Kirkpatrick wins big in pre-Shears weekend

Kirkpatrick wins big in pre-Shears weekend

Prolific Napier shearer Johnny Kirkpatrick has just completed his most successful last weekend buildup to the Golden Shears by winning the Pahiatua Shears Open title.

The 40-year-old Kirkpatrick, winner of the World's most-revered title in 2002 and 2008 and runner-up a record seven times, won the Taumarunui Jamboree open final on Friday night, and on Saturday was third in the Apiti YFC Sports final in the Manawatu, won by young Far North hope Rowland Smith.

The Hawke's Bay gun has made the finals of all 19 competitions he's contested this season, winning 13 and never being further back than third. Today he shore 20 sheep in the fastest time, 16 minutes 30seconds, and also posted remarkable board quality point of 0.75, the best of any in the three big weekend finals. It enabled him to win by the widish margin of 2.745 points from the runner-up, reigning World and Golden Shears champion Cam Ferguson, also from Hawke's Bay. The 2008 World champion, Paul Avery, from Taranaki, was third, Te Kuiti veteran Digger Balme was fourth, and Smith fifth.

The shock was the quarterfinals elimination of icon David Fagan.

The TAB had from the start of it's book a fortnight ago had Kirkpatrick as favourite to win the big final in Masterton next Saturday night. But he reiterated today he still has to make his way through the three elimination rounds, and wouldn't pick who else might take the title.

"The young guys are coming at us from everywhere," he said.

ENDS

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