previous day. Smith's brother, Matthew, was fourth and Te Kuiti veteran Dean Ball was fifth.

Rowland Smith, the winner of the Golden Shears Junior title in 2004 and the senior title two years later, loomed as a genuine Open-class prospect last year when he was runner-up to Fagan in the New Zealand Open final in Te Kuiti, and is now seen as one of the most likely to succeed of the Open shearer who have not yet shorn in a Golden Shears Open final.

In January he and third brother shore a World ewes tally record in Hawke's Bay. Two more Northland brothers, Bevan and Bryce Guy, of Kaeo, won the senior and junior finals at Pukekohe, while Fagan's son, Jack, won the intermediate title.

ENDS

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